7 ms·

Adobe had a choice, and opted for the one where a single point of failure could cripple an entire nation of users. "Failure" in this case is legal, not technic

Adobe had a choice, and opted for the one where a single point of failure could cripple an entire nation of users. "Failure" in this case is legal, not technical (distinction without a difference to users).

tapoxi 7y ago
Users have a choice to not use Photoshop, yet it's still the standard. Creative Cloud really isn't an issue for most people, it takes exceptional circumstances for this type of DRM to become a hassle. I'm not remotely saying I agree with it, but its been transparent enough that their user base hasn't revolted and found something better, so this will be more and more common with software.
- kennywinker 7y ago
  > Users have a choice to not use Photoshop I'm not sure about the rest of CC, but adobe has a near-monopoly with photoshop. I personally use Pixelmator for all my image editing needs, but I am not an image-editing pro... if I was Pixelmator would NOT cut it... my only real choice would be photoshop. > their user base hasn't revolted and found something better, If no viable alternatives exist, the choice is not do it or pay whatever they ask. Which is why many cc users feel like hostages.
  - cwyers 7y ago
    I am not saying that the Affinity suite of apps is at full feature parity with Adobe, but they are certainly targeting the pro market with their offerings.
    - H1Supreme 7y ago
      I worked in design for almost 15 years before getting into software development. I have a few former colleagues who moved over to Affinity. It's got really good reviews so far. When my copy of CS3 stops activating (probably next pc upgrade), I'll probably buy a copy. On a personal note, I really wish they would have done a Linux release.
  - codexon 7y ago
    Photopea is a free online clone of photoshop. Doesn't have every feature but has a large majority of them.
- unixhero 7y ago
  Yes. I use Krita.
gist 7y ago
> Adobe had a choice Oh, how so? You think that it pays for them to fight and defy a government order?
- will_pseudonym 7y ago
  Their choice was before the sanctions. If they had chosen "Media + Key" = Adobe software access, instead of "Subscription", people would still have access to those applications.
- xxxtentachyon 7y ago
  They could have chosen to sell users the right to use a product in perpetuity, as this whole thread is about
- ctdonath 7y ago
  Adobe chose to link operation of paid copies to the say-so of a remote server, rather than allow independent operation of paid copies. Had they chosen the latter, the gov't order would have been largely moot; what they chose proved devastating. Designing a fail-safe system involves acknowledging that you may not know why the system may fail, just that something must be done to mitigate the problem if it does. International sanctions proved to be such an unexpected point of failure.
  - kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
    Adobe customers also had a choice to purchase an uncrippled alternative.
    - jtbayly 7y ago
      Precisely. Everybody should vote with their wallets against all this subscription junk. And yet... For quite a few things, Adobe products are just irreplaceable.
      - dunstad 7y ago

tapoxi 7y ago

Users have a choice to not use Photoshop, yet it's still the standard. Creative Cloud really isn't an issue for most people, it takes exceptional circumstances for this type of DRM to become a hassle. I'm not remotely saying I agree with it, but its been transparent enough that their user base hasn't revolted and found something better, so this will be more and more common with software.

kennywinker 7y ago
> Users have a choice to not use Photoshop I'm not sure about the rest of CC, but adobe has a near-monopoly with photoshop. I personally use Pixelmator for all my image editing needs, but I am not an image-editing pro... if I was Pixelmator would NOT cut it... my only real choice would be photoshop. > their user base hasn't revolted and found something better, If no viable alternatives exist, the choice is not do it or pay whatever they ask. Which is why many cc users feel like hostages.
- cwyers 7y ago
  I am not saying that the Affinity suite of apps is at full feature parity with Adobe, but they are certainly targeting the pro market with their offerings.
  - H1Supreme 7y ago
    I worked in design for almost 15 years before getting into software development. I have a few former colleagues who moved over to Affinity. It's got really good reviews so far. When my copy of CS3 stops activating (probably next pc upgrade), I'll probably buy a copy. On a personal note, I really wish they would have done a Linux release.
- codexon 7y ago
  Photopea is a free online clone of photoshop. Doesn't have every feature but has a large majority of them.
unixhero 7y ago
Yes. I use Krita.

gist 7y ago

> Adobe had a choice Oh, how so? You think that it pays for them to fight and defy a government order?

will_pseudonym 7y ago
Their choice was before the sanctions. If they had chosen "Media + Key" = Adobe software access, instead of "Subscription", people would still have access to those applications.
xxxtentachyon 7y ago
They could have chosen to sell users the right to use a product in perpetuity, as this whole thread is about
ctdonath 7y ago
Adobe chose to link operation of paid copies to the say-so of a remote server, rather than allow independent operation of paid copies. Had they chosen the latter, the gov't order would have been largely moot; what they chose proved devastating. Designing a fail-safe system involves acknowledging that you may not know why the system may fail, just that something must be done to mitigate the problem if it does. International sanctions proved to be such an unexpected point of failure.
- kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
  Adobe customers also had a choice to purchase an uncrippled alternative.
  - jtbayly 7y ago
    Precisely. Everybody should vote with their wallets against all this subscription junk. And yet... For quite a few things, Adobe products are just irreplaceable.
    - dunstad 7y ago