Adobe have announced no Creative Suite 7, no more updates for CS6. The future will be Creative Cloud only with a MONTHLY fee of $29.99 per app or $49.99 for the whole suite. Discounts for enterprise/govt/education. Occasional internet access required.

Will this kill the hobby market for Adobe? (prob not a huge market) Anyone using it professionally?

I think this is not so bad. For people who can not have the newest version each time , because very expensive.

And when you count together, this is not more expensive tha when you buy a full version.

I will still stay with Adobe.

I'm still using a really old version ;). Don't need all the fancy stuff and it gets the job done ;).

Seems a shame for ppl that are traveling and don't have internet and have to finish something...and a few other instances I can think of. Oh well...

Cloud computing isn't for me. If I give someone my money I want something hogging my hd space to show for it. LOL.

Laurie

"Occasional internet access required."

I assume that means you download it and it phones home periodically. I.m old fashioned enough to nix that idea. But, I'm not a professional with years of experience and who knows how much money invested in training, plugins etc. Those folks are probably going to jump through whatever hoops holds up for them. Hope they've got a bulletproof plan in place otherwise your wedding photos may be late when the photog's software decides it's no longer valid and the servers are down.

I have been using Adobe Photoshop professionally and I'm already looking at migrating away from Adobe products because of this.  There are a number of reasons for that.

One, I want software I own, not stuff I rent.  I'm a small business and I really prefer software that is mine and won't suddenly stop working if I don't pay whatever monthly fee they decide to charge.

Two, this would be at least twice as expensive for me as a small business.  Fact is I never got EVERY upgrade that came out.  Often I skipped one and sometimes two versions because they just didn't offer that much new that I needed.  Adobe software is expensive (right along with Autodesk).  This new "cloud" thing means I would be forced into every upgrade or I can't work at all.  Either you pay that fee every month as a constant ongoing expense or you're out of business.  Again, as a small business, that's making my livelihood at risk in a way I find VERY uncomfortable.

Three, I don't always even download the updates.  Updates to Flash have been notorious for bugs.  When I'm working on a project, I generally skip updates to any of my software, whether that be Windows, Adobe, etc.  Why, because I don't need a new bug introduced in one of their updates causing me to lose productivity.  I normally finish projects, then update (and allow a day to deal with any possible bugs) before I begin new projects.  With this, you'll likely be getting updates whether you want them or not.

Four, I'm not always connected to the internet.  GASP, shocking I know but sometimes I unplug the thing.  Oh wait, now my photoshop may stop working if it can't phone home.

Five, With all the increases in hacker attacks on businesses, some of which seem very coordinated, something that makes me even more dependent on the internet and possibly vulnerable to that stuff just seems dumb.  Right now my vulnerablity is mostly limited to scam emails (and I've been seeing more and more of that this past year).  What happens when those hackers decide to take Adobe servers down for a week... do I just go on vacation because my software stops working because their servers are down?

Six, who says they won't up those fees.  This gives Adobe pretty much all the cards.  They decide they want to buy another company jet or want revenue for their next big project... you suddenly go from $49.95 a month to $59.95 a month and there is nothing you can do about it. You either pay or you're stuck.  Oh, and will that lovely new Internet Tax the US Sentate just voted for apply to that price?  You might want to budget another 6% to 10% extra on that monthly charge depending on where you live.

On the other hand my old copy of CS5 cost me nothing to continue to use, never charges fees and works fine whether the internet is up, down or bent sideways.

So looks to me like Adobe just handed Corel a golden opportunity to recapture a slice of the market.

I've never used Photoshop although I have been tempted once or twice but this news will be the end of any temptation for me.  Cloud Computing does not interest me and, luckily in one sense, I am old enough that I think I can get by without it.

I think some people will move to alternatives.  Maybe be good to have a kind of illustrator/photoshop software all in one.

But I went the cloud (at least for the moment)

Love esther

Is there not a bit of a misunderstanding here, in what some folk are posting??

The licensing model is subscription. But you still download the software and run it locally as far as I understand it.

Not sure what the internet connectivity requirements are... i.e. if the Creative Cloud licensed versions need to establish connection every launch or just periodically.

I'd have thought it's the latter though...?

Ah, here ya go:

http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativecloud/faq.html

See "How Creative Cloud Works" regards the internet connectivity requirements.

Maximum offline usage period is 180 days, basically. It'll ask you every 30 days within that time, to validate via an internet connection.

I've got a perpetual PS CS5 Ext license currently.

I like the fact that I could get affordable access to Adobe After Effects, with the new Cloud Model, for long enough to do a Poser animation project, for example... via fairly reasonable monthly payments (if I just opted for After Effects).

I am afraid I tend to be very sceptical and like to have my software loaded and under my control.  While a 30 day repeat with a maximum off line period of 180 days seems reasonalbe it still means they can change the rules anytime they like.  Btt like Microsoft updates on automatic....you are not in total control. 

Each to their own but I will take a raincheck thanks.  Nothing against Adobe my reaction would be the same for any piece of software from anyone.

You're still basically renting to own software you never actually own.  Stop paying their fee's and you're stuck.  My copy of CS5 however will continue working for the next 10 years if I decide to keep using it, no fees required.  In the long run, if you use this software regularly it will end up costing you more, not less.   For that annual subscription you're looking at about $600 (and read the fine print, you can't buy just one month of service... its a FULL YEAR or nothing, if you cancel after one month, they still charge you for six months or $300).  Even for say just Photoshop, you're looking at a minimum of about $120 ($19.95 x 6 months), which is a little lest than what I paid for my copy of CS5 Ext (I paid $160, bought it at a discount) and I can use it all I want, whenever I want, for as long as I want.  You have to keep paying and paying and paying and if you stop, 30 days and your software stops working... period.  In two years, you'll have shelled out $480 for photoshop alone, I'll still have only paid $160 once.  And you'll still be stuck with a monthly subscription for software you're dependent on.  Sure, you get the lastest version, but do you know how much better CS6 was over CS5... why it was so improved a lot of people didn't bother upgrading.  Still sound so affordable?

Cloud stuff bascially screws you over, it gives Adobe all the control and leaves you dependent on their whims.  Whatever fee they decide to charge for it, whether or not you can afford that.  If you're a hobby artist, maybe you're okay with that.  If you're a freelance artist who depends on certain software to make your mortgage payment... not so much.

I'm sure if the community gets motivated enough we could make it worth someones while to create an OpenStudio along the lines of OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

Most of the parts are there. GIMP and InkScape give you a lot of the functionality of Photoshop and Inkscape. Scribus, give you a lot of the tools you'ld want from InDesign.

For AfterEffects and Premier, Blender3D is actually a really serious threat.

In fact... I was wondering if someone could just use Blenders core to eliminate Photoshop and Illustrator all together. Maybe even a simple set of Python scripts. By using Blender's tools and nodes, pretty much all your actions could make use of a GPU's power as well.

Blenders already built a brush infrastucture for their sculpting tools, which also challenges Zbrush nicely.

About the only thing I've never found is a FOSS work around for is Flash. There is simply no OpenSource animation software worth a damn.

If I ever hit the lottery, that is what my first public project will be. I'll hire programers to sift through the code, eliminate the duplications, and create a true OpenSource rival to Adobe's dominance.

Maybe someone with the skills could start a Kickstarter.

This is just one - the rest will follow. Microsoft has or will decide that the cloud version of Office will be the only way to get it etc. It's golden for the companies, they cut all the costs of manufacturing and distribution and they get a more predictable revenue stream. It also solves the problem of customers sticking with old versions and not being willing to pay for what may be upgrades of dubious value to many people. Depending on your perspective, there may be plusses for customers as well. People who are into the always connected to the cloud umbilical will take it as a natural development I suppose. I'm sure they've thought about outages and figure not that many people would be affected by a brief downtime just when their copy expired. They may have an embedded emergency code they can publish or something. Ironic though that they ended up with the CS2 debacle because the activation servers died. Personally, I think the whole clowd is a time bomb waiting for somebody to take it down in one massive cascading failure.

I don't know that Corel can do more than pick off a few people around the margins. Be interesting to visit some of the PS sites and see what the reaction is. I imagine Adobe has already gamed this out pretty well and decided that not that many will jump ship. Of course, Coca-Cola thought they had the new Coke thing planned out too so who knows. My ancient Corel PhotoPaint 8 still does most of what I need to do but I may have gotten a free/not free whatever CS2 so screw em.  

Quote - Oh, and will that lovely new Internet Tax the US Sentate just voted for apply to that price?

Misperception: that isn't a new tax, and it's not an "Internet Tax". It's requiring people to pay the sales tax for items they should have already been paying (if their jurisdiction has a sales tax) by closing a loophole that was being exploited.

Basically, if you were buying, say, a chair in a state where the sales tax was 5% (or whatever), if you bought it at a local store you'd pay the price plus 5%. What some businesses were doing was selling that same chair over the net, even if they and the customer were in the same state, and not charging the 5%. So local businesses who weren't trying to get around the rules were being boned, and taxes that should have been collected weren't.

If the item you're buying wasn't already subject to a sales tax if you went to a store and bought it in person, there's no change. If you were buying from an online supplier not abusing loopholes, there's no change.

Quote - You're still basically renting to own software you never actually own.  Stop paying their fee's and you're stuck.  My copy of CS5 however will continue working for the next 10 years if I decide to keep using it, no fees required.  In the long run, if you use this software regularly it will end up costing you more, not less.   For that annual subscription you're looking at about $600 (and read the fine print, you can't buy just one month of service... its a FULL YEAR or nothing, if you cancel after one month, they still charge you for six months or $300).  Even for say just Photoshop, you're looking at a minimum of about $120 ($19.95 x 6 months), which is a little lest than what I paid for my copy of CS5 Ext (I paid $160, bought it at a discount) and I can use it all I want, whenever I want, for as long as I want.  You have to keep paying and paying and paying and if you stop, 30 days and your software stops working... period.  In two years, you'll have shelled out $480 for photoshop alone, I'll still have only paid $160 once.  And you'll still be stuck with a monthly subscription for software you're dependent on.  Sure, you get the lastest version, but do you know how much better CS6 was over CS5... why it was so improved a lot of people didn't bother upgrading.  Still sound so affordable?

Cloud stuff bascially screws you over, it gives Adobe all the control and leaves you dependent on their whims.  Whatever fee they decide to charge for it, whether or not you can afford that.  If you're a hobby artist, maybe you're okay with that.  If you're a freelance artist who depends on certain software to make your mortgage payment... not so much.

AGREED!!

Quote - I'm sure if the community gets motivated enough we could make it worth someones while to create an OpenStudio along the lines of OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

Most of the parts are there. GIMP and InkScape give you a lot of the functionality of Photoshop and Inkscape. Scribus, give you a lot of the tools you'ld want from InDesign.

At this point I'd love to see that happen.  I'm going to be setting aside time tomorrow to look at trial versions of Corel and Xara software and I may also look at GIMP.   I'm not familuar with Scribus but it sounds like something else I should take a look at, thanks for mentioning it.

Quote - For AfterEffects and Premier, Blender3D is actually a really serious threat.

In fact... I was wondering if someone could just use Blenders core to eliminate Photoshop and Illustrator all together. Maybe even a simple set of Python scripts. By using Blender's tools and nodes, pretty much all your actions could make use of a GPU's power as well.

Blenders already built a brush infrastucture for their sculpting tools, which also challenges Zbrush nicely.

I like Blender, ironically I was using those brush tools just yesterday for a project I'm working on (and still need to finish).  I had planned on eventually getting 3D Studio Max when I could afford it, but with the way Blender keeps improving I may not.  Many of the same tools are there, they're just not as easy to find.

Quote - If I ever hit the lottery, that is what my first public project will be. I'll hire programers to sift through the code, eliminate the duplications, and create a true OpenSource rival to Adobe's dominance.

Maybe someone with the skills could start a Kickstarter.

You'd get my vote for that.

I am sure cloud computing is the way that most software will go which is why I am happy that I have enough software that should see me through my twilight years. I recently read a book called "The Shape of S**t to come" (accept there were no *s in the title.  It was by Alan Mc Arthur and I found it both funny and scary at the same time, the one thing it did not do was make me wish I was young again with all this future to look forward to.

To keep this in context I say this as a person that has no Social Network to speak of and see the mobile phone as today's equivilent of a ball and chain, the only difference being you put this on on yourself.......except I haven't.

Quote - I like Blender, ironically I was using those brush tools just yesterday for a project I'm working on (and still need to finish).  I had planned on eventually getting 3D Studio Max when I could afford it, but with the way Blender keeps improving I may not. Many of the same tools are there, they're just not as easy to find.

I've been using Lightwave since my Amiga days. Unless someone is paying you to use any suite, IMHO you should stick to Blender.

I've been forcing myself to learn Blender because I know it's not going anywhere. No subscription garbage, Upgrades have been nothing short of incredible. The code it out there and some one will always pick it up and improve it even if the current infrastructure somehow collapses entirely.

Quote -> Quote - Maybe someone with the skills could start a Kickstarter.

You'd get my vote for that.

Sadly I don't even have the programming skills to even supervise the project.  But I would totally sign on for it.

Agreed.  Not a big fan of this.

I don't want my documents, nor work, on the cloud.

I don't want to rent software by the month.

The cloud is fine, IMHO, for things like a music catalog (Amazon's MP3 implementation), product delivery and the like.

But cloud software, cloud OS, etc.  You can keep that.  I'd gladly go with Gimp/Corel/etc.

Quote - Agreed.  Not a big fan of this.

I don't want my documents, nor work, on the cloud.

I don't want to rent software by the month.

The cloud is fine, IMHO, for things like a music catalog (Amazon's MP3 implementation), product delivery and the like.

But cloud software, cloud OS, etc.  You can keep that.  I'd gladly go with Gimp/Corel/etc.

Your right ideal for music and anything that is a 'nice to have' rather then a real must, because when you 'must' have something you can be sure at that point it won't be there.

I actually love Google Drive, and Amazon Drive. I used to use my own Web space as portable file storage. I'm not tottaly anti-cloud.

If you've ever moved from one android phone to another, Google's cloud makes life SO MUCH EASIER!!!

But I don't want my software in the cloud. I don't want a cloud I can't back up locally.

I recently got the Full CS2 Suite from Adobe (free download for CS2 customers that can no longer activate their copy because the CS2 validation server is no longer online) that doesn't expire.  Even though it is 32-bit, it does more than I'll ever use.

Quote - > Quote - Oh, and will that lovely new Internet Tax the US Sentate just voted for apply to that price?

Misperception: that isn't a new tax, and it's not an "Internet Tax". It's requiring people to pay the sales tax for items they should have already been paying (if their jurisdiction has a sales tax) by closing a loophole that was being exploited.

Basically, if you were buying, say, a chair in a state where the sales tax was 5% (or whatever), if you bought it at a local store you'd pay the price plus 5%. What some businesses were doing was selling that same chair over the net, even if they and the customer were in the same state, and not charging the 5%. So local businesses who weren't trying to get around the rules were being boned, and taxes that should have been collected weren't.

If the item you're buying wasn't already subject to a sales tax if you went to a store and bought it in person, there's no change. If you were buying from an online supplier not abusing loopholes, there's no change.

This is inacurate. 

No sales tax on internet purchases was done deliberately in order to boost internet sales back in the 90s. There was no loopholes being exploited. If you're purchasing from a retailer that is in your own state, internet or in person doesn't matter, you have to pay sales tax. You only get out of paying sales tax if the place you're buying from does not have a presence in your state. 

Certain huge corporations have made deals with different states that prevent them from having to collect sales tax in that state. 

Example: Amazon started building a distribution center in SC in 2011, but then stopped when they were told they had to collect sales tax on SC customers. They had made deals with Governors in other states to not collect sales tax, but SC wouldn't agree to that. But SC wanted the jobs that Amazon was offering. So it was an argument for quite a while, until finally SC caved with a compromise that Amazon could go tax-free for a certain period of time. I want to say 5 years but not sure on that. Once that agreement was reached, Amazon continued building their distribution center. 

The internet sales tax bill(s) that are currently being debated in congress are about making ALL internet purchases taxable, whether the company resides in your state or not makes no difference. So yes, there will definitely be a change if you're a regular internet shopper. 

As for the cloud and software, get used to it. All major software will be moving to the cloud within the next few years. Most already have begun. This mostly benefits the companies, not the consumers. The cloud allows them to finally have full control over DRM. No more pirated photoshop, or ms office, etc. If you don't have an internet connection, you won't use it. It also benefits them in that more people will be able to afford to use their software, because 20 or 30 bucks a month seems much more affordable to the average sheeple than 300 or 1500 all at once. 

I predict music and movies will go the same way within the next 5 to 10 years or less. If you aren't connected to the cloud, you won't be watching anything or listening to any tunes. At least not legally.

~Shane

Here, here! No cloud and no renting of software for me either, that's just begging for trouble when the servers go kablooey on their own -- which eventually they will -- or some S.O.B. decides to take 'em out for "teh LOLz" or whatever. Upgrade to every version? Ha! Only this past year did I finally go from Photoshop Elements to CS2, which works fine on my Windows 7 machine, thank you very much Adobe.

Microsoft Office going cloud only too y'say? Won't bother me as long as I still have my Office 2000 and 2003 discs, which also work just fine. In fact I hated the last version of MSWord so much I got rid of it and went back to Word 2002, which still does everything I want it to do most of the time. That's more than I can say for its latest incarnation. 

In short, clouds are only good if you wanna get rained on. Otherwise they ruin your whole day. ;-)

Here, here! No cloud and no renting of software for me either, that's just begging for trouble when the servers go kablooey on their own -- which eventually they will -- or some S.O.B. decides to take 'em out for "teh LOLz" or whatever. Upgrade to every version? Ha! Only this past year did I finally go from Photoshop Elements to CS2, which works fine on my Windows 7 machine, thank you very much Adobe.

Microsoft Office going cloud only too y'say? Won't bother me as long as I still have my Office 2000 and 2003 discs, which also work just fine. In fact I hated the last version of MSWord so much I got rid of it and went back to Word 2002, which still does everything I want it to do most of the time. That's more than I can say for its latest incarnation. 

In short, clouds are only good if you wanna get rained on. Otherwise they ruin your whole day. ;-)

Just so nice to know I do not 'have to get used to it' as I can manage without the cloud in the same way I can live without farcebook and twatter.  I never had them and so I will never miss them.  Sure I accept I may well soon be in the minority but I will in a very happy content minority.

"Cloud" software is the worst idea ever. Why complicate the pipeline between your computer and functionality? Hard drives work just fine, and have for quite some time.

Any software business or game platform that goes to this "cloud only" model will lose my business at least.

Paloth - simple, because Adobe, Microsoft and others can't profit off that pipeline between your computer and functionality.  So even though 2 TB drives are now becoming common (as well as cheap), they tell you you really need to store your data online... and pay the privilege.   What's even crazier is the number of people who fall for it.   Shane may be right, this may be how the future goes, at least with major software companies.  Doesn't mean we have to accept it quietly.

My suggestion, drop a note to CNN or whatever news network you watch.  They get a few dozen emails from disgruntled former Adobe customers they may take an interest.  If this became a PR nightmare for Adobe, they likely back off... particularly if it impacts sales and their stock value because ultimately for Adobe (and others) that's what this is all really about... money.

They'll claim its about fighting piracy, but that's bull.  Yes, piracy is a problem for all of us.  But Adobe made $4.1 BILLION last year... you'll excuse me if I have trouble shedding any tears for them.

Computers and software are advancing to the cloud at such a rate that it will be virtually impossible for anyone to not be connected to it eventually, unless you intend to just stop functioning on a tech or even entertainment level completely. Otherwise you won't have a choice.

To not do so would be the equivalent of someone still trying to do all their work and productivity today in 2013 on a 1993 windows 3.1-based machine. Only it won't take 20 years, or even 10 years. Computer technology compounds in advancement for every year that passes. 

MS Office has already changed their licensing so that it virtually forces you to subscribe to their cloud system if you want to continue using their software. I'd wager that by windows 9 or 10's release, the OS itself will be cloud based. 

The cloud has been cited as revolutionizing the internet the same way that the internet revolutionized computers, shopping, communication, etc. It's cost-effective, virtually fool-proof (unless there's a global power outage) and puts companies in complete control of who uses their software, how they use it and for what purposes.

It's not exactly a new technology. It mimics the way online games have been played for years. An MMO still requires a core application (client software) installed on your personal device, but that application is useless without access to the servers that the core software is hosted on. There is no way to pirate it, because you never actually have access to all the features you would need access to.

Music and movies are going the same route. Netflix, roku, genie, etc are all examples of cloud-based music, movies, tv series and even news. So much so that it's beginning to affect the cable companies in terms of pricing. Fewer and fewer people are subscribng to premium channels because they can get netflix and similar services so much cheaper. As a result, cable and satelite companies are having to charge their remaining customers more to off-set the costs and losses. It won't be much longer before subscribing to channels like HBO and Showtime will be a thing of the past, or just won't be affordable for the average joe, especially when there are so many other alternatives. And again, Netflix, roku, etc, go a long way to preventing piracy. 

Hard drives are faulty and outdated. They have always been the weakest link in any computer due to their very design, and are responsible for most crashes and data loss. With cloud computing you are 99.9% guranteed no loss of data unless there is a deliberate system-wide server wipe. 

As much as I like the concept of the cloud, i hate the idea of being forced into it. But if you intend to continue functioning on any technologically relevant level - and face it, most people here likely do - then you don't have a choice. You can put it off as long as you can get away with it, but eventually you'll assimilate. 

It's like the borg.

~Shane

one of my bandmates works at Adobe. We were informed by him about a month ago of the cloud thing so we could get software before it turned into cloudware. His take on it was that it was indeed a money thing with Adobe's investors.

The cloud is next generation: It is for our children, who will know no better (a bit like the EU).

We should just keep our corel 11 and photoshop discs dry and backed up and we will be fine. The time we should worry is if/when SM make poser 13 cloud only.

Quote - Computers and software are advancing to the cloud at such a rate that it will be virtually impossible for anyone to not be connected to it eventually, unless you intend to just stop functioning on a tech or even entertainment level completely. Otherwise you won't have a choice.

To not do so would be the equivalent of someone still trying to do all their work and productivity today in 2013 on a 1993 windows 3.1-based machine. Only it won't take 20 years, or even 10 years. Computer technology compounds in advancement for every year that passes. 

MS Office has already changed their licensing so that it virtually forces you to subscribe to their cloud system if you want to continue using their software. I'd wager that by windows 9 or 10's release, the OS itself will be cloud based. 

The cloud has been cited as revolutionizing the internet the same way that the internet revolutionized computers, shopping, communication, etc. It's cost-effective, virtually fool-proof (unless there's a global power outage) and puts companies in complete control of who uses their software, how they use it and for what purposes.

It's not exactly a new technology. It mimics the way online games have been played for years. An MMO still requires a core application (client software) installed on your personal device, but that application is useless without access to the servers that the core software is hosted on. There is no way to pirate it, because you never actually have access to all the features you would need access to.

Music and movies are going the same route. Netflix, roku, genie, etc are all examples of cloud-based music, movies, tv series and even news. So much so that it's beginning to affect the cable companies in terms of pricing. Fewer and fewer people are subscribng to premium channels because they can get netflix and similar services so much cheaper. As a result, cable and satelite companies are having to charge their remaining customers more to off-set the costs and losses. It won't be much longer before subscribing to channels like HBO and Showtime will be a thing of the past, or just won't be affordable for the average joe, especially when there are so many other alternatives. And again, Netflix, roku, etc, go a long way to preventing piracy. 

Hard drives are faulty and outdated. They have always been the weakest link in any computer due to their very design, and are responsible for most crashes and data loss. With cloud computing you are 99.9% guranteed no loss of data unless there is a deliberate system-wide server wipe. 

As much as I like the concept of the cloud, i hate the idea of being forced into it. But if you intend to continue functioning on any technologically relevant level - and face it, most people here likely do - then you don't have a choice. You can put it off as long as you can get away with it, but eventually you'll assimilate. 

It's like the borg.

 

~Shane

As long as I (like most of the US) have a shitty connection to the "cloud", I most certainly will not be moving data, (or anything else for that matter) back to the mainframe.

Multiple cloud services have already gone under.  Are you really suggesting that cloud servers will be "too big to fail?"  I have seen too many have too many issues (I am talking about you, Apple.)

The weak link isn't hard drives - it is my Internet Service Provider.  And they have absolutely no incentive to increase the bandwidth to make cloud computing cost-effective for the sheep at the end of the cable.  In most places, they have a monopoly.

"Cost effective?" For who?  For the companies, perhaps, but not the end user.  Adobe is giving their customers a reason to relook their their tools.  That is NEVER a good idea when you already have brand loyalty.

Cost effectiveness is ALWAYS for the companies, NEVER for the consumer. It never has been, why should it be now?

If you're using cable internet and not still on DSL or dial-up, then your shitty connection is entirely the decision of your ISP. I learned this from my ex who was a tech at a major cable company. Bandwidth is determined entirely by the company. It's just another way for them to charge some people more than others. That's why one city's highest bandwidth can be 10 times slower or faster than a city 2 hours away. 

You don't have to be on facebook or twitter or any other social networking site to be in the cloud. If you use a cell phone you're already part of the cloud. 

Apple's cloud isn't going anywhere, and neither is Googles. Those are the two at the head of the machine. If smaller cloud services fail that just gives G and A more steam. 

~Shane

I really am from another age, an age when we tried to look different and to be different.  I will never see the sense in wearing the same clothes, with the same logo as millions of others.  I do not understand why so many pay so much so that their phone, their tablet and their laptop have a fruit on it. 

Already I do not function on a Technological Level, not using the cloud just sends me further underground.  Strange thing is I don't feel alone or lonely, I don't think I am missing something.  People still tell me I have to conform but you'd think after nearly 60 years that they would have got the message, I have never conformed and telling me HAVE to do anything is the kiss of death for any interest I have. 

Much as I like the Internet I could actually survive without it.  In fact some weekends and evenings I still go to the park for a walk with my wife not worrying if I am missing something on TV, or worrying about what I might be missing on farcebook (or what someone might be saying about me).  Of course I would never know anyway as I don't do FarceBook.....now who was it that said ignorance is bliss?

Oh and I bet in ten years time I will still be able to write a letter in OpenOffice but will there be any way to post it?

I like the concept of Cloud.
Want a one year deal where the cost of the lease will not be rased during that year.
Want the 3D High End app's to follow ,now ,now ,right now ,can't wait.

What about security?  Does this mean all the work I do can be seen, copied, and used by Adobe like it is with Yahoo and Google.  Sounds bad... I would hate to finish a great work of art just to see it posted in an Adobe ad without my permission.

Be sure to read the fine print on the license agreement!

This is such a bad idea. A server goes down somewhere and buisnesses all over come to a screeching halt because they can't connect to the software because they are being routed through that sever. Rural Businesses, who are stuck with either dialup (prohibitally slow) or satalite (prohibitally expensive) because nobody things they'll be enough business to bring high speed to these areas, will be out of business. I know right now photoshop is just calling in, but that won't last and won't be that way for other software.

Who says this will stop hackers? There are passwords and crack for software now, why would anyone think they won't continue to find ways around the security measures?

The conspirisy theorist in me says and if the government gets mad at it's people or a group of them some political enimies perhaps, then it wouldn't take much to cripple them.

And who can afford to pay 20-50 bucks a month to use the someware they have? Maybe big businesses but that's it. I think I'll be needing to find a new pass time besides computers then.

Quote - You're still basically renting to own software you never actually own.

Man, you need to read the EULA of your software - you only ever are buying the license to use the software...even your Poser software isn't your's. You just paid SM to use it within their guidelines: it is still their software and you don't own it. This goes for the majority of commercial software.

I like the the subscription model Adobe are offering. It makes an expensive software affordable to many who couldn't afford it before...for many like myself (still using CS4), I found it overpriced in general and begrugged having to buy it, but looking at the prices with the subscription model...it's tempting. I'm not sure this model will work for all software, but it makes expensive software usage easier to swallow.

I just have to say I hate the "cloud" applications, I hope this will not be the future.

Quote - There is no way to pirate it, because you never actually have access to all the features you would need access to.

That's not true.

While it isn't the same as pirating most software, it can, and has been done. Activision/Blizzard have to deal with "private" servers, which are not run by the company, and which allow people access to the game without the standard subscription cost.

And apparently, it's only getting easier to do.

Hosting emulations of an MMO isn't quite the same as pirating software like photoshop. 

The emulation still has to be modified and will not function the same or have access to all the same code that exists on Blizzard's servers. 

The software itself still requires access to a host server in order to function. Blizard allows private servers to exist because it doesn't benefit them enough to chase them all down, but if they wanted to they would.

Adobe or Microsoft, etc, are not going to allow someone to set up private servers hosting their applications for free like game companies do.  

Plus, in regards to Blizard, you're talking about a game engine and server technology that's over 10 years old.

But the concept is the same.

The company can make any components of the software accessible only via access to the cloud. If they wanted, they could make it so that all you get on your desktop is a launcher and everything else is run entirely server-side. That's the whole point of the cloud, after all.

At this point most companies are easing their clients into it. Autodesk, for example, still sells full versions of their software with optional cloud subscriptions (Maya 2014 just launched). You still have to buy a full license to the software at about $4K plus the monthly or annual subscription fees in order to get all the features they offer via updates, tech support, etc. 

~Shane

Quote - Man, you need to read the EULA of your software - you only ever are buying the license to use the software...even your Poser software isn't your's.

Seriously, you're going to argue a symantec difference regarding buying a license?  Yeah, of course you don't own the copyright to the software itself... we all know that.

I don't like the basic concept of the cloud, it doesn't make any sense if you think about it.  It's just adding another few levels of processing between the user and the software, and if everything was in the cloud, most people would have monthly bills so high they couldn't afford it.  Take that forty or fifty dollars Adobe is talking, and multiply that by the number of programs you have and use.  It won't take long and a month's fees will equal a month and a half of income.

Then the inevitability of the mainframe going down, now instead of one computer down, you can have millions down, probably with a technical staff that really doesn't care how long it's down.  As in, when was the last time your phone was off for several days?  Did the company reduce your monthly charge for that?  OR, like one ISP I had, Friday night everything was fine.  Saturday morning the system was down.  Monday morning it was back, but the monthly charge stayed the same, a big, "Sorry about that".

And my gut feeling is that hacking into the cloud is going to be childs play for the hackers.  NOthing you have there will be your own, it will be open to the world.

I guess I just hate the idea of being at the mercy of some big fat company's whims. LOL It's bad enough that I have to have that crap on my phone or make it unusable, but my desktop too? Nah... Which brings me to another point. At some time in the future our brains will be wired into one big mainframe controlled by gawd knows who, gawd knows where. With just a tablet interface :P.... And they say desktops are dead....try doing anything 3D related on a 10" tablet. LOL.

hugs her desktop

Laurie

Right. I wanted to make a point before....

You know, Adobe didn't even notice the MILLIONS of people hitting the servers for their "free" copy of CS2 for more than a day...that doesn't really instiill my faith that they'll be very careful with my content :P. I feel that as soon as my money is in their hands they're pretty much ok with whatever happens after. LOL. With buying a full version disk, they at least have to worry about getting me back to buy the next version ;).

I won't even install Daz's content manager for that very reason. I bought the stuff...they know I bought it and I don't like another piece of crap program running in the damn background in the "hopes" that I might use it soon. They can shove it. LOL. Want my money? Make it easier for ME, not you. :P

Laurie

Well Laurie, if congress is successful in getting certain bills passed, in the name of "cyber security", then it won't be much longer before anything we do with any device connected to the internet is monitored and recorded "just in case" you might be up to somethin. 

And then of course we have these marvels of technology like Google Glass with face recognition, and this little beauty I just read about earlier today - the robobee - smallest flying machine created by man, at just 3cm long and weighs 80mg - its wings flap at 120 bps. It has its own robotic muscle system to make that possible. They're working out the kinks on how to get them to communicate with each other in a swarm and can be used for artificial polination or to send a bunch of them in to monitor a dangerous situation, or look for missing persons. You know all the good stuff of course, cause no one would ever use them to violate your privacy. Which is why Texas and Virginia have both passed measures prohibiting the general public from using them.

Technology is awesome!

Sometimes, the more this stuff advances, the more I wish we were all still wearin pig skins and fighting over piles of wood. Course that may happen yet. They say history always repeats itself.

~Shane 

I think you might have a point Shane. LOLOL

And noooooo, they would never use that stuff for nefarious purposes...only good of course :P. The Google Glass thing is scary - I don't want one nor do I want to be in front of one. But that might just be my natural internal defense system kicking in that tells me someone is always up to no good. rofl

Laurie

pig skins had to put up with A..H... gov's n kings also.

Quote - ...Which is why Texas and Virginia have both passed measures prohibiting the general public from using them.

 

~Shane 

Living in Texas, I wouldn't put any weight behind any state laws it passes. lol! I "lol", but I am actually serious on that point.

I for one, understand peoples opposition to "cloud services"...when it comes to the crunch, I would much prefer to have a physical copy with a non "phone-home" licensing system. At least if a developer went belly-up, I could still use the software...but! - I still think a subscription is a great idea! The cost of the Photoshop subscription is within the means of many, that would otherwise not be able to afford the software.

Considering this is the Poser forum, I would wager that, the cost of a Photoshop subscription is peanuts compared to the amount many spend on content and add-ons.

If, as it sounds, the software will be installed locally then someone will figure out a way to spoof the activation – they always do. The next step will be remote deactivation. Log onto the internet anytime, and Adobe’s EULA will give them the right to run its tentacle into your machine and kill any unauthorized software. This is also something that companies dearly want. And someone will figure out a way to block that until Congress mandates the uber DMCA enforced by the NSA that allows Adobe et al access to every byte on the internet to protect their interests (and of course national security). If you think that’s some kind of never gonna happen, Orwellian dystopia, you haven’t been reading the news very closely IMO.

Normally, the power of the marketplace, competition, public outcry would stifle such hijinks but if you look at the evolving notion of privacy, you see that people will accept just about anything if they’re frightened enough or in exchange for a few trinkets. I remember reading one fellow who griped that he’d leave FaceBook after one of their new levels of invasiveness – if only he could find another good online Soduku game. It isn’t even a matter of boiling the frogs slowly, they’re hopping onto the grill and basking in the heat.

The open source thing would be a heavy lift. The pieces may be there kinda sorta but even if you got them working smoothly together, Adobe is about more than just the software. It’s about the ecosystem, the accumulated DNA, the investment people have made. Sure some would jump but I don’t see Microsoft running a loss on Office yet because of the rivals and Windows is being eroded more by the move to mobile than by desktop Linux. Any free alternative is going to have to flawlessly run virtually all of Photoshop’s filters and actions and have an interface that id similar enough for people that have spent decades with PS and aren’t going to be eager to learn something else while doing a job. Some would, but how many.. After using PhotoPaint for years, even on a very occasional basis, I’m still wired enough into it that I find PS annoying. I can imagine a years long heavy PS user trying to convert and GIMPShop probably won’t cut it. Create anything too compatible and Adobe’s law dogs will have you in court for generations. I’m not saying it couldn’t succeed, just pack a lunch.

Good analogy here perhaps. If Poser went subscription only, how many people would rebel and go to DAZ Studio or say, let’s just take MakeHuman/Blender and build our own?

This will be the way most upper tier software will go soon. We already have no rights to any of our iPhones, Playstations and most other consumer electronics that are not already ladened with restrictions that essentially put the "owner" in the position of "renter" (in some instances almost as a "borrower") soon will be, nobody complained as we moved in that direction, nobody will complain now, Adobe will tell us it is all for our own good, so drink the punch an be happy... other companies will watch Adobe succeed and institute the same sort of policies... This is no bargain for the hobbyist, and when everyone switches to this model there will be no bargains anymore. In the corporate world the idea of a monthly subscription for everything is the greatest idea since sliced bread... no need to own it, just keep paying us, while we slowly jack up the price and dilute the service... It is amazing to me that people buy into this... swear by it even... little by little we give up all our consumer rights and privileges one by one, grinning all the while... its so cool.

Hopefully this will drive more people to Gimp. I personally hope this turns out to be a disaster of epic proportions for Adobe, not out malice but out of hope that this won't spread like a cancer to ever other software manufacturer out there, emboldened to take what Abode is doing , one step further... but most likely everyone will drink the punch and ask for more, praising it's bitter taste as if it were ambrosia.

Bottoms up, but I'll pass.