News broke -- and was quickly debunked -- that Adobe was allowing free
downloads of CS2. Had the move been deliberate, "it would have given
Adobe the option of targeted advertising to those users, as well as
given them better visibility into who's using their software," said
blogger Linux Rants. "On top of that, it would be a great way to keep
people using Photoshop instead of moving to other great products, like
GIMP."
Well, CES has come and gone for another year, and
not a moment too soon! One more new phone announcement, and Linux Girl's
head would have surely exploded.
There's no doubt it was a mad, mad week -- so wild, in fact, that a
curious event occurring outside CES could have escaped the notice of
more than a few observers.
It may not have been announced with fanfare at a booth in Las Vegas,
but Adobe's latest maneuver managed to attract considerable attention
nonetheless.
'Free to Download'
"Adobe have apparently made Photoshop, along with several other Creative Suite 2 applications, free to download," read
a Monday story
at OMG!Ubuntu! on the news. "Details of why the company are offering
the applications for free, or how long the gesture will last, are
currently unknown.
"But for now at least, Photoshop CS2 can be downloaded legally for
zilch," the story read. "And the best bit? Photoshop CS2 will even run
on Ubuntu."
So enthusiastic was the response that numerous earthquake reports
were mistakenly filed throughout the Linux blogosphere as enthusiasts
galloped over to Adobe HQ for their own free copy.
The virtual ink had barely dried on reports of the news, however, when the dream was brought to an abrupt end.
'You Have Heard Wrong!'
"No, You Can't Download Adobe CS2 Applications For Free" was the title of
the Forbes story that brought so many hopes crashing down later that day, and it included commentary from Adobe itself.
"You have heard wrong!" Adobe scientist Dov Isaacs reportedly wrote. "Adobe is absolutely not providing free copies of CS2!"
The overall result? A collective "D'oh!" from bloggers far and wide
-- not to mention, potentially, a loss in karma for Adobe itself.
Down at the blogosphere's seedy Punchy Penguin Saloon, bloggers haven't been shy with their opinions.
'A Great Way to Keep People'
"When I first heard about this, I thought that Adobe had finally done something smart," began Google+ blogger
Linux Rants, for
example. "It's a great idea to get your software into the hands of
people that probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise."
Had the move been deliberate, "it would have given Adobe the option
of targeted advertising to those users, as well as given them better
visibility into who's using their software," Linux Rants explained. "On
top of that, it would be a great way to keep people using Photoshop
instead of moving to other great products, like GIMP."
For most users, GIMP offers "all the capability they're ever going to
need, and at no cost," he added. "Maybe instead of this story being
about how Adobe almost made a good move, it should be how Adobe almost
matched the price of their competition. Almost."
'Absolutely Bizarre'
Indeed, "from the viewpoint of someone using Free Software, Adobe and M$'s business model is absolutely bizarre," blogger
Robert Pogson concurred. "Those two have to convolute everything to wring every last cent from their products one way or another."
With the "on-again/off-again free download of CS2, Adobe shows that
even they don't understand their licensing schemes," Pogson added. "We
should not hurt our heads trying to figure out what we can do with Adobe
or M$'s software. That makes us voluntary slaves.
"Free people use Free Software because it simplifies IT," he said. "If you have the software, you have permission to use it."
'Just as Incompetent as Ever'
Hyperlogos blogger Martin Espinoza had a similar take.
"Am I the only one reminded of the opening events of the movie Tron:
Legacy?" Espinoza asked Linux Girl. "Except of course, instead of
declaring it to be intentional and gaining goodwill, Adobe declares it
to be an error and convinces everyone that they are just as incompetent
as ever.
"I suppose they're not really losing anything; we already all know
they're incompetent; what's one more piece of evidence?" he concluded.
'Free' v. 'Free'
"Adobe desperately needs new management," consultant and
Slashdot
blogger Gerhard Mack agreed. "I can't imagine how much time they're
wasting with people in charge who can't honestly seem to come up with a
plan and stick with it."
Indeed, "if they really wanted to make an impact they'd release a
stripped down PS that would run on any version of Windows or Linux and
then allow the user to buy features a la carte," Slashdot blogger
hairyfeet suggested.
"It turns out that Adobe simply couldn't figure out what it was
doing," Google+ blogger Kevin O'Brien noted. "They never intended to
offer anything free."
