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Last post Author Topic: Adobe drops the gauntlet - going forward it's cloud - or nothing.  (Read 30468 times)

40hz

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^You'd need a subscription regardless of features because if your PC can't connect with Adobe's servers at least once every 30 days to get an authorization token, your CS apps stop functioning. 

CS is now a subscription service.

Carol Haynes

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Not that long ago they did a nice thing with their CS2 (or was it 3?) product give-away and now they do this. Ah well, lets hope this move will make them see how the bottom of their "war chest" looks like.

Hmmm - no they didn't. They turned off their activation server for CS2 and had to provide legitimate users with an activation free version of the software. They turned a blind eye to others downloading the software but it was never officially the intention to give a free copy to anyone that wants one.

cranioscopical

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If I have it right (of which there is always considerable doubt) there are to be numerous updates to the cloud version and none to the boxed version. Quite a slap in the face for those of us who paid already to license some of the more-expensive consumer software on the market.

I'm with Carol, one of the things that has kept me close to Windows has been Adobe graphics software.
 
 

app103

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Adobe will love the idea that nobody will ever be able to pirate Photoshop ever again. Everyone that wants to use it will have to pay for it, monthly.

Another inch closer!

 ;)

kyrathaba

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/05/06/after-nearly-10-years-adobe-abandons-its-creative-suite-entirely-to-focus-on-creative-cloud/

I got a kick outa this:

Update: Fireworks has been killed off.

Adobe targets the same Pro and Pro-sumer community that Apple had the misfortune of knowing when it redesigned Final Cut Pro. Adobe’s decision to solely embrace a subscription offering could lead to mass protest if not handled correctly.

40hz

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Adobe will love the idea that nobody will ever be able to pirate Photoshop ever again. Everyone that wants to use it will have to pay for it, monthly.

Another inch closer!

 ;)

The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it...

***

Yes indeed. Seems to be the emerging trend.

Not everybody will be able to do this initially. Most likely it will only be the big players with key titles that no longer have any meaningful competition. I'd guess that Microsoft Office and Intuit's Quicken and Quickbooks will be among the first to make the same move.

I'm also guessing Microsoft and Intuit will wait until to see how much pushback Adobe actually gets. (I'm predicting they'll get very little.)

Once Microsoft and Intuit switch, expect to see anybody who can afford a reliable authorization infrastructure to follow suit. And with all the inexpensive virtual hosting services out there, there won't be many businesses that can't.

I'm guessing that by mid-2014, most (if not all) of the major software packages will at least have an online subscription option available. And by 2015, will only be 'sold' that way.

This is a seismic shift Adobe has initiated for the entire software industry. Make no mistake about it. :tellme:


Stoic Joker

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I'm also guessing Microsoft and Intuit will wait until to see how much pushback Adobe actually gets. (I'm predicting they'll get very little.)

Sadly, you're quite likely right...as there is already a pattern of sanctimonious posturing going on in he Register comments on the article posted above. High handed comments about it legally no big deal if you really have a valid legal license will quickly make people nervous about pushing too hard for fear of looking like a pirate.

Carol Haynes

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Adobe will love the idea that nobody will ever be able to pirate Photoshop ever again. Everyone that wants to use it will have to pay for it, monthly.

Another inch closer!

 ;)

How long do you think before someone produces copies with the activation and online check code stripped out or the activation period updated to 1000 years?

If anyone thinks this will stop piracy they are not in the real world - this is a HUGE gauntlet to throw down to hackers and what's more some loyal customers who feel ripped off will contemplate using cracked software rather than be extorted on a monthly subscription.

People aren't totally stupid- they can do their sums! If you only use a product like PhotoShop and aren't interested in the rest of the suite Adobe's prices basically mean that you are buying the product over and over again every few months.

If you use a lot of CS products and are the kind of person who likes to keep software up to date Adobe Cloud is a no brainer at current prices - it is a lot cheaper than paying for regular updates. That's not to say Adobe won't hike prices once everyone is resigned to the Cloud coup.

Personally I am moving in the opposite direction. I want at least a couple of computer systems that do not connect to the internet at all and are used for specific tasks - for me Adobe products would be on one of those machines as I don'y want or need internet connectivity to edit video, audio or photographs - plus I want a DAW which needs to be as uncluttered with crap (and especially security products) as possible to work well.

40hz

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How long do you think before someone produces copies with the activation and online check code stripped out or the activation period updated to 1000 years?
-Carol Haynes (May 08, 2013, 08:12 AM)

Probably a month or two - but I don't think the casual pirate or copy "borrower" is their real concern. It's really not cost effective to actively pursue them. And Adobe knows it.

If anyone thinks this will stop piracy they are not in the real world - this is a HUGE gauntlet to throw down to hackers and what's more some loyal customers who feel ripped off will contemplate using cracked software rather than be extorted on a monthly subscription.

True. But no business or professional in their right mind would since the downside far outweigh the benefits.

Don't know if they do this in the UK , but I'm seeing more and more contracts over here that require the vendor assert that it has legal rights to all resources used in the performance of the contract. It's mostly put in there for things like artwork. But companies have also argued it applies to things beyond simple IP (which software increasingly claims to be) since they could be accused of abetting an illegal activity by availing themselves of its benefits while turning a blind eye to any license violations on the part of the supplier.

So no, pissed off or not, I can't really see too many people who use CS to make money trying to do an end run around Adobe. At least in the markets Adobe is interested in serving.


I think this may actually be less about personal paranoia, and more about corporate IT and management just wanting to get out from under the whole license and compliance issue once and for all. Most businesses are pretty good about paying for the software they use. Where they're terrible is in keeping track of the licenses they already bought. These software services get them out from under it.

It also eases deployment and updates (as long as you always want the latest version - which is not always the case) and provides flex since most of these services seem to have realized "no-contract" is definitely the way to the purchase department's heart.

For medium and large businesses with heavy duty connections to the Internet, this sort of deal is very compelling. Great for tax purposes (no "first year expensing" nonsense and related considerations) since it's a pure expense item. And it's flexible. Just add or drop licenses as needed. Which is great for temporary employees and interns working on short term projects. No more boxes and boxes of undeployed software sitting in storage after a project is finished. No chance of any "extra" copies being "liberated" either.

And did I mention there's no more license compliance worries yet?

No. Much as it galls me what this represents politically and philosophically, it still makes pretty good business sense doing things this way.

Businesses are already familiar with renting and outsourcing. And they never did like all those complex (thank you Microsoft!) site contracts, software "assurance" programs and similar deals they were offered. This can all be presented as "outsourcing your business' software holdings" and it will virtually sell itself. Especially if there's no contract commitment.

What this means for the one-off purchaser or home user is anybody's guess. But it's not like anybody is asking them. Adobe and Microsoft would rather not deal with individuals and small organizations with no in-house expertise. That can quickly become a support nightmare and money-losing proposition, as anybody who ever tried to provide "tech support" to very small businesses or individuals invariably discovers.

Especially since so much of that market doesn't need "support" so much as it needs basic training in the use of the product. Training they're frequently unwilling to invest in. ("Hey, I don't need to know all that! I just need you to show me how to do this.") And forget about actually doing any of the supplied tutorials.

Dunno...maybe part of the motivation (beyond cash flow) is also to weed out the casual and amateur users when it comes to big complex products like CS. Their real market is corporations and design professionals. Maybe pissing off all those PITA "amateurs" is considered an unanticipated benefit?
 8)
« Last Edit: May 08, 2013, 08:36 AM by 40hz »

cranioscopical

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Maybe pissing off all those PITA "amateurs" is considered an unanticipated benefit?
Good to know I'll still be of some benefit to somebody  ;D  ;D  ;D

f0dder

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How long do you think before someone produces copies with the activation and online check code stripped out or the activation period updated to 1000 years?
-Carol Haynes (May 08, 2013, 08:12 AM)
That will work for now... but I expect them to begin moving more and more computations to the cloud within long. Just like there's big players trying to push internet-streamed gaming... it's a big wet dream not only to stop piracy, but perpetually berapereave sheepcustomers of cash on a monthly basis.
- carpe noctem

40hz

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perpetually berapereave sheepcustomers of cash on a monthly basis.

Of necessity, I'm not especially lavish when it comes to spending. However, I'm also not so penny-wise as to become dollar foolish. I'd rather be mildly "fleeced" on a monthly basis and know the product will be around, and that I can get timely and professional support when I need it, than save a buck by ducking an upgrade. At least for apps I need in my business.

Thing is, I always see myself buying a capability - rather than a box or a service - when I 'buy' software.

I don't really care (as long as I can somehow afford it) whether software comes in a box or resides on the web when it comes to business use. I certainly prefer it be on my own machine and under my own control. But I've also pretty much given up on insisting on it since the commercial software market seems to be hell bent on moving away from personal computing and 'hard' products. The service model is definitely where it's all gonna be going.

So be it.

If that's the deal, I can either learn to live with it - or walk away - as Adobe seems to be saying. If I really truly need CS, or one of its packages, I guess I'll learn to live with it.

But if so, I also will be revising my expectations and focus. Because if this is software as a service, that service had bloody better well be there when I go to use it.

One thing I hope Adobe realizes, and will commit to, is: "No bad surprises." Because they will soon learn that people are more forgiving of flaky products than they are of poor service performance if they don't. Nobody is going to want to hear about unexpected network loads, server issues, etc. Because (drumroll please!) "We're paying YOU good money for YOUR service!"

So in this brave new world of eternal revenue streams, the service (in every sense of the word) had better be there. And with no apology or excuses.

Hear that  Microsoft? Adobe? And especially you Intuit!

Dog_ate_my_homework_SEO_promo_image.jpg
 8)

40hz

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In support of one of my earlier predictions, this comment from MS Office Group spokesman Clint Patterson's blog where he talks about Adobe's recent move and where Microsoft currently stands on doing the same:

Industry reaction is mixed. Some pundits point to this as the future, others explore challenges, and a few wonder if Office is next.

Like Adobe, we think subscription software-as-a-service is the future. The benefits to consumers are huge. Subscribers are always up-to-date. They get the latest and most complete applications.  They can use subscriptions across the multitude of devices people use today. Web services like SkyDrive and applications like Skype are also more easily integrated with subscription services, like the new Office 365 Home Premium.

However, unlike Adobe, we think people's shift from packaged software to subscription services will take time. Within a decade, we think everyone will choose to subscribe because the benefits are undeniable.

So ok...maybe it's not gonna be today or tomorrow for Microsoft. But it's coming eventually. :huh:

superboyac

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You know, I've been noticing that the media seems to insist that the benefits of subscription cloud services are "undeniable".  And I'm getting really annoyed by it.  Not because there are no benefits, there are.  But the way they say it, it makes it sound like the local installation does NOT have any benefits.  And those who don't understand the differences hear this and it seems like it is gaining momentum.

They both have benefits.  I'd argue that an individual user would most likely prefer the benefits of a local install vs. a cloud service.  I wish they would just flat out say "we are doing this mainly to combat piracy" don't confuse the issue.

This reminds me of a random story.  I'm playing pickup basketball, there are 11 people.  So one has to sit out.  You shoot free throws to see who gets to play.  I missed mine so I have to sit out.  The person who sits out automatically gets to play the next game, and the losing team's players shoot to see who gets to stay.

OK, so I'm sitting out, my buddy comes up to me and says "Don't worry, buddy!  You got the next game." and I get all pissy and respond "Yeah, I know I get the next game!  You don't have to tell me!  It's not like you're doing me a f---ing favor.  that's the rule, everyone knows that! !@#$!$"  Totally mean response.

But that's what cloud services are.  A company goes cloud to protect their product, possibly a very minor part of that decision was really based around benefits to the customer.  But when selling it publicly, they will obviously make it sound like it has everything to do with the customer. oy.

Stay positive!  ;)

40hz

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Stay positive!  ;)

Won't! :P ;D

Problem is I've really had it with what's been going on of late in this industry of ours.

It's getting to the point where I'd be perfectly happy if I didn't have to look at another computer - other than a very simple single-board computer like a Beagleboard or R-Pi (gotta keep a text editor no matter what!) - ever again.

Seriously. I'm starting to feel like this guy:

Screenshot from 2013-04-29 07:18:58.pngAdobe drops the gauntlet - going forward it's cloud - or nothing.

I really am getting to that point. :huh:

Stoic Joker

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u know, I've been noticing that the media seems to insist that the benefits of subscription cloud services are "undeniable".  And I'm getting really annoyed by it.  Not because there are no benefits, there are.  But the way they say it, it makes it sound like the local installation does NOT have any benefits.  And those who don't understand the differences hear this and it seems like it is gaining momentum.

The media is behaving like any good lapdog and doing exactly what they're told. The one pivotally critical detail that the cloud shills miss/overlook/ignore is the simple fact that the internet does not exist as a singular thing. It is a ramshackle group of discontiguous networks that just-so-happen to share relatively well with their neighbors. but any break in the chain of resold (to the Nth power) services that comprise the sum total internet could quite easily cripple a company if it decided to have a hiccup either at the right time, or for a long enough time. I've already had a (client's) cloud provider claim that a problem had to be on my (our collective) end because they could access the servers (INTERNALLY!!!) just fine... Yet I'm looking right at a trace route report that clearly says that their up level provider just took a shit because that is exactly where all the packet movement stops!

I've already gone ballistic on the phone when one of the cloud sales drones made the mistake of telling me that their total downtime for the previous year was only 11 minutes. Because I don't give a flying :) what their down time is ... I need to ensure that everybody between point A, and point B stays just dandy so my company's down time doesn't spike us right into the toilet. Because if a drunk hits a pole up the street from me, and the local utility company doesn't get it fixed really soon... Guess what? My company is blind as a bat trying to function .. Regardless of whether or not the "cloud" is allegedly construed as being "up" (I'm still getting fisted).

Carol Haynes

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u know, I've been noticing that the media seems to insist that the benefits of subscription cloud services are "undeniable".  And I'm getting really annoyed by it.  Not because there are no benefits, there are.  But the way they say it, it makes it sound like the local installation does NOT have any benefits.  And those who don't understand the differences hear this and it seems like it is gaining momentum.

The media is behaving like any good lapdog and doing exactly what they're told. The one pivotally critical detail that the cloud shills miss/overlook/ignore is the simple fact that the internet does not exist as a singular thing. It is a ramshackle group of discontiguous networks that just-so-happen to share relatively well with their neighbors. but any break in the chain of resold (to the Nth power) services that comprise the sum total internet could quite easily cripple a company if it decided to have a hiccup either at the right time, or for a long enough time. I've already had a (client's) cloud provider claim that a problem had to be on my (our collective) end because they could access the servers (INTERNALLY!!!) just fine... Yet I'm looking right at a trace route report that clearly says that their up level provider just took a shit because that is exactly where all the packet movement stops!

I've already gone ballistic on the phone when one of the cloud sales drones made the mistake of telling me that their total downtime for the previous year was only 11 minutes. Because I don't give a flying :) what their down time is ... I need to ensure that everybody between point A, and point B stays just dandy so my company's down time doesn't spike us right into the toilet. Because if a drunk hits a pole up the street from me, and the local utility company doesn't get it fixed really soon... Guess what? My company is blind as a bat trying to function .. Regardless of whether or not the "cloud" is allegedly construed as being "up" (I'm still getting fisted).
-Stoic Joker (May 08, 2013, 05:38 PM)

Somewhat 'prosaically' put - but pretty damn accurate (fisting or not).

At the end of the day none of this stuff is about customers or cloud benefits or anything that matters to users  - it is all about assured and large revenue streams for US corporations. Corporation - business (extortion) as usual.

vlastimil

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A cloud solution has its benefits, especially when you are working on the same project from multiple devices or when multiple people must cooperate. But a cloud owned and managed by one company is no real cloud in my eyes. I am still waiting for the right cloud solution to emerge. A proper cloud should be distributed, kind of like freenet, but also fast. There should be multiple independent service providers selling disk space to backup and speed up access to your stored data. Setting up such a service should be a matter of installing an open source package on a computer with good internet connectivity. Data should be cached on end-user computers and the caching should be intelligent enough to predict what data the user would likely need next and download it from the cloud in advance. The cloud should work even if the connection to the whole internet is severed and only connections to local computers remain. If the data is on any of the local computers, it should be accessible.

When someone builds such cloud, I'll be a happy user and I'll integrate direct access to that could into all my software. No current solution comes close, not Dropbox, not Google Drive, not Adobe's cloud. They'll all become obsolete if/when this clouds becomes reality.

tomos

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[...]
I've already gone ballistic on the phone when one of the cloud sales drones made the mistake of telling me that their total downtime for the previous year was only 11 minutes. Because I don't give a flying :) what their down time is ... I need to ensure that everybody between point A, and point B stays just dandy so my company's down time doesn't spike us right into the toilet. Because if a drunk hits a pole up the street from me, and the local utility company doesn't get it fixed really soon... Guess what? My company is blind as a bat trying to function .. Regardless of whether or not the "cloud" is allegedly construed as being "up" (I'm still getting fisted).
-Stoic Joker (May 08, 2013, 05:38 PM)

Somewhat 'prosaically' put - but pretty damn accurate (fisting or not).

At the end of the day none of this stuff is about customers or cloud benefits or anything that matters to users  - it is all about assured and large revenue streams for US corporations. Corporation - business (extortion) as usual.
-Carol Haynes (May 09, 2013, 04:09 AM)

+1

Top comment on the original Register article:
-
Give me your money!

Not quite sure about Adobe's "cloud" branding. The software is exactly the same as before. It installs on your computer, the licence is locked to that computer unless you deauthorise it. The "cloud" appears to be just the way Adobe have worked out to ensure they extract money from users every month instead of those pesky people who refuse to upgrade their software every year,

Make no mistake, this is just a scheme to squeeze money out of the end users. They may as well brand it "Adobe remote wallet opening device".
http://forums.thereg...m/containing/1815530

But there's also, as already said, the problem of bloat from trying to get people to upgrade every two years. (I know of a *lot* of professionals - individuals and small companies- who would only upgrade on average every second time, because the new features were of little interest to them.)
-
For Adobe, the reasoning behind this decision is simple. According to our sources, the company had long searched for ways to stabilize its revenue. Previously, it would receive bursts of income every two years with the latest Creative Suite release. Convincing users to upgrade was a daunting task that left an impact on product decisions.
(my emphasis:)
http://thenextweb.co...s-on-creative-cloud/

Because of the Cloud monikor, I keep forgetting that it actually installs locally and needs to be activated.
Apparently it doesnt *always* need an internet connection, but it's a lottery how long it will last without one. Was reading a photographer yesterday, who was saying this was a disaster for him as he mostly works on the road, often with limited or no internet (sorry cant find the link now - may have been in comments somewhere).

FWIW they have made an exception for Lightroom...
-
The new lineup ... also includes the Lightroom photo management app—the only Creative Cloud offering that will continue as both a perpetual license and cloud subscription.
Why is Lightroom a special case? Because Adobe makes the distinction between professionals using software for their livelihood and enthusiasts who use it for fun.  “Lightroom is tricky because it falls in between," said Morris [Scott Morris, Adobe's senior marketing director]. "Lots of consumers use Lightroom, but it’s also used by pro photographers. So we’re treating it both ways."
http://www.macworld....tive-suite-line.html
-
Which does seem to confirm 40's idea that they are otherwise simply not interested in the amatuer public. I thought a lot of camera enthusiasts used Photoshop, but I guess they may have mostly moved on to Lightroom.
Tom

Stoic Joker

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Data should be cached on end-user computers and the caching should be intelligent enough to predict what data the user would likely need next and download it from the cloud in advance. The cloud should work even if the connection to the whole internet is severed and only connections to local computers remain. If the data is on any of the local computers, it should be accessible.

Microsoft's Exchange Online offers a hybrid cloud option that does basically that. Local and remote systems work together to ensure the highest possible availability. So if the company internet goes down, the in-house staff still have access to the local Exchange server, and the road warriors have access to the cloud server. I'm actually toying with implementing an Exchange hybrid cloud solution here because we're jumping to Exchange 2013 as part of the Private Cloud services I'm setting up on our new rack system.

Carol Haynes

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Another thought is:

Physical upgrade = new features and better be something useful otherwise users will skip it (esp. true of MS and Adobe).

Cloud solution = lots of money = minimal new development (what is the incentive when you have the market cornered and professionals by the short and curlies).

Over time I can't see MS or Adobe adding much to the feature set if the regular income is assured without any work. All those annoying developers expecting payment ... why bother.

Corel has pretty much taken this approach over the past decade with physical products and now their market share is down the toilet. With a bit of imagination and a few decent developers they could make a big comeback so long as they don't see dollar signs for cloud solutions.

In the short term I would guess people like Xara and some of the other photo editing titles will grab a chunk of the market for small companies and individuals that don't want a large regular outlay.

40hz

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Which does seem to confirm 40's idea that they are otherwise simply not interested in the amatuer public. I thought a lot of camera enthusiasts used Photoshop, but I guess they may have mostly moved on to Lightroom.

Looking at Adobe's website they describe who the following products are "ideal" for:

Photoshop CS:

  • Photographers
  • Print designers
  • Web designers
  • Interactive designers
  • Video professionals

Lightroom:

  • Professional and amateur photographers

Photoshop Elements:

  • Family memory keepers
  • Photo enthusiasts

---------------------------------------------------

re: Adobe online authorization/activation

Actually...what Adobe requires to use CS doesn't look all that unreasonable to me. Apps are installed locally and can be used without a constant (or even frequent) Internet connection. Per Adobe's FAQ:

...Creative Cloud desktop applications (such as Photoshop and Illustrator) are installed directly on your computer, so you won't need an ongoing Internet connection to use them on a daily basis.

You will need to be online when you install and license your software. If you have an annual membership, you'll be asked to connect to the web to validate your software licenses every 30 days.  However, you'll be able to use products for 3 months (99 days) even if you're offline.

I don't personally consider that requirement to be all that unreasonable.

Be interesting to see what happens to Photoshop/Premier Elements however since to allow it's continued existence in a 'boxed' format flies in the face of several of the arguments being made for the changes in CS.

 8)

tomos

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re: Adobe online authorization/activation

Actually...what Adobe requires to use CS doesn't look all that unreasonable to me. Apps are installed locally and can be used without a constant (or even frequent) Internet connection. Per Adobe's FAQ:

...Creative Cloud desktop applications (such as Photoshop and Illustrator) are installed directly on your computer, so you won't need an ongoing Internet connection to use them on a daily basis.

You will need to be online when you install and license your software. If you have an annual membership, you'll be asked to connect to the web to validate your software licenses every 30 days.  However, you'll be able to use products for 3 months (99 days) even if you're offline.

I don't personally consider that requirement to be all that unreasonable.

I've heard different experiences (described online) from people using CC over the last year. That could be bugginess in Adobe's implementation, but who cares - if it dont work, it dont work ...

In theory this move *could* be good for the product - e.g. if they started working on the crappy UI (I'm thinking of ai here, but others could surely also be improved) to make it more work-friendly, instead of constantly introducing features. I wont hold my breath though.
Tom

40hz

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I've heard different experiences (described online) from people using CC over the last year. That could be bugginess in Adobe's implementation, but who cares - if it dont work, it dont work ...

Agree. I've heard both positive and negative stories about the experience.

I just hope Adobe took into consideration that CS is pretty much what gets used everywhere. So they'll need to be looking beyond the USA and Western Europe's infrastructures when it comes to things like connection availability, link reliability and time lags for their authorization system. Because not all Internet experiences are the same.

Making accommodations for connection quality is not an insurmountable challenge. It's actually somewhat easy to implement as long as you're aware and plan for it. And that 99 day 'no connection' window seems to have taken that into consideration.

I'm also guessing they have made some provision for providing semi-permanent authorization tokens for things like government secure locations (satellite reconnaissance, military, etc.) that won't allow outside Internet connections over their LANs for obvious reasons.

-----------------------------

(Note: Speaking of international - who knows? Maybe we'll see a Linux version of CS now that China is thumbing it's nose at Microsoft and bedding with Canonical to create their own official state OS. When it comes to market potential, 1.33 billion Chinamen can't be ignored with impunity! )
 ;D

« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 08:01 AM by 40hz »

TaoPhoenix

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You know, I've been noticing that the media seems to insist that the benefits of subscription cloud services are "undeniable".  And I'm getting really annoyed by it.  Not because there are no benefits, there are.  But the way they say it, it makes it sound like the local installation does NOT have any benefits.  And those who don't understand the differences hear this and it seems like it is gaining momentum.

Well, besides just "doing what they are told", you're on to something I have been noticing too. While Media has always been about promoting stuff, usually they were "somewhat informative" and a buyer could expect to learn something useful from a review.

However this push to the Cloud stuff has a "shrill" air as well as a "shill" air! It's because it's a theme that isn't as clearly in the buyer's court at all. But using the various psych principles, if some buyer sees "all these blogs agreeing" about it, they feel swamped and pushed into it.

But then later if this movement ever breaks, all that hot air just gets put in the museum of obsolete sales pitches and buried.