What happened to "techdocs"?

[Alan_Sargent]

For instance, I have an issue with Illustrator. Googling finds several forums (not here, search here is incredibly painful) referring me to a techdoc:

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/326565.html

That is redirected to http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/326/326565.html

But that is a 404.

Have they been dropped in the memory hole? I can't find any "techdocs" at all.

-- I found I can use archive.org:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060411161813/http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/326565.html

But really -- Adobe can't be bothered to keep them online?

[Guest]

This is a long standing problem reported before.  It seems many have been reviesed, dropped, or relableled and there is no link to the new version.

[Alan_Sargent]

So, Adobe knows about the problem but doesn't care.

[Phillip_M_Jones]

Typical

[pwillener]

Most tech docs have been moved to helpx.adobe.com; I guess during that process lots of really old stuff has been eliminated (the article in your example is about Illustrator 10, with solutions to "upgrade to Internet Explorer 5 or Netscape 4.7" and similar).

Google should not list/return websites that no longer exist.

[Alan_Sargent]

"the article in your example is about Illustrator 10"

--Exactly, because that's what I'm using.

"Google should not list/return websites that no longer exist."

--Why? Because it might embarrass someone?

Anyway, it wasnt Google that directly gave the link, it was from various old DTP forum posts  where people referenced that (now dead) link.  But that enabled me to eventually find the Wayback copy.

[priscillaw21045834]

I'm glad you were able to find that doc on the archive site. We've changed knowledgebase systems twice since that doc was published . Before the last conversion, the team pruned the  database of the really old content unless it had traffic (Illustrator 10 came out in 2001). The goal was to make it easier to find relevant content by not clogging search results with outdated docs. I agree it doesn't help when what you need is an outdated doc. Occasionally I can pull one out of our archives, but I can't find this one.

[Alan_Sargent]

In the event, when I actually found it, that techdoc didn't help me.

But I am amazed that  you delete laboriously compiled information because it "clogs up search results". Surely it's preferable to weight results by date, for instance without actually deleting the pages.  Microsoft and HP have loads of old stuff on their sites for long obsolete products, they just add a disclaimer "no longer maintained" but let you read it and it solves problems.

Many sites have a default to present results from the last couple of years, but you can extend the range if you need to. And I need to.

Yeah, Illustrator 10 came out over 10 years ago. I use it still, it works. I design books, and do maybe a half dozen covers in  a year. It does all I need and its PDFs print perfectly. I don't have a new PC capable of running more recent version, or the money to upgrade anyway. Basically it would cost more than I make from it in a year. I don't pay for any support, but it does leave a bitter taste to have you remove resources that did exist and cost basically nothing for you to leave on your site.