Activation Server Retirement

[shoot me now]

I just came across a post in a photograpny forum yesterday from a man trying to install CS3 on a new desktop. Of course he cannot activate the software and is not happy about the situation.

It seems many people were caught off guard when the CS3 servers were shut down. This makes me wonder: How were users notified of the impending server termination? Since we can be assured that all the remaining perpetual versions will have their lifelines cut too, it would be good to know what sort of notice to expect and when to expect it.

Thanks,

[Joely]

Come on, CS3 was 13 years ago 😉

There was plenty of informations on any kind of communication channels by Adobe… Does CS3 even work on a new Mac/PC?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

But if I understood the OP correctly they work on CS4, CS5 or CS6 and just want to know where to look for announcements on when the activation servers for those will be retired to avoid surprises. 

[shoot me now]

Yes. I have it running on Win10 to support legacy plugins.

[shoot me now]

Sorry, I keep replying to the post below the one I intend.

[Test Screen Name]

There was no notification. The closedown was 5 years after support ended. Adobe have not said that is a plan (if it is a plan, CS4 is 2 years late for shutdown). 

[JJMack]

Not True before the Activation servers where taken down Adobe made a CS3 Installer that installed  a CS3 version that does not require activation to function.  They made this  CS3 version  for their  old CS3 customer that still required CS3.   Adobe made a Web download old CS3 users could download using their CS3 serial number to gain access to the download and were given a new serial number required the install the download CS3 install.   Adobe has since removed the download from the Web.  CS3 has no support it life is over.  It Also a 32Bit application that can not run on current Mac systemss and can not utilize Windows PC well for the is no 64bit version.    R.I.P. CS3....

Adobe did this once before also for the CS2 and CS users they made a CS2 install that does not require require activation.  I can not remember how I was notified.  I have always kept up to date with Photoshop so I would have known about the download when they became available.   CS2 is so old its not worth trying to use on Windows 10.

[D Fosse]

That's right. There was a long grace period with a no-activation version and it was very obvious what was coming.

[D Fosse]

...and it could even be that CS4/5/6 will remain live. I remember reading somewhere that up to and including CS3, activation was an external service that Adobe rented from someone else. So maybe the contract was up. With CS4, they moved to an in-house solution.

[shoot me now]

I don't know why you claim what I said is not true because it most certainly is. Numerous users of CS3 were caught flat-footed when they bought new computers and could not activate the software. Yes, it IS true the Adobe made a non-activation version available but it seems a fair number of people were unaware and ended up without the ability to use their software.

Again, how were CS3 notifictions sent or posted and how will they be handled in the future? It's not a difficult question.

[shoot me now]

Is there no way to edit a post on this board?

[gener7]

There is. I edit an awful lot. Click on the horizontal 3-dot menu.

[shoot me now]

I have, it just comes up blank for me.

[D Fosse]

"I have, it just comes up blank for me."

Happens occasionally, I've seen that a few times. I've seen worse things, like not being able to sign in at all. Just give it a while, relaunch the browser and try again later.

Yeah, it's annoying, but what can you do...

[davescm]

As far as I know, the edit post facility was removed except for ACPs and moderators. That was due to some users abusing the facility to edit back in spam links that had been removed on moderation.

Dave

[gener7]

I did not even know. I guess I thought everyone had it. But now that I think of it, It's rare to see spam here anymore.

Gene

[Conrad C]

I don’t remember how direct notifications were done, if there were any. But if there were any sent directly to CS3 users, the only way it would be possible is for people who registered the software under their Adobe account and kept their contact info current over the years. In the CS3 era, many people didn’t always register their software (I was one of those) and there was no continuous connection to one’s Adobe account like there is now with Creative Cloud. It was possible to buy Photoshop, not get around to registering it, and end up not being on record at Adobe as being a Photoshop CS3 owner, no way to notify.

Indirect notifications were certainly done through a series of tech docs over the years that could be found by searching. First they provided alternate CS2/CS3 serial numbers and installers that could be used, so many people trying to reinstall found out about that and used them; and then there was a more recent announcement that support for those versions had ended.

How it will be handled in the future is an easier question to answer:

• Because all Creative Cloud users are continuously connected to their Adobe ID, notifications can now be sent through the notification feature of the Creative Cloud desktop app, and through email to your Adobe ID. Plus indirectly through blog posts, social media, and those highlighted announcements at the top of user forums like this one. For example, it was through a highlighted announcement up there that I found out that the next major version of Photoshop will not support macOS 10.13 or Windows 7.
• Adobe announced that for the major Creative Cloud applications, they now support only the current version plus one version back. The Creative Cloud desktop app only offers installation for those last two versions and their minor updates; anything older isn’t supported. Therefore, the situation of notifying users still running Photoshop versions more than 5 years old just isn’t going to come up any more.

[shoot me now]

First, I hope I'm replying to the correct post...

Thank you, Conrad. This info is helpful but incomplete. Many users, such as myself, decided to stand pat at CS6 or earlier, so we aren't connected to Adobe 24/7. Assuming it was still possible to activate but not register circa CS6, it seems likely this comedy/tragedy will play out again as time goes on. For the unregistered masses (I am not among them) it appears their only recourse is to periodically scan Adobe's site for clues that a large, ugly shoe is about to drop. I guess CS4 users better start paying attention.

[Conrad C]

I just went into my own Adobe account and under Plans > My Products I can see some software registrations going back to 2003, including applications and fonts. (There was a point after which if you bought software direct from Adobe, they would auto-register it.) What I do not know is if Adobe would ever notify me directly about changes to those, especially versions that are now technically unsupported.

As far as CS4 and the rest of the pre-Creative Cloud applications, I don’t know about Windows but on the Mac side, major changes to macOS have made it impossible to run the CS4–CS6 installers on the current version of macOS, so it’s down to the users who are using older Macs and do not want to pay for a Creative Cloud subscription. When it becomes time to buy a new Mac, they’ll either have to subscribe to Creative Cloud or switch to non-subscription alternative applications (because new Macs typically only run the current version of macOS or later).

[shoot me now]

Windows back-compatibility can be both a blessing and a curse but old software runs (generally) well. The installers back to CS3 work fine on Windows 10 and I even have Photoshop 6, pre-CS, running on Windows 8.1 just for the hell of it. Pre-activation Windows versions of PS (6 and possibly 7) have an undocumented feature in that you can drop the PS folder onto a flash drive and run PS on just about any computer, no installation needed. I carry PS with me where ever I go. 🙂

[Test Screen Name]

"appears their only recourse is to periodically scan Adobe's site for clues that a large, ugly shoe is about to drop" No, that would be pointless. There was no advance warning that CS1/2 or CS3 servers were to close down, and no notification that it happened. Only scanning the forum for angry/confused people will tell you. 

The seeds of this were sown in 2004 when Adobe introduced activation. Nobody seemed much concerned, but it seemed inevitable to me that one day this would happen - why wouldn't it? The time to vote with your feet was 16 years ago; it seems to be a fait accompli now that software companies can limit the life of software by plan, by accident, or by random decisions. 

I was always puzzled how the people who stuck with CS6 "to run it forever" really thought that would play out. You can get off the bus, but the bus doesn't wait for you.