Windows is 90% of the market. It doesn't matter if it is good or bad, it matters how many people who use it would by Adobe products.
Linux may be a superior operating system used by superior people, at least in those people's opinion, but there are just too few of them to warrant using resources to create something with the complexity of Photoshop for use by those few people.
The Linux-user's task is not to beg Adobe to pay for development of something that they can't recoup the cost of development for, the Linux user's job is to make Linux more popular. If it was, then Adobe wouldn't need asking.
One thing that's bothering me here is that there's an underlying current in the dicussion that "Windows is bad".
Windows is not bad.
problems here on this board, I'd say Photoshop runs better on Windows than it does on OSX lately.
-Noel
the optics would suggest you are a post count troll. no one is talking about win vrs mac or saying anything remotely close to this subject which would make this an on topic post.
keep your win vrs mac discussions elsewhere, there are billions of discussions you can jump into and wave the windows flag. this is about PS on linux, not if it runs better on windows than mac. please keep on point.
There are folks in this thread claiming that Adobe is "keeping" them from switching off Windows (spelled in a derogatory way) so they can move to Linux. Perhaps they don't really need to switch but could get smarter at using the OS the majority of the world uses.
Regarding your claim that I'm trying to make a "win vs. mac" (your words) argument, that's not true at all. I haven't claimed one OS is better than another. That's a silly argument; life is not about what's better, it's about choices. Adobe has apparently chosen to stick to the "big two", and folks need to face the fact that Linux is simply an "also ran" in terms of market share.
Noel sure whatever bud. you are missing the point but whatever gets your post count up and floats your boat. its obvious you understand the challanges business have.
@ Noel Carboni - bringing out world wide statistics*** for an OS is just plain sloppy, because this is a discussion about Adobe Photoshop and bringing it to Linux.
What *I* would like to know, is how many of Adobe's paying customers worldwide are on Windows, OSX, and/or have Linux pipelines and workflows. Then, lets break that down to traditional strongholds... the one where Adobe's products are used most I might add... creative shops in North America. You might take a look at AdobeTV, events, and learning videos to see which platform is "preferred" for most Adobe installations.
Now... since you know where I'm heading with this, and other OP's have stated as well, there is not a whole lot of difference between the UNIX that OS X is based on and Linux. I would even venture to guess that porting to Windows is probably far more difficult from version to version and synchronizing updates than OSX/Linux ever would be.
*** Throwing up a world wide percentage of ALL computer users, most that will NEVER, and have NEVER, considered purchasing Adobe's products, is just throwing out mythical numbers you've read somewhere that make you feel better about choosing a specific system. A system that calculates in it's world-wide share, ATM's, manufacturing systems, processing software, enterprise customers from banks to lawyers to bookkeepers, as well as gamers, sale-minded consumers, and casual computing users, etc.
None of the above are Adobe's traditional customers, so their part of the market-share pie plain doesn't count IMHO. Please revise your numbers and thinking accordingly.
You might also consider the fact that no less than 3 of the above bolded categories of computer users, are fleeing the Windows platform and moving to UNIX/Linux based systems provided by Apple and Google. This is where all of the creative energy is today, and dare I say tomorrow and into the foreseeable future as well. Adobe, being the premier provider of creative tools needs... no must be... optimized for those workflows. Again: UNIX/Linux, and you can toss the A:Drive folks out with the diskettes that are no longer needed.
NOTE: I also find it ironic that you point out the need... the absolute necessity in my opinion... that you, someone you know, or a paid support technician is on hand to make Windows work well and stable. That's the only varifiable and rather unfortunate truth behind your original post.
Thanks Noel, I understand and agree with working smarter. Sorry for getting excited, I am a bit passionate on this subject.
There are many Research, Entertainment, Energy, and other sectors who would like to or have migrated to linux for many reasons which in my opinion is outside of the scope of this particular conversation. While it is best to work smarter, it may not be the best business decision to remain complaisant and avoid change for the better because what is availbile will get you by today. In reguards to 'windows is the most common' comment, If numbers alone denoted intelligence, cockroaches would rule the world.
working in these sectors, for me its frustrating when there is just one more tool required to attain the business vision or goal. I understand Adobe's first priority is to make their share holders happy.
This has turned into a soap box for me more than anything else productive so I'll move on. i'm too verbose and have too much to say with too little to gain here.
A lot of discussion here. The question is, at what level does linux need to reach in market share before Adobe will move things to linux? But what is the market share? The market share numbers one reads online for the global market is around 2% (e.g. netmarketshare). But that also includes China. But linux market share is an under-representation. For example, I download one copy of linux and install it on dozens of computers and never paid a thing for the OS--does that even get counted even though dozens of users are then using the OS?. So perhaps usage share is more appropriate?
The general masses are not in the market for photoshop and other such high end products. So Adobe needs to look at the real market share that would buy their products (one would think they have actually done this). I recently saw some google analytics data for an electronics company regarding users who were buying electronics, and for desktop users the linux share was 6%. On my own photo web site with a lot of technical photography information, the desktop share is also running 5 to 6%. It wasn't that long ago when Macs were under 6% and Adobe made photoshop for macs. So if one extends that level to today, linux is there. Adobe just needs to do it. And like many here have posted, many would buy photoshop on linux as they already run linux. That raises another question on usage share, if people are running two systems out of necessity, how much would the share suddenly change if a few key programs, like photoshop were availabel for linux? I run photoshop in a virtualmachine on linux. I would love to drop the virtual machine and windows.
It also seems in this day and age, that supporting linux along with windows and macs is not that big of deal. Many software efforts with far less resources than Adobe seem to be doing it just fine. For example, look at gimp, firefox, thunderbird, and many others.
I’m not a Linux user, so please allow a question: Does a popular version of Linux with proper Color Management exist yet?
Personally I have difficulties accepting the validity of various posters’ claim that porting Photoshop to Linux should be fairly easy, but admittedly I am not qualified to judge the issue.
In any case it would seem to be contrary to Adobe’s »philosophy« to publish Photoshop in a Linux version without also offering (the majority of) the rest of the former »Suite« of applications.
So even if the investment for porting one application to Linux (and indefinitely supporting it) might be tolerable for the whole cloud it might be far from.
> I’m not a Linux user, so please allow a question: Does a popular version of Linux with proper Color Management exist yet?
Yes. I checked that out before I moved my worklow to the linx desktop back around 2009. In fact color managment was one of the reasons I made the switch. I was having device driver conflicts on my windows XP machine. In photo forums I often see windows users complain about color shifts in various programs on the same image, and specifically an image having a color shift from photoshop to other viewer, like firefox even though image the color space is sRGB. I was having the same issues and could not figure out what the conflict was. (I didn't have that problem on my previous windows machine). I switched to linux, put windows in virtual box undur linux, and I run photoshop in windows virtualbox. Photoshop and windows sees the linux color management just fine and there are no conflicts. I have set this up on multiple linux machines with no problems. I have described procedures for setting up linux color management at:
The linux color management programs even recognized my spyder 3 calibrator. I do all my work in linux, including file management and only use windows for photoshop and two other programs (which I'll be moving to wine when I get a chance; but photoshop will not work in wine).
and I have started a linux for photographers page at:
Ubuntu's Unity desktop and Gnome desktop both have built in color profiling applications. Gnome has as a color management program called Gnome Color Manager. There is also a more advanced one available called dispcalGUI which can be freely installed . These are both frontends to ArgyllCMS which manages ICC profiles and gamut mapping. For more rigerious profiling, the ColorHug and Pantone Huey hardware are both supported by Linux.
I think that the reality on such decisions looks inverese to the plain market oriented and profitability approach of marketeers.
I think Linux doesn't flourish because players like Adobe don't decide to support it properly. If Adobe decided to support it the plattform would get a big boost. So things are little different. If adobe pushed linux, it could go through the roof.
People are deciding against Linux (at least me) because their tools won't work with it.
Look over to valve or google. I'm sure at some point there won't be any more the question of supporting Linux or not. I'd love to see Adobe pioneering a little more ;-)
Never the less I'm sure we can safely trust the obvious fact that Microsoft is hiding their absurd incompetence when it comes to writing operating systems, or at least keeping up with their competition. There's parts of windows 8 which still seem to be relicts from Win 98 also no profound file-system and an ugly, slow, clumpy and big intransparent overall architecture. They're digging their own grave if they don't slim that beast down.
Two options:
1. Windows dies at some point and nobody notices because all people switched to more advanced competition.
2. Windows somehow faces its problems, slims that s#@t down and gets their system back on track. (still losing market share due to outstanding and advancing alternatives)
Both ways include happier customers and Adobe at some point reconsidering their Linux strategy ;-)
chris...yes..but i use my camera (5d mark ii + carl zeiss and leica lenses) and i don't need a super version of photoshop..because there are a lot of people like me than use software to import cr2 and fix che curves etc...remove the dust etc. and on linux there is rawtherapee than for me it is better than acr.
gimp? it is inferior for now (but it will have soon the full 16 bit tiff support) than photoshop but i can live again.
the full support of 16 bitt tiff it is a thing of less time ... few months!
if you don't make any version of photoshop like 7 for linux...gimp will make you some problems (most of people will switch to linux because it is free) and it has the support color-management (2.8.10)... fonts i don't need it.
i think than an amatorial photographer doesn't need the full fonts support.
for an amatorial photographers or others people like professional photographers...it is more important to take shot with the right exposure! with the right light!
i do a few of photo-retouch...and for me the photography is this...the right exposure..the right light and the right retouches!
When is Photoshop and Premiere coming to Linux? I know more and more people are switching to Linux.. which really SHOULD be the default platform for creatives/artists.
When Adobe becomes desperate for new customers perhaps they will port Phtoshop to other environments like Android, iOS. Maybe even the smaller unix world but that more a server world then a user world.
That's the thing, just because Ubuntu is 'free' doesn't mean people won't buy software for it. For example, I do music as a hobby and the day Bitwig studios released their DAW (last week), I bought it for $399. It'll run on Mac's, PC's and, yep, Linux where I plan to use it.
Ubuntu has their next Long Term Stable release in less than a month (v14). Each release is better and easier to use than the last. A lot of external hardware works out of the box, where it didn't in the past, and they're working on getting it to mobile devices with carrier support, which will happen in the next year or two. I think ignoring it, is like all the app developers waiting to see if this iOS thing would pan out.
It's threads like that that really make my head hurt while reading them, really just go through every reply and its like a never ending battle. WHEN reality sets in to all of you on this thread that keep posting non-sence graphs showing that windows has many more users; you wil then realize and only then will you realize that windows only has that many more users because most popular software titles are available "ONLY" to windows. Maybe by reading further you will realize all of the replies of people saying that if they came out with a linux version they will switch! Its not because of the quality of the operating system its because of limitations set by software development companies on operating systems. As many users state "Different Users" I might add; if a photoshop version for linux came out they will stop using windows and move to linux meaning your little graphs will then take a very large down spiral into almost nothing.
I myself refuse to use windows but am forced to because of limitations on software and games.
Adobe test your limits and release a linux version and I highly doubt you will regreat it!!!!!
ps: anyone that wants to challenge what I have to say please dont bother it takes a lot to get a rise outta me, you will just be wasting your time and anyone elses time that is reading this. my post is to only state the obvious and stop people from responding with "there are more windows users thats why!". Think and read before you post!
I myself refuse to use windows but am forced to because of limitations on software and games.
Your not even true to yourself. So there is no need to challenge anything you have written.
Unix been around for over forty years Linux one man's version of it. Unix has a proven track record no doubt that. It will be around for many more years. Some day perhaps a company better then Apple will produce a shell for the masses and Unix have a huge user base. I think in the 2000 timeframe IBM had a watch that ran Unix. Unix modular design makes it easy to port to new platforms and hack. So surly if there was a market manufactures would produce a Linux tablet. Most computer users are not hackers and have decided that Unix is not for them.
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