And on top of that the CCers get the added bonus of never being able to open their projects again if they ever stop subscribing.  What a DEAL! This is the scariest part of the  whole (bad) deal, and the mail reason why I also will avoid the Cloud. If it looks like a shite, smells like a shite, chances are it's a shite. ... View more

Yes let's all just be happy and sing songs together. No matter what Adobe does to us. Eternal slavery... la-la-la-la-la... 2.9 million stolen credit cards, la-la-la-la. Buggy software... la-la-la-la! Let's stop all this whining and just praise Adobe for it's greatness! This is funny! And spot-on. ... View more

Jim Simon wrote: Some wouldn't consider that a gift but punishment. Free stuff as a punishment? Some viewpoints really are twisted.  No wonder so much negativity here. I think the thing one must keep in mind is that an all expense paid trip to prison is not at all what it's cracked up to be. But that's really what Adobe is offering here, under the smoke and mirrors of the "free" offer. A "free" year goes by very quickly, and then the party is over. But now it's too late! You're a pay subscriber, and must continue to pay forever, if you ever want to work with your files again! And keep in mind those monthly fees will surely rise, all at Adobe's sole discretion. If this is NOT a scenario for negativity, then I don't know what is! Hansel and Gretel were enticed by the free candy, but then the witch captured and ate them, if I recall the story correctly. ... View more

jbjones wrote: That brings up an interesting question. If a company has to resort to strong arming to stay afloat, do you really want to stake your own company's future on on their products? The answer to this is no, naturally. However, as Adobe managed to push most, if not all, serious contenders out of the race, what else, then? Part of my income relies on freelance "on site" work, and I see no job posts whatsoever seeking artists fluent on Xara, Gimp, or other programs (with the exception of the occasional Quark requirement). Adobe has managed to strategically place themselves into the position of the de facto "go to" toolbox for the graphics industry. What we have here is not unlike the U.S. railroad monopoly of the 19th century. Sad to say, but it appears we now need antitrust laws to govern the big software companies that would seek to place their extortive jackboot on the necks of those from whom they have acquired their wealth in the first place. Not to mention hold their native layered files of the past hostage. I'd prefer to see a boycott by the actual users, but getting enough people on board to make any real impact is, well, like herding cats. I fear that it will only be after Adobe self-destructs will another company endeavor to fill the void. And then, since no one learns anything from history,  you can probably watch the whole thing happen all over again within a span of twenty years! My best advice (as if anyone cared!)? DO NOT upgrade to the Creative Cloud. Instead, call and ask to upgrade to a CS6 disk. Run it for as long as you can. And tell all your friends in the industry to do the same. The ONLY way Adobe's totalitarian business model will be defeated is if they cannot get enough Cloud subscribers on board. For in buying in to the Cloud, you are nothing more that a bleating sheep being led to the slaughter. ... View more

Adobe - the Great Dream Crusher. First they killed FreeHand, clearly the best vector draw program then available. Now, we are force fed the Creative Cloud. And with it, they deliver the final death blow to the careers of millions of users who are not filthy rich and cannot afford another crushing financial monthly burden. As a Photoshop user since 1990, I never would have imagined it would have come to this. Creative software companies used to be, generally speaking, the "cool" crowd. Adobe has now become the Evil Empire. We are being forced to pay into perpetuity if we ever want to open another one of our documents again. A monopoly. No, monopoly is too kind a word. More like a stranglehold. I don't buy the idea that this is the only way for Adobe to survive as a company. And for them to weed out the low-income users (like me!), the students, the up-and-coming Adobe product users in favor of catering exclusively to the big studios and design houses with the subscription purchasing power is incredibly shortsighted of Adobe. Better to get their product into as many hands as possible and get the masses hooked. As a graphic artist who knows Adobe is the only toolset in town, I don't see much of a future in my current career if I no longer have access to my toolset. I don't drive a Ferrari because I can't afford one. And so the same goes for my software. Very sad. Thanks, Adobe, you suck. Didn’t used to, but now you do. Big time. ... View more