Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
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Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#2Downloading software is not piracy. Using it is. After all you are entitled to personal backup of your install media. The fact that the backup is distributed and cloud based is irrelevant.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#3I had a HORRIBLE, cumulative 7.5 hours with their tech support, trying to get them to provide the promised-on-the-package supplementary license keys to provide full support for the CS 5.5 Suite on 32-bit Windows XP.
(The supplementary keys are required to activate/validate a couple of included installers for older versions of a couple of products that are compatible with 32-bit Win XP whereas the 5.5 versions are not.)
If this hadn't been for a close family member, I would have given up.
Adobe will NEVER get another penny out of me -- nor them, for that matter.
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By the way, when it came down to it, all it took was for a "supervisor" -- to whom the support associates kept going while they put me on hold -- to understand, acknowledge, and attempt to use a system already available to them at their desk to look up the specific scenario and product package and have that system generate a key.
I ended up repeatedly explaining this to various support associates. Finally, one with a bit more gumption actually went back to their supervisor and prodded them to have a second look. 10 minutes later (while I sat again on hold), I finally had the license key or keys (I forget; 2 products were involved in the 32-bit older-version downgrade, IIRC).
THE ENTIRE 7.5 hour struggle was to learn for myself what their validation system was like and to repeatedly call and prod and follow through on ineffective suggestions in order to appease them, until finally a rep pushed back against their supervisor and that supervisor deigned to get off their duff and actually look in their system.
I tend to try to restrain my vitriol and particularly public expression of same, but in this case I will say: Die, Adobe, die!
P.S. Also, the support reps would promise to call back and check on the result of procedures they would insist I first try. I think once, one actually called me back. All the other call-back promises: Nothing.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#4I don't think Adobe has actually cared too much whether or not individual customers pirate their software. From what I've heard, piracy has actually helped the popularity of their products so that more companies and schools, who account for the bulk of their revenue, will buy their products en masse.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#5Hate to say it, but I pirate Adobe's software for real. I use Pixelmator and Sketch, which are superior products at one tenth of the price. However, I often need to open files in Adobe's legacy formats, and since they do not provide any sort of converter software, I must take the only option available to me.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#6Adobe does practically nothing to deter piracy except put the token lock on the shed. Their copy protection has always been trivial to break. They seem to have worked out that it's better for someone to pirate their tools than it is for them to use a competing, cheaper product. Their bottom line would probably take a huge hit if they were to ever make it less than trivial to pirate.
Not sure if this strategy is starting to take a back seat with their new subscription offerings. Seems like they might be trying to bring the pirates into the fold. Time will tell.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#7You can find the CS5 trial downloads here:
http://prodesigntools.com/all-adobe-cs5-direct-download-link...
All you need to do after that is insert your Student and Teacher serial number.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#8A better, more insightful article than the stupid title implies. The author is dealing with the problem of how to install software he's already paid for.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#9> Me: So you’re telling me I should download an illegal copy of your software, and use my legal serial with it?
> Support: Yes Sir, that will work.
Seems to me if they tell you you can do something with their product, you aren't pirating. You're following their instructions, though I'm no lawyer.
Re: Why I’ll be Pirating Adobe’s Products From Now On
#10wow, quit your bellyaching and borrow an external cd-rom. Or, buy one for $30 (or less?). I don't know how you value your time, but surely $30 is worth it for the amount of time you've spent thinking about this, writing about it, on the phone, and now responding to people about it.
also, hilarious that in my chrome, the obnoxiously massive adobe flash banner on your blog is crashing: http://snag.gy/FEVCV.jpg
