Adobe Creative Suite 3 Unsupported on OS X Snow Leopard

[John.B]

You're assuming a replacement Mac bought after Friday won't continue to have Leopard support.

Going by my Leopard/Tiger experience at the end of 2007, that's probably a fairly accurate assumption.

Your alternatives then are to buy second hand...

So you use your computer to make a living, and you just want vendor supported hardware. Now what? Ebay? Craigslist? Really?

If the old one was was just broken, you could maybe get it repaired. But if it was stolen or destroyed or otherwise not repairable?

... or refurb.

You do know that refurbs will also only come with SL as of Friday?

 

[FoxyKaye]

You're assuming a replacement Mac bought after Friday won't continue to have Leopard support.

Your alternatives then are to buy second hand or refurb. If people can still run an original 1984 Macintosh today, I'm sure you can still find a replacement machine for whatever computer you're running now when it fails.

From Apple, new, it won't have Leopard support after Friday. And it's only a matter of time before the SL "drop ins" become full installers even on the Apple refurbs.

And with second-hand purchases, there's the matter of warranty support and eligibility. Over the years, I've had too many Macs throw a motherboard 3 weeks out of their first year warranty to not get AppleCare. However, if someone is selling a second-hand system they may or may not have purchased AppleCare in their first year, and if you're buying a less than year old system second-hand you might as well buy new or refurb.

 

[SwiftLives]

I don't want CS4. I tried the trial and I hate it. At the same time, I want to use SL and if I can't use CS3, then ill download CS4. I'm not going to pay $300 for software thats marginally "better".

want ≠ need.

Out of curiosity, do you charge for web design that you create on pirated software? Is cetan.ca - the link you provide in your signature - your company?

And lets not forget that you're posting about pirating software on a public forum where you provide a link to your web design company.

Do you not see any problem with this?

 

[Westside guy]

If you are mad at Adobe, stealing their software doesn't exactly solve anything - it's just given you a flimsy pretense to do something that's still wrong. It's not going to stop them from future craptastic behavior - after all, everyone is still using Adobe in that case, right? Assuming you're old enough to hold down a job (some of you obviously aren't) - how would you feel if your work was getting ripped off by someone who felt entitled to it?

If you are mad at Adobe, explore the alternatives. Support some other software developer. Find something that does the job and isn't made by Adobe. Don't steal Lightroom, buy Aperture. That's the only way the suits will listen - when their competitors start getting more business. And if you're feeling really smug, write an honest-to-goodness dead-tree letter to Adobe's management. Explain why you're buying company Y's software instead of Adobe's. You'll probably get no reply, or at best a form letter - but if it happens enough, they'll have to eventually listen.

 

[JFreak]

If for some reason Photoshop CS3 stops working in SL, I definetely WILL NOT upgrade to CS4 because of their non-64bit decision. If that happens, I'm buying Aperture and wait for the CS5 (and if it's not a worthy upgrade either, I'm going to skip that too).

 

[inkswamp]

I can't stand Adobe. There's no reason they shouldn't support and update CS2 and CS3 on both OS X and Windows, especially given how much CS costs. And given that the last few updates have been weak, mainly restructuring of the UI and very few new useful features, I think it's even more ridiculous.

Interestingly, they're doing the same thing Quark did in the late 90s/early 2000s that made them such a good target for InDesign.

 

[compuwar]

I don't want CS4. I tried the trial and I hate it. At the same time, I want to use SL and if I can't use CS3, then ill download CS4. I'm not going to pay $300 for software thats marginally "better".

"I've decided that I'm a going to be a thief" would be more plain. If I were Adobe, I'd be archiving this thread as it happened so that when they catch people the intent is so obvious that they'll pay the price for their morality.

Yeah, continuing that overly simplistic theme, why not just go straight to snarky?

So you're saying that you're going to do an OS update without backing up to a bootable drive?

Are you assuming that a hypothetical replacement Mac bought after Friday will continue to have Leopard support?

I have yet to see Apple issue a statement that they're going to suddenly make their hardware incompatible with Leopard, can you point to one?

As one example, I know for a fact that Tiger isn't supported on my Late 2007 BlackBook, despite the fact that Leopard was released in that same time frame. It shipped with Leopard and that's what is supported on it. (I went through this with some FireWire-based audio interface hardware that was slow to get Leopard support.)

So what's to say that your replacement MBP or Mac Pro or whatever that you have to buy next month will continue to have Leopard (10.5) support? And, if not, what do you do for critical apps that don't run correctly on SL (10.6)?

If they're critical, then I keep them up to date. That's a cost of doing business. However, it's Apple changing the platform, that's who you should be complaining to. If they've made an incompatible OS update, then they should either continue to sell the compatible OS or fix the update.

 

[CrackedButter]

@John.B & FoxyKaye, as long as Apple don't update the hardware you haven't got a problem with running Leopard have you?

Like I said before:

If people can still run an original 1984 Macintosh even today, I'm sure you can still find a replacement machine for whatever computer you're running now when it fails.

 

[NathanCH]

want ≠ need.

Out of curiosity, do you charge for web design that you create on pirated software? Is cetan.ca - the link you provide in your signature - your company?

And lets not forget that you're posting about pirating software on a public forum where you provide a link to your web design company.

Do you not see any problem with this?

I bought CS3 with my own money, and for someone without a so-called real job, it was very expensive. I have the right to be royally pissed off that I wasted money on some software. There is no way im going to buy CS4. Who knows, next year they will probably drop support for that too.

 

[ABG]

"spending time assessing and modifying software released nearly two and a half years ago to ensure continued compatibility."

Fact check - I bought CS3.3 Master Suite 7th August last year from Amazon - (I should have guessed that all the ads for 3.3 were a sign it would be obsolete "soon"), but CS4 hasn't been out for a year yet.

 

[compuwar]

The best software on OS X either comes from A)Apple or B)Small/Indie developers.

Never purchased Aperture 1.x I'm guessing.

 

[neilg]

WHAT?! The new UI is a frickin' disaster, with that outrageously silly nonstandard menubar, horrible tabs functionality, and expose breakage. Adobe insists on implementing their own crappy window implementations which breaks everything. Head on over to Adobe UI Gripes for some laughs, or tears, depending on how you look at it.

seconded - Adobe Photoshop UI is sucky all over the place. They even broke some of their own developments from CS3 (windows used to respect the Menu Bar, Dock Icon no longer shows open files) - but, hey! we got a new resize effect when we zoom into an image! and how about 'flick panning'?...

 

[Burnsey]

Well that's too bad, but it's time to upgrade to CS4 anyways.

 

[John.B]

So you're saying that you're going to do an OS update without backing up to a bootable drive?

You're saying "it'll probably work". I'm saying "it probably won't be supported by Apple if there is an issue".

I have yet to see Apple issue a statement that they're going to suddenly make their hardware incompatible with Leopard, can you point to one?

Fair enough. I'm only going on my actual experience with Leopard and Tiger two years ago. No reason to expect Snow Leopard and Leopard support to work the same way.

However, it's Apple changing the platform, that's who you should be complaining to. If they've made an incompatible OS update, then they should either continue to sell the compatible OS or fix the update.

We're definitely on the same wavelength here.

 

[FoxyKaye]

@John.B & FoxyKaye, as long as Apple don't update the hardware you haven't got a problem with running Leopard have you?

Like I said before:

If people can still run an original 1984 Macintosh even today, I'm sure you can still find a replacement machine for whatever computer you're running now when it fails.

Or Tiger for that matter - but the problem arises when seeking replacement machines that ship with 10.6. Its fine to go to the second-hand market for personal hardware, but to do so without knowing this history of the machine and its eligibility for AppleCare in a business environment doesn't make sense. That leaves refurbs from Apple, which will work for a while, or re-purposing existing machines that may or may not be appropriate for their new jobs. One user's Web-surfing and document writing workstation is not the same as another user's video rendering and design workstation.

But so far we've eked out fine on Leopard and G5 towers from 2005 for high-end stuff that would actually require CS3, and we'll continue to do so until we get the budget for new stuff, the de facto industry standards kick in, or one of the towers erupts in a ball of flames.

I refer to my earlier post regarding folks who simply state, "well then don't upgrade" and make those kinds of reductive arguments as being out of touch with reality or having more money then they know what to do with.

 

[compuwar]

I bought CS3 with my own money, and for someone without a so-called real job, it was very expensive. I have the right to be royally pissed off that I wasted money on some software. There is no way im going to buy CS4. Who knows, next year they will probably drop support for that too.

The fact that you purchased CS3 without having an ROI and without factoring in the update to CS4 is hardly Adobe's fault, as is the fact that Apple came out with a new OS version that's not compatible with the old one. You can either continue to run the software in the environment for which it was created (which was documented when you bought it) or you can choose to wing it, or you can choose to be a thief. I'll tell you though, if I were to Google someone who I was going to hire and find this thread, you'd not be helping your case for work.

Finally, ask yourself what it'll cost if you get caught with a pirated copy. Because that's going to be a lot more than the cost of an upgrade to CS4.

 

[John.B]

@John.B & FoxyKaye, as long as Apple don't update the hardware you haven't got a problem with running Leopard have you?

Except that Apple's hardware updates aren't something in my (or FoxyKaye's) control.

This Leopard/Snow Leopard scenario may be hypothetical for the time being, but my driver compatibility issues two years ago were very, very real.

 

[compuguy1088]

In my own right, I am lucky to have gotten photoshop cs for around $50 years ago (I knew someone who worked for adobe). Currently, I am considering cross-transfering my windows licence to mac. I was considering upgrading to cs3, though the closeness to a possible launch of cs5 makes me wearly. I'm considering buying a cheap copy of cs3 for my windows pc, though I'm not sure about my mac. Photoshop Cs has lasted well, though I'm considering getting it for the mac.

 

[compuwar]

That leaves refurbs from Apple, which will work for a while, or re-purposing existing machines that may or may not be appropriate for their new jobs. One user's Web-surfing and document writing workstation is not the same as another user's video rendering and design workstation.

That makes it obvious to bear the cost of doing business by upgrading to CS4.

I refer to my earlier post regarding folks who simply state, "well then don't upgrade" and make those kinds of reductive arguments as being out of touch with reality or having more money then they know what to do with.

That's a narrow view. I drive a 9 year old vehicle with 253,000+ miles on the odometer.

You're basically arguing that you don't have resources for one thing over another, but complaining when Adobe says the same thing. If you can afford a new machine, but not the software to run on it, then it's your budget that's the issue and you'll have to work around that, no matter if the answer is used, alternate software, using a bootable backup of the old system, or biting the update bullet.

 

[compuwar]

Except that Apple's hardware updates aren't something in my (or FoxyKaye's) control.

Apple's software updates aren't in Adobe's control either...

 

[FoxyKaye]

That's a narrow view. I drive a 9 year old vehicle with 253,000+ miles on the odometer.

You're basically arguing that you don't have resources for one thing over another, but complaining when Adobe says the same thing. If you can afford a new machine, but not the software to run on it, then it's your budget that's the issue and you'll have to work around that, no matter if the answer is used, alternate software, using a bootable backup of the old system, or biting the update bullet.

Because a nonprofit is not the same as a for-profit, and the sector works within entirely different confines of funding. I'm glad for your 9-year-old car, but I bet you don't have to fit your budget for buying a new one within the confines of a foundation's "giving priorities," or do a major donor fundraising campaign every year to pay your insurance, or run individual and mass fundraising appeals year-round to supply your gas.

 

[compuwar]

In my own right, I am lucky to have gotten photoshop cs for around $50 years ago (I knew someone who worked for adobe). Currently, I am considering cross-transfering my windows licence to mac. I was considering upgrading to cs3, though the closeness to a possible launch of cs5 makes me wearly. I'm considering buying a cheap copy of cs3 for my windows pc, though I'm not sure about my mac. Photoshop Cs has lasted well, though I'm considering getting it for the mac.

CS4 is a $199 update from CS- I'd check and see if Adobe is even going to have a CS->CS5 upgrade path before I hesitated much longer...

 

[arkmannj]

Would be nice if they would atleast support the current (CS4 in this case) and one prior version back (CS3 in this case) until the next version (CS5) is released, at which point they would be supporting CS5, CS4.
I think it would build value in the Adobe name. (at least in my mind)

 

[FoxyKaye]

Apple's software updates aren't in Adobe's control either...

Except for the fact that Adobe (and Microsoft, for that matter) know damn well ahead of most independent Apple software developers where Apple's software roadmap is going. The fact that Adobe (and Microsoft with Office 2008 and VBAs) opts to not support Snow Leopard is purely a profit-motivated business decision. It's not a decision about "limited resources" as these companies claim: "limited resources" is simply sugar-coating "we want you to upgrade." And frankly, this behavior is a good example of the monopolistic reign these companies have over entire portions of the software market and the de facto standards they impose over any number of industries.

 

[compuwar]

Because a nonprofit is not the same as a for-profit, and the sector works within entirely different confines of funding.

And yet there are non-profits who own CS4. If you need it, then it's a cost of doing business, no matter what your tax and corporate structure are.

I'm glad for your 9-year-old car, but I bet you don't have to fit your budget for buying a new one within the confines of a foundation's "giving priorities," or do a major donor fundraising campaign every year to pay your insurance, or run individual and mass fundraising appeals year-round to supply your gas.

No, I have to fit it inside my company's continued existence and my ability to feed myself. I have to do sales to pay my insurance and fuel bills, and if you think that's easy in this economy for anyone, then you're frankly wrong.

You know the biggest difference though? Adobe doesn't give me a small business pricing model, but they do give non-profits one.

http://www.adobe.com/nonprofit/

So yeah, color me all impressed by your budget issues.