Creative Cloud Open Letter

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. The rental model has existed for a year now but it was never a problem before they made it compulsory.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

its been a problem for me.

after the first month there was a conflict with an old adobe user account i had that left my apps inoperable for about half a day while we figured it out. to their credit, adobe WAS quite proactive in that situation.

only after installing and launching photoshop CS6 did i discover that the video componentry in my laptop (that served me just fine in CS5) wasnt adequate for me to use some feature (i didnt care about anyway) in CS6

after installing AE CS6 and finding out it simply would not render out anything that had alpha channel content. and quite some time of trying to address what ended up being an incorrect error message (never got to the bottom of that) i simply reinstalled CS4 - which by the way will not open any project started in CS6 so i had to start THAT project over from scratch - and i was back in business.

the problem with this for me is that always having the latest and greatest software will also force you to be more frequent with your hardware updates as well...

wayne granzin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> its been a problem for me.
>
> after the first month there was a conflict with an
> old adobe user account i had that left my apps
> inoperable for about half a day while we figured
> it out. to their credit, adobe WAS quite proactive
> in that situation.
>
> only after installing and launching photoshop CS6
> did i discover that the video componentry in my
> laptop (that served me just fine in CS5) wasnt
> adequate for me to use some feature (i didnt care
> about anyway) in CS6
>
> after installing AE CS6 and finding out it simply
> would not render out anything that had alpha
> channel content. and quite some time of trying to
> address what ended up being an incorrect error
> message (never got to the bottom of that) i simply
> reinstalled CS4 - which by the way will not open
> any project started in CS6 so i had to start THAT
> project over from scratch - and i was back in
> business.
>
> the problem with this for me is that always having
> the latest and greatest software will also force
> you to be more frequent with your hardware updates
> as well...


Aside from the issue with your Adobe account the other problems don't seem CC/rental/subscription specific. Also, Todd Kopriva of Adobe said they will keep the previous 5 software versions of CC apps available for CC members and upgrades aren't compulsory so no worries about always having to update hardware.

[forums.creativecow.net]

Of course the downside is that you lose the cost benefit of always having the latest software.


-Andrew

And the thing is, if you stop working (on a monthly payment cycle) you can stop paying with no penalty, and when and if you really need the software again, you can get it for a month (I think there's also about a week of grace period) for $20.

Sure, the prices will probably go up over time, as will the price of bread and milk and petrol. But if milk suddenly started being 42 bucks a bottle, people would pretty quickly find alternatives that suited them better.

Jude Cotter Wrote:
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> And the thing is, if you stop working (on a
> monthly payment cycle) you can stop paying with no
> penalty, and when and if you really need the
> software again, you can get it for a month (I
> think there's also about a week of grace period)
> for $20.

And as even some Adobe folks have suggested, if you needed the software for just a month sometime down the road, create a new Adobe ID and run the Trial for 30 days.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

"the other problems don't seem CC/rental/subscription specific"

yes. that's true. but i think that one of the perceived "values" of the subscription model is that you always have the newest version. WE ALL KNOW that that isnt always a good idea. but i think with this model, "updates" may be more frequent and just be a feature or two rather than some fundamental changes and someone would be less fearful of the jump. only to find out that something that worked yesterday, suddenly doesnt.

next thing you know youve got multiple versions of apps and something you started with the new one wont open with the old one. blah, blah, blah...

The prices on the website are a little misleading. It's $20/month for one app if you pay for an entire year at once. If you only want to pay a month or two at a time it's $30. Also, the $70/month listed for team pricing is per seat which is not mentioned at all on the pricing page.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Quote
if you needed the software for just a month sometime down the road, create a new Adobe ID and run the Trial for 30 days.

I don't like work-arounds when it comes to my software. I don't want to create another Adobe ID. I just like to PAY and know it's MINE until I decide I need the next version. Like I said, I usually do a full upgrade every 2 years or so. SOmetimes I Will skip a version if I don't feel I need the features and my system is working well. I don't want to have to check out when I am not using it and check back in when I need it. I may need it in he middle of the night in a hotel or in a remote location where there is no wifi / internet (yes those places do exist). This is a tether I am being forced to connect that I do not want.

Adobe users have been around quite a while and are fiercely loyal. You would think there would be a grandfather clause for steady users. We should have a CHOICE...

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

>> If you only want to pay a month or two at a time it's $30.<<

Sorry, my bad. I misunderstood that. Still. Don't think it's bad. But I'm also not adverse to people having an option if they want it.

And Joe, you don't have to be on the internet to use it. It's stored on your machine just like an install from disc. You just have to check in once a month, with a grace period outside of that, or there are options for people without good/any internet access, or who are tied up from accessing the net by their IT departments.

I know...but you have to be on the internet to re-up if you let it lapse (check in once a month). Don't like it...sorry. Want the option of license ownership...period. No check-ins.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

>you have to be on the internet to re-up if you let it lapse (check in once a month).

Nope. That once a month is only for month-to-month subscribers. If you are on yearly subscription, it is a grace period of 99 days (soon to 180 days). That is 6 months. It will attempt to check in once a month to verify that you are still subscribed, with the rest of the 180 days as grace period. In other words, you need to be off the grid for 6 whole months, and since updates have always been done through the internet, so you can take that as time for system maintenance and update if your machine is not usually connected to the internet.



www.strypesinpost.com

Totally agree with you. The rental model does little for me as well.


grafixjoe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know...but you have to be on the internet to
> re-up if you let it lapse (check in once a month).
> Don't like it...sorry. Want the option of license
> ownership...period. No check-ins.

Spin it any way you want...opinions are opinions and since I do not have a choice, I have an opinion. I don't like this subscription model and people are gonna know about it. Not that it will accomplish anything, but the petition is at 4180 signatures and climbing. I guess I am not the only who doesn't like forced subscription.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

The cloud was already an option for people who wanted it. Nothing has been gained by this decision, only lost.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Jon Chappell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The cloud was already an option for people who
> wanted it. Nothing has been gained by this
> decision, only lost.

Not the way Adobe is spinning it. Its pretty clear here for those of you who just do not want to be forced into anything. Don't do it. That send a bigger message than a stupid petition.

Michael Horton
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Jon Chappell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The cloud was already an option for people who
> wanted it. Nothing has been gained by this
> decision, only lost.


It depends on the angle you are looking from. First of all, I believe the cloud option has the potential to bring great benefits in the future to both the users and the software provider.

For Adobe, the move to the Cloud based subscription model frees them from the Sarbanes Oxley act, which allows them to now deliver features at a much faster rate. It used to be a 12-18 month cycle before you can smell a new feature. And in that year or so, Adobe spends that time catching bugs (pun intended) and releasing patches for them. So if users require a feature (eg. sort thumbnail order), and the feature could not be completed in time to make the initial release, they then have to wait until the next release which is at least a year later. So features like these can be now be added because offering a software as a service allows them to now bypass the previous restrictions that they had. And this is just one of the benefits that will arise from this move.

There is also the cloud aspect of it. A lot of people see Premiere as just a software, and although it is, and in many ways it will still be, there will also be better integration with the Cloud, and the cloud has the potential to open up new possibilities for creative users as well as post production folks like us. And this part of the plan will entail rolling costs, because servers do not manufacture themselves. If servers grew on trees, cloud will be free. I'm sure of it. Just ask Jon Chappell about his new product Kollaborate. Will Jon charge users a one off licensing fee for Kollaborate which is a cloud based solution and provide yearly "upgrade" options for users to decide whether to upgrade to the next version of Kollaborate?

Regarding the choice that Jon mentioned, in CS6, the last few updates of Photoshop was released exclusively onto the cloud. Perpetual license holders did not get those updates. Let us say they follow the same model for this version, and Adobe releases updates with new features for Premiere on the cloud, and only bug fixes for perpetual license holders. They will effectively be supporting two versions of Premiere because it is a well known fact that when you add a feature, you break something else, so now Adobe will have to throw resources towards developing both versions. This is a rather expensive option for Adobe, and being a company, this cost will probably be passed onto the consumer. Also, supposing they don't issue bug patches for perpetual license holders. Will perpetual license holders be happy working the whole year with the usual bugs that come with a .0 release? I think not.

Cost wise, I do not believe the cloud is more expensive, at least not for years. It is largely based on existing CS prices. If anything, removing the hefty up-front cost of a perpetual license makes the software more affordable. And the month to month option makes the price more scaleable. The perpetual license for Production Premium will cost you about 4 years of CC membership. So instead of handing your hard earned money to Adobe, you actually have cash on hand. Also, Adobe's upgrade pricing has been structured so it makes it very hard to be cheap by skipping upgrades. I did a cost comparison based on last year's CS6 prices, and for new users, the CC only becomes noticeably more expensive than the perpetual license after the 8th year of use.

So all in all, I believe this move has the direct potential to benefit both users and software providers.



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote
Its pretty clear here for those of you who just do not want to be forced into anything. Don't do it.

That's a pretty silly statement, don'tcha think Mike? It is nowhere near that simplified. For those of us that have to keep up with the latest & greatest software to keep clients coming back (I was upgrading at least bi-annually)? Some of us have to do it...no choice. It affects my bottom line and my family. I just don't like NOT HAVING A CHOICE. Jeez...why is this so hard for people to understand???

Petitions are not stupid. They are platforms to be heard. Gimme a break...you never signed a petition in your life when you believed it stood for something you believed in?

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Joey - They JUST announced it. You don't have to subscribe right now. Wait and see how it all plays out. Give it a year or so and reduce your blood pressure. You honestly think that you will serve your clients any less effectively by not having the latest version of some software? What client cares what version software you use? They care that you solve their problem. Many folks are still using FCP 7 and CS5 just fine. And if the client is using the latest version of some software and that forces YOU to use it, then it's simply a cost of doing business. No choice there.

Stupid was the wrong word to use for petitions. And only petitions I ever sign are for those to put an initiative on the ballot.

Honestly I just don't see the big deal here. So Adobe is not giving you choice? When did you ever have choice? You say in order to keep your clients coming back you had to upgrade bi-annually. That's choice?

I guess for now you DO have choice. Don't subscribe.

Until you have too.

And yes, one day you will be forced too just like that day you decided to do what you love for a living, but could not do what you love, because you had no choice but to BUY a computer, and had no choice but to BUY all that software you needed to go with that computer.

We are always dependent on the "MAN" here just like all things tech. I don't see that changing much even if given the choice to rent or buy.

Michael Horton
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Mike, Joey's issue is that the new update has some pretty kickass features so Joey will want it. He just wants to have a choice in how he pays his bills.



www.strypesinpost.com

Well then I guess there is no choice.

Michael Horton
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