Adobe Users In Particular, but not exclusively: Are you upset by the move to metered service on the cloud?

I’m sticking with CS6 and Little Snitch.

I have a legit copy and I still block it from calling home. Apparently the new version only has to check once a month. I don’t use it enough to justify the cost so I will stick with CS6.

The pirates will find a way.

@johnpowell I will probably look around for CS5 which should be cheaper and better than the CS4 I have. I just wonder how long before Adobe pulls the plug on activation to drive us all kicking and screaming to the cloud where they will have us by short-and-curlies.

@ragingloli but things pirated often have a way of backfiring big time.

To be really honest. I could totally do the same exact stuff I did with CS3 that I do with CS6. I just bought it since I get the EDU price. I actually think CS6 is worse than CS3.

I don’t mind the cloud at all. I always had an “old” version compared to the folks I would exchange files with and it was a pain to get them to resave for my older version all the time.

$50/mo for all the software, webfonts (via Typekit, which is excellent), storage, and future features they have set up (all those webfonts are going to be usable in the other software for instance) is really, really, reasonable if you’re doing this work professionally. It compares favorably to any other standard package I can think of in other professions.

If I want to learn something new, I can just download the software and get going, there’s no additional purchase and I always have the latest version.

Also, I’ve missed a payment, they give you 30 days before they shut you down. The same with an internet connection, it’s really not a one time thing.

I’m not liking the shift to the cloud either, @anartist—it’s just too easy for a gatekeeper (the vendor or a third party) to shut things down or throttle your workflow. Yes, it does have its advantages—lightning-quick receipt of a new product, staying up-to-date—and hopefully qualities like that will balance out its disadvantages.

Adobe isn’t very user-friendly, in any event—neither their product nor how they do business. I was able to get away from having to use their stuff just before they went 100% to the cloud, and am doubly glad now for that. Unless users have a massive revolt or another company begins to rival them, your unfortunate experiences probably aren’t going to improve.

@peridot I am hoping this will inspire open-source developers to improve their products and become a force to truly be reckoned with, instead of the recourse of last resort.

There is nothing magical about Adobe, or about any other major software vendor. Whatever it is you use Adobe products to accomplish, there is some other program or combination of programs to make it happen. It won’t necessarily be easy- for example, if you quit Photoshop for the GIMP, you are likely to need to do some customizations to the latter program, learn Python, and make a pest of yourself on at least one forum before you find a way to make it do what you used to do in Photoshop. This takes time, energy, and chutzpah- but it frees you from Adobe, saves you money, and gives you the opportunity to join a user community that actually controls the software it uses. If GIMP (or any other Libre or open-source program) lacks some feature you need, you can actually implement it yourself (if you have the right skills) or influence someone else to do so.
Adobe may or may not care enough about you as an individual customer to deal with feature requests, and their willingness to do so is not coupled to your own persistence or eloquence. If Adobe doesn’t want to accomodate you, then there’s no way to get the new feature you want. With open-source projects, this is never the case. It’s a big world, and you can almost certainly find someone to help you make your software do what you want it to- if you are willing to put in the effort.
Don’t let your vendors push you around. They may have a lot of power in their respective markets, but at least some of that power comes from you- and you do have other options.