Free Adobe Creative Suite 2!!!

[Mrbloodworth]

This is not a sham.

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html

The only real thing CS2 does not do is the newer "Content aware" stuff. This suite would be a very handy tool to have around for any developers needs. And its free now.  I suggest downloading the Suite win/mac and put the serial in a text file and burn all of it to disks or something.

[rattran]

If you're installing it on Win7x64, remember to change the install directory to c:/Progra~2/Adobe or be prepared for heartache.

[satael]

It doesn't actually seem to be free, it's only if you have problems with activating cs2 (since Adobe won't have the auth servers any more) so while you can download it and activate (and use) it without any problems it's still technically illegal unless you have the license for it (or Adobe explicitly states that you can do it) 

[Ghambit]

So in other words.  It's free.
No different then someone leaving a hot apple pie on the window sill and telling the neighborhood 'here.'  Feel free to enjoy the apple pie, but if you copy the recipe and make money with it you're in trouble.

[Samwise]

It's not like it's hard to get a pirated copy of Photoshop anyway.

[schild]

True that, this just reminded me CS6 came out.

[Ghambit]

Arent they giving pretty much all of their shit away for free anyways as long as you dont use it for commercial purposes?  All ya gotta do is pretend you're a student no?

[sickrubik]

Arent they giving pretty much all of their shit away for free anyways as long as you dont use it for commercial purposes?  All ya gotta do is pretend you're a student no?

You just get an educational discount, it's not free for students.

[Ghambit]

Arent they giving pretty much all of their shit away for free anyways as long as you dont use it for commercial purposes?  All ya gotta do is pretend you're a student no?

You just get an educational discount, it's not free for students.

http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=download_center

I'm fairly positive it is now free (you gain an active serial-key and everything).  Granted, this is a fairly new paradigm with these guys - they've been pushing the educational front pretty hard the past year or so.  It's the main reason you're seeing industry move away from catia and solidworks and back to autocad.

[sickrubik]

Autodesk != Adobe.

[Ghambit]

Sometimes I think I have dyslexia.   
Anyways, if you sign up for Creative Cloud ($20/month) you get all of their tools free + storage.

[sickrubik]

You have a very different idea of what free means than I do.

The Adobe Cloud thing, to get the educational pricing you have to be currently enrolled, and you have to submit "proof"  (current ID/transcripts/tuition statement).

That's the major difference between just buying it through a software reseller or student bookstore and using the cloud version.

[Lantyssa]

Free witty banter!  Yours now for only $19.99 a month...

[KallDrexx]

I'll wait till the inevitable steam sale

[Ghambit]

You have a very different idea of what free means than I do.

The Adobe Cloud thing, to get the educational pricing you have to be currently enrolled, and you have to submit "proof"  (current ID/transcripts/tuition statement).

That's the major difference between just buying it through a software reseller or student bookstore and using the cloud version.

Hmm... Autodesk only requires an edu addy I believe.  Sux for you non-learners I guess.
As I've said in the tax thread, it's silly not to take at least 1 class per tax season since the latest Investment Acts inject big credits for doing-so.  Essentially giving you free education.  Combine that with stuff like this you get for being a student and you actually come out making money every year.

[Fabricated]

Oh yeah, Adobe is going entirely to the cloud. No more standalone versions, subscription only.

Yeah, they must really hate piracy. Can't wait to see their apps cracked.

[Mrbloodworth]

Oh yeah, Adobe is going entirely to the cloud. No more standalone versions, subscription only.

God dammit.

[schild]

Everyone will be using CS6 until the end of time now.

Which is hilarious.

[Fabricated]

I imagine my users at the university are gonna stick with it now forever, because no fucking way will they trust any cloud-computing app. Also unless they plan on offering us a really discounted "Anyone on this subnet can use CS Cloud" rate we won't be willing to pony up.

[Salamok]

I'm glad they did this.  Between changing shit just to grab the money a new version release brings in and updating 30% of their products then releasing an entire new "suite" it was getting old fast.  I don't use it any more but I certainly hope they solved their in-design issues where you had to keep 3 versions of the product around just so you could open outdated file formats.  It will suck if you have to keep CS2 installed just for legacy non subscription designers to be able to work with the subscription based people who are always on the latest version.

[Mrbloodworth]

See, I stick with a version for a long time, because Adobe really has not added anything in like, 3 versions that I can't live with out, I already was. Browser? Who cares. Content aware? Was doing fine with out it. Kinda my job.

This is 100% a grab to force a cash flow because they themselves never pack value in upgrades. With one exception. Backwards and foreword compatibility. Something self imposed. And they are fuckstupid if they think I'm going to store my work on the Adobe cloud. My corp would not even let me if I asked.

[Merusk]

Of course it's totally a cash grab. Their market is saturated and shrank over the last several years as companies closed.  Expansion in to China means they lose everything to piracy so it's the only way to grow their market and make sure yoy returns are always up.  I expect bi-annual subscription hikes, too.

They won't be the first, either.  I'd bet on at least AutoDesk to pull something similar in the next year or two, depending on how it shakes out for Adobe.   They've been pushing towards it for a while with their, "no more discounted upgrades" and annual releases for free if you're on their sub service.   

Creative platforms will lead the charge because of the shackled professional market. You have too much old or often-accessed legacy content to switch to a new solution in many cases. Business software with similar shackled markets will follow.

[Mrbloodworth]

FFS, looks like Office is doing the same shit.

[Merusk]

Well of course.  MS was the obvious company waiting to pull that trigger. I'm amazed they did it before AutoDesk.

Within a few years I expect you will never own a piece of software in your life again. Just pay to access it and some umbrella corp can destroy your entire business at a whim/ moment of incompetence.


ed: Looked it up after commenting.  So they haven't done it, just verified that they expect this is the new business model. They are still going to offer a boxed version "for the forseeable future."   Of course, nothing in the statement says that boxed version will have the same features or access to new services as the subscription.