Adobe Photoshop Pricing

[alec dawe]

gAnyone using photoshop should be aware that CS6 will be the last version that you can buy and own.
Next version you will have to lease the rights to use, at apparently something like £47 a month, up front.
This is following on the lead set by Microsoft with Office 2013. What will be next I wonder, leasing Windows 8 perhaps when the update comes out?

 

[whatlep]

Thread title amended to avoid any possibility of the owners of GSC attracting an action for defamation.

On a more positive note, it's very rare for any end user to "own" a piece of software. Generally you purchase a licence to use it for a given period - often indefinitely. If you don't like the pricing or contract arrangement, don't buy the product. End of story.

 

[bobg]

Re:Adobe Photoshop Official Scam

I'd love to own a full blown version of P/shop, best I can manage is E 11, which I have to say is fairly good and reasonably priced. I wonder how many individuals (as opposed to businesses) will be happy with a lease arrangement. I certainly wouldn't be.

Even Norton winds me up with their policy of switching it off the day it reaches 12 months old. It's my contention that I have bought and paid for it, and if I want to run an out of date version that is my concern only, and none of their damn business. Obviously if it isn't being updated regularly it won't be good for very long and that alone will render it useless after a while, but that would be my problem. I do wonder how much of these things are a con anyway, mine never found a single threat last year.

 

[lone ranger]

gAnyone using photoshop should be aware that CS6 will be the last version that you can buy and own.
Next version you will have to lease the rights to use, at apparently something like £47 a month, up front.
This is following on the lead set by Microsoft with Office 2013. What will be next I wonder, leasing Windows 8 perhaps when the update comes out?

As far as Microsoft Office goes I stopped using it years ago, I use Libre Office its free for non commercial use, it can read and right back to MS office files. It works on Windows and Linux (though I use Linux because that's a free open source operating system and I don't like paying MS :thumbdown: )

Oh and as generalboy80 below said GIMP also open source software and works on Windows and Linux ( I still trying to get my head around all that GIMP can do )

 

[generalboy80]

Welcome to the world of Software as a Service. Goes back to well before Microsoft started trying to push everyone into their part of the cloud, and you can thank companies such as Autodesk for managing to make the model successful enough that every cynical marketing department at a software company thought they'd jump on board the idea.

Unless there's a very specific function of Photoshop you require, take a look at The GIMP (It's a very bad name, and thanks to that I'm now known as "The GIMP Guy" to a number of women at a government department I used to work for.....) It's not as friendly, but it's just about as powerful as the full blown version of Photoshop. There is a learning curve for some functions, but it's free to download and works very well.

http://www.gimp.org/

 

[Rob]

Adobe have even managed to price pro's out of the market

I still use CS3, I'm a photographer, not a graphic artist, if I wanted CS5 and above's 3d drawing capabilities I'd be using illustrator thank you.

 

[don9GLC]

Strangely enough I signed up earlier today for the month trial of Creative Cloud. Its GBP 210.96 inc VAT for a single application, or GBP 562.56 for the suite. That's the annual (minimum) cost for individuals and includes a paltry 20GB cloud storage.

Considering that I very regularly use Acrobat Pro and the upgrades often cost around GBP 200 I don't see an annual subscription as a 'rip off', but more as a managed way of controlling costs.

If you want LGB you have to pay a premium. If you were into BRAWA then a large premium, and then there is KISS!

Photoshop was never aimed at amateurs and my first copy was Photoshop 3, a very long time before Creative Suite. Believe me, the upgrade costs through to Photoshop 5.5 (I think PS6 was the first CS app) then to CS and through the various versions make the subscription pricing seem like a reasonable alternative.

As other people have mentioned there are alternatives available aimed at non professional use. You have a choice.

If you want to join me in complaining about consumer rip offs then consider the music industry which 'sells' you the rights to listen to a piece of music, so long as no one else can hear. For that you need a PRS license (not literally true, but close). However now that you own the right to listen to the content, you have to 'buy' it all over again at full price if you decide that 'your' vinyl record needs to be updated to an audio cassette, then again to a CD. And once again when a download version becomes available. Then you can't 'sell' the download to anyone else!

Sorry, this is GSC. For a moment I thought I had logged onto the DailymailOnline.

Its good to rant.
Its better to run trains!

 

[bobg]

Don't get me wrong, I don't object to paying reasonably for what I want, just I believe that once I've been relieved of my wonga the article is mine, to do with as I will (again reasonably).

 

[beavercreek]

It is a troublesome development that can only be good for the software companies. In their endeavour to eradicate piracy they have come up with the final solution.
As Peter (whatlep) says, The purchaser has only ever had a licence to use the software but because of the password/key systems, it was easy for folk to overcome the security hoops to copy and redistribute if they so wished.
Now, with some software, you will have to operate the software whilst online so that it can 'tag' your validation code to the same machine that it was initially 'purchased or leased' for.
I Use CS5, QuarkXpress 9 and will probably not go further than those iterations as they do everything that I need and more. I also use Final Cut Pro 3.5 and have had no need to upgrade.
Most software upgrades are really 'bloatware' and add features that, in a lot of instances, can already be done better with other packages.

Of course some operating system upgrades will mean that older software does not work properly or even at all, so, if we need the 'professional' software we are caught in a trap.....just like toner or ink for printers

 

[trammayo]

In other words, they have you by the short and proverbials!

 

[Woderwick]

I still use CS3 too. Does everthing I need. Massive program.

 

[whatlep]

Don't get me wrong, I don't object to paying reasonably for what I want, just I believe that once I've been relieved of my wonga the article is mine, to do with as I will (again reasonably).

Oh dear: a viewpoint that has been doing the rounds since the day consumer PCs first came on the market. To repeat, users normally enter into an agreement with the vendor to RENT software, not purchase it. If you don't like that arrangement, don't open your wallet.

I assume that nobody believes that when they pay money for a deckchair at the beach, they suddenly own it?

 

[beavercreek]

I assume that nobody believes that when they pay money for a deckchair at the beach, they suddenly own it?

WHAAAT??? You mean I don't own the fourth from the right three rows back on Brighton beach.....dabnabbit I thought it was funny that I had to pay every year,.....oh well

Talking of deckchairs....Have you seen how regimented and well organised they are in Italy? I inadvertantly choose a couple of chairs on the front row in one resort and had to pay 10 euros extra for the privelege of easy access to the sea....Mind you you do get toilet facilities, bars and other services thrown in...

 

[tramcar trev]

Renting deck chairs is so, so, well just so Oh never mind. We take our own to the beach....

 

[bobg]

Don't get me wrong, I don't object to paying reasonably for what I want, just I believe that once I've been relieved of my wonga the article is mine, to do with as I will (again reasonably).

Oh dear: a viewpoint that has been doing the rounds since the day consumer PCs first came on the market. To repeat, users normally enter into an agreement with the vendor to RENT software, not purchase it. If you don't like that arrangement, don't open your wallet.

I assume that nobody believes that when they pay money for a deckchair at the beach, they suddenly own it?

Of course not, that is a rental agreement for a specified time, a whole other kettle of fish.

 

[Gizzy]

I assume that nobody believes that when they pay money for a deckchair at the beach, they suddenly own it?

I have the same agreement with respect to real ale?

I drink it and then recycle it....

 

[lone ranger]

Don't get me wrong, I don't object to paying reasonably for what I want, just I believe that once I've been relieved of my wonga the article is mine, to do with as I will (again reasonably).

Oh dear: a viewpoint that has been doing the rounds since the day consumer PCs first came on the market. To repeat, users normally enter into an agreement with the vendor to RENT software, not purchase it. If you don't like that arrangement, don't open your wallet.

I assume that nobody believes that when they pay money for a deckchair at the beach, they suddenly own it?

That's one viewpoint Peter but the other is that software should be free, and that's the view that is taken by the Linux community so the operating system is free updates are free. All software is open source, and if you feel like it, you can change it to suit you and recompile it if you please. As I said in previous post why pay Microsoft one heck of a lot of dosh for a program that is just as good when its free see www.libreoffice.org for an example of an office program.

 

[spike]

I use a lot of software for my weathersatellite activities.
Most of it is written by a very nice chap who does it for a living.
As well as locking paid for software to one PC he also lets users have
limited software as well.
He goes the extra mile on back up as well and always replies to queries.
Free is ok but remember some people need to make a living out of it.

 

[bobg]

I use a lot of software for my weathersatellite activities.
Most of it is written by a very nice chap who does it for a living.
As well as locking paid for software to one PC he also lets users have
limited software as well.
He goes the extra mile on back up as well and always replies to queries.
Free is ok but remember some people need to make a living out of it.

I think we all accept that 'free' is only free to the user, it is paid for by the advertising that it carries
with it. I don't have a problem with that, but I don't necessarily want it everywhere. Flashing ads particularly are a distraction.

 

[Ian_S]

This type of view of what should be free / what shouldn't / getting what you pay for etc goes round in cycles.......
People will use PC's with an MSoft O/S 'cos that's what they were brought up with (How many mainstream schools use non MSoft O/S's / softwares?)
Thats why MSoft have such a good student pricing model - get the students to use it who will advocate using it in the workplace - 'cos its what they know.......
It's interesting - I've just upgraded to MS Office 2013 (full pro version) for the princely sum of £9.98 - but ONLY because I work for a huge IT firm who purchases and provides softwares - so can get it at a hugely discounted price.
There are many software companies that have different pricing models. If you use the software as a "hobbyist" (ie for pesonal use) then you can get a discount.
If you are using the software to create something you are making a profit / living from - its a dearer cost model.

You pays yer' money - yer' makes your choice.

No amount of "evangilising", whether it be about Apple Mac's, Linux (Debian, RedHat, Ubuntu et al), MSoft, Raspberry Pi's etc will change peoples minds.
Lets be honest there's still a massive "split" in the gamers market - Playstation, Xbox, Wii, or PC gaming as to whats best......

People will buy what "they want to buy" - not what "you" want them to buy

If my Dad went and bought an Apple Mac PC and asked me how to configure it for emails / or how he set up a printer - I could possibly strugle through it - If he buys a MSoft device - no problems I know exactly how to do this.
Imagine if this is you buying your very first PC - What would you buy if you had no idea other than what you saw on TV and asked colleagues and aquaintences what they would recommend - bet you would end up with a Msoft device.........