Have you tried the new Adobe CS4 suite of programs? I have, and I think they are fantastic. Much of the workflow has been improved, there is greater cross-compatibility between the various programs, and there are plenty of nifty little tricks and built-in “wow” features that really simplify many of the complex functions from previous editions of the software: your clients will be truly amazed and will think you spent hours achieving various effects, when in reality you only needed to make a few mouse clicks. Shh! I won’t tell if you don’t!
As a long-time user of Adobe design software, it has always amazed me that while with each successive release of design software from Adobe there are so many improvements, there is the ever-present lack of backwards compatibility. In saying that, I mean that if you purchase and install CS4, you are able to open files from previous releases such as CS3, CS2 etc. But, users of these earlier versions of the software cannot open CS4 files.
But what about the ‘Indesign Interchange .INX’ file, you say?
Yes. There is some backwards compatibility provided through this. But, it is only useful to CS3 users and not any release prior to that. Not to mention the hassle of having to specifically export your files as .INX if you would like to allow a user of CS3 to open the file. In a small business with only some computers on CS4 and others on CS3 this can become a frustrating ordeal. Not to mention the difficulty it presents when you plan on collaborating with other agencies and/or freelancers who have not yet made the upgrade.
They (Adobe) say that it is because of extra features and file structure changes that this is the way things work. Earlier releases of the software just wouldn’t be able to handle it. I beg to differ.
Software programming can accomplish so many things, virtually anything that you can come up with. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way. So for there to be such limited backwards compatibility, and upward compatibility that is so readily available, one would be led to believe that there may be other reasons for this lack of support for earlier releases of the Adobe software. It seems as though Adobe is attempting to make life for users of CS3, Cs2, CS etc. as difficult as possible, to the point of them purchasing CS4 out of sheer frustration. Not good enough I say.
Most of you will know that Adobe software is not cheap. But the beauty about software is that it is a digital product. It will last virtually forever. Users should be able to comfortably and easily use their software for as long as they like, and not expect that they will be “phased out” within one or two years. This is expensive stuff and the last time I checked, Adobe is not running a subscription service to its software. It is an outright purchase and as a purchaser you should be able to continue using the software as long as you like.
But if new features are created, how can old software “read” these new features?
Software updates or patches would be the perfect solution. Something that allows the program to read or interpret the new features in the file, but perhaps without the editing ability that the new software has. Think of Adobe Reader and how it can open files saved in Acrobat, but it does not allow editing of these files. Something similar to this might be plausible, where non-CS4 users can open CS4 files, but cannot edit any parameters of elements that are derived from a new feature in the new software.
I know it sounds like I am asking for a lot here, but really it is just the responsible thing to do. Other companies seem to be able to allow users from all versions of the software to collaborate freely, and for such an expensive product that is delivering to an industry that depends on collaboration, it is something that would only be fair.
Have your say. Tell me what you think about this story. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Business Printing Services Online Printing
Written by Dario Paolini
Director – AstroPrint.com.au
April 15th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Hello sweetie
i read your blog…it was very interesting, concise and informed..very good …wonderful…i’m so proud of you
April 15th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
*blushes* awww thanks mother
May 15th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hey Dario,
Good article. I agree that the compatibility between versions of software (not just adobe, but all software) should be more open-minded and allow for forwards- and backwards-compatibility.
However asking a company to pre-empt what their next batch of features is going to be 2+ years ahead of time is a bit far-fetched. And this is what would be required for an earlier version of a program to be fully compatible with a later version. Sure, you could go down the route of patching for further compatibility, but 2 or 3 releases down the track and things start getting really messy codewise.
It’s called planned obsolescence – Adobe’s not going to undercut their sales by making their products immortal. They’re also not going to increase their support demands by continuing to offer support for outdated products.
Another problem with the ‘patching’ idea for being able to view and not edit is that it is kind of redundant – If you give your colleague/client a CS4 .ai file and they open it in Illustrator CS2 with a patch that allows them to view and not edit, wouldn’t it be better just to print them a pdf?
Also, a lot of the upgraded features don’t just affect the element they’re applied to but the surrounding elements, so – like Fireworks’ handling of unavailable fonts – as soon as you touch an element that’s effected, the program would have to deactivate that feature, thus voiding the whole point of the plugin.
Finally, you’re only half-right about the terms of purchase when you buy adobe products – these products are licensed for a finite period of time, after which your access code expires and you’re required to upgrade. If you’re unsure, read the TOS and Licensing agreement.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Hi Juan,
Thanks for taking the time to provide such a lengthy and detailed response. I agree yes, that Adobe does need to figure out a way to sell it’s product, but I think they need to find more productive ways of doing this. They already are doing some amazing stuff. Like the Adobe Roadshow for example, which I attended recently for the CS4 launch and I was really impressed with the lengths that they went to in order to showcase the new features of their product. The also do online live training sessions and product launches, with virtual festivals and all sorts of digital ‘wow’. All this stuff is great and is the perfect means of promotion.
My point is that their market is an industry which relies on collaboration, and their latest release of software (with particular reference to Indesign) puts a solid obstacle in the way of this. Backwards compatibility is only available to for users of CS3. As owner of a design agency I can tell you now, being a CS4 user, you would think this is no problem. But what about when I need to collaborate with a CS3 user from another company? I have done the right thing by upgrading to CS4, but then I need to double handle my file and export an .INX for this “troublesome non-upgrader”. And what happens if I need to collaborate with a freelancer who only has CS2 (and I promise you there are many users out there who are still on CS2)? It’s not possible. If I have, for example, started working on a magazine layout and wish to send the file to them to continue the work, I simply cannot send them my CS4 file or INX file as it will not work. So therein lies my frustration with this method of “planned obsolescence” – in theory it is worthy of consideration, but in practice it actually will also disadvantage those users who have spent the cash and upgraded to the new software.
I agree that a company cannot pre-empt what their software features will be in the future, or in fact what their underlying programming code will look like (it has changed for CS4). But I didn’t suggest this was possible in my article.
Fair point about reading the TOS for products that you purchase. I have to admit that is something that I was yet to do. But, I have just done so and cannot find reference to a point in time at which my license expires? (Digital version available here: http://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/#desktop) So perhaps limited licenses apply to other software products, but for Adobe range it doesn’t seem so.