Main Menu

Adobe Creative Cloud (or: Monopolies in Action)

Started by Jim_Campbell, 14 May, 2013, 05:32:47 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Jim_Campbell

(Rather than drag the Minty thread off-topic, I thought I'd follow up the post below in its own thread.)

Quote from: Banners on 14 May, 2013, 05:13:56 PM
Quote from: Steve Green
Yep, and even though I disagree strongly with Adobe forcing their software into a rental only model...

Don't get me started on that. Grrr....
As a poster on the Ars Technica forums rather succinctly put it:

QuoteThis is Adobe saying 'Wouldn't it be great if every Creative Suite user bought a full priced upgrade to the most expensive edition of the suite every 12 months, regardless of whether we actually managed to ship compelling new features?' and then realizing that there's sufficiently little competition in this market that, hey, they can just make users do that.

Because I use Design Standard rather than the full suite, this is the financial equivalent of my having to buy the Design Standard package every two years at full retail price (not upgrade) with the added wrinkle of knowing that if I miss a payment, the software I rely on for a living will simply stop working.

I'll keep using my legal (and horrifically buggy) version of CS6 until it stops working. I think running CorelDraw under Bootcamp may provide a partial solution, and we'll see if MangaStudio keeps stepping up its game. Fortunately, I still have a legacy copy of Quark* for the occasional long document where needed.

Cheers

Jim

*There's irony for you. If Quark has any sense at all, they'll either slash the price or offer a massive discount for InDesign cross-grades.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

The Enigmatic Dr X

But - surely old versions still work? How are they achieving this in practice? Are they patching in the upgrade requirement?
Lock up your spoons!

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 14 May, 2013, 05:41:57 PM
But - surely old versions still work? How are they achieving this in practice? Are they patching in the upgrade requirement?

Oh, yes — my copy of CS6 will still work, but they've announced that beyond security patches, they're basically not supporting it any more and there will be no CS7.*

All new versions of their software will be 'Creative Cloud', which installs to your local hard drive like previous versions but which is only available on monthly subscription. Once a month, the software will dial up Abobe and check you're maintaining your subscription, or it will stop working.

Cheers

Jim

*Is this an immediate problem? No. But keep in mind that we're talking about a company that broke backwards compatibility on InDesign's native file format between v5.0 and v5.5. There's little doubt in my mind that as soon as Adobe can contrive a bullshit excuse to break backwards compatibility between Creative Cloud and CS6 they will, forcing print shops and repro houses to move to CC or go out of business.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Banners

I shall enjoy putting my thoughts together for this one!

In the meantime, I despair at how the video here appears to think that the most compelling reason to fork out for an InDesign upgrade is - drumroll please - a dark UI option.

Steve Green

Yeah, what I don't understand is even when pointing to a document from Adobe that their intention is to increase revenue per customer, some people still think it's a great idea to have CC as the only option.

Personally I will be sticking with CS6 for as long as I can, and to be honest - it's really only After Effects and Premiere that I use extensively.

I'm hoping that it might be possible to run them side-by-side and just use it as a billable item if I'm pushed into it.

But for myself, I'm old-fashioned that I like my software companies to actually put some fucking effort in to justify an upgrade, rather than just be able to pull the plug.

Banners

#5
I use InDesign practically all day every day and, on the whole, I think it's a great product that is intuitive and easy to use. Like Jim, I use the CS6 Design Standard suite, having followed an upgrade path over the last decade where I have skipped two or three versions each time – deciding when to upgrade as a compromise between getting new features and maximising my prior investment.

I do not like the move to the rental model and will not be rushing to sign up for the Creative Cloud. Here are some reasons why.

The new features that I have read about are small evolutions and do not seem to address my own issues with InDesign (which I have reported as bugs), nor those of the wider InDesign community. Indeed, Adobe's own product evangelist, in summing up his sales pitch, touts a dark UI as one of just two new killer features. Wow.

My biggest issue is that once I start using the Creative Cloud suite, I will lose access to my files should my subscription ever end. Whilst I will own CS6 in perpetuity, files made in the CC versions of the InDesign file format will be incompatible with InDesign CS6. So, I would need to keep my CC subscription going or else lose access to my work. In effect, this allows Adobe to own my creativity and intellectual property. That's a little over-dramatic perhaps, but one is effectively committing to signing up to the CC for the rest of your working life.

The monthly price is too high given the lack of compelling new features, even considering the upgrade discounts. The all-or-nothing approach wherein you get access to all the CS programs looks good at first glance. However, it is arrogant, ignorant and exploitative to only have one monthly price. I can see Adobe's business case for moving to the subscription model, but for those of us who only use a few programs, there should be a lower-priced option.

The contrary argument is that the money I earn using Adobe's products far outweighs their cost.

That's true, but as I already own CS6, why should I need to pay so much more per month for unimpressive new features? Also, how long will the current prices last? If they suddenly increase, then there's nothing I can do about it – I cannot elect to wait to upgrade. It's all-or-nothing again.

Calling it the creative "cloud" is something of a misnomer as there is very little actual cloud functionality. It's not like I can work from a different PC and have instant access to InDesign via some kind of Citrix or OnLive client.

If they're getting all this money every month anyway, where is Adobe's incentive for innovation?

So, there are lots of things I think I dislike about Adobe moving exclusively to the so-called Creative Cloud. It's a cynical, greedy manipulation of their market-leading position, and demonstrates a complete lack of empathy with the people who have embraced their products and made them succesful. It's a decision made by accountants rather than creatives.

I guess I will use CS6 for as long as I can - until Adobe somehow force me to move, until there are brilliant new features, or until my clients ask for it (unlikely as not many of them know nor care about what I use). But, sadly, it seems to be an inevitability – and another monthly expense spent on thin air and with nothing to show for it at the end.

To me, those reasons I dislike Adobe's move to the CC-only rental model are bad enough. But the thing I resent most is that my livelihood – and by extension, my home and family – is being exploited and, worse, threatened.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Banners on 15 May, 2013, 08:26:52 AM
files made in the CC versions of the InDesign file format will be incompatible with InDesign CS6.

Seriously?! I hadn't read that. Is this part of Adobe's business model now, to break backwards compatibility with InDesign every time they release a new version?

Congratulations, Adobe — I honestly believed that no company could have been a bigger bunch of arrogant, money-grabbing bastards with no respect for their user base than Quark circa v4/5. You've proved me wrong.

Bloody hell.

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Banners on 15 May, 2013, 08:26:52 AM
Indeed, Adobe's own product evangelist, in summing up his sales pitch, touts a dark UI as one of just two new killer features. Wow.

Am I the only person who hates the whole 'dark UI' thing? I find it hard on the eyes and intensely distracting. I want a nice, neutral mid-to-light-grey and, perhaps, for the UI teams on AI, ID and PS to actually concentrate on making the various UI elements behave consistently between applications...

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Steve Green

Maybe I should write to all my clients and say that I'm moving to a cloud model - they need to pay me 40 quid a month to retain their old projects.

Let's see how quickly they'd tell me to fuck off.

Banners

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 15 May, 2013, 08:37:40 AM
Quote from: Banners on 15 May, 2013, 08:26:52 AM
files made in the CC versions of the InDesign file format will be incompatible with InDesign CS6.

Seriously?! I hadn't read that. Is this part of Adobe's business model now, to break backwards compatibility with InDesign every time they release a new version?

Rather than the native file format, you can use IDML to save backwards to InDesign CS4, but it's not perfect and you lose compatibility with new features of course.

I assume it will be the same with CC, but where's Adobe's incentive to improve or maintain backwards-compatibility? By sustaining backwards-compatibility, they're losing lucrative sales.

radiator

So hold on: you can only subscribe to ALL the Adobe programs for one fixed price?

Lunacy - what about people like me who only ever use the one program? Seems like an excuse to force people to pay the equivalent of every single upgrade, which just isn't fair or justified. I suspect Adobe are making a rod for their own back with this - Kickstarter for an open source rival anyone?

Banners

Quote from: radiator on 15 May, 2013, 09:25:11 AM
So hold on: you can only subscribe to ALL the Adobe programs for one fixed price?

You can subscribe to one app for £17.58 a month, but most people (I guess) use at least InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop together.

radiator

Ok, we'll that's slightly more reasonable I suppose. I guess for me it will work out the same as upgrading every two years.

I bloody hate subscription models though, and try to avoid them at all costs. I would always rather pay for something upfront and own it forever than live at the mercy of a corporation.

TordelBack

Quote from: radiator on 15 May, 2013, 09:39:23 AMI would always rather pay for something upfront and own it forever than live at the mercy of a corporation.

I don't think you're going to like the future much.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: radiator on 15 May, 2013, 09:39:23 AM
Ok, we'll that's slightly more reasonable I suppose. I guess for me it will work out the same as upgrading every two years.

In other news, I just upgraded to MangaStudio 5 for £41.

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.