OK, I'm sure most of us are aware of the issues and debates surrounding Adobe support for Linux dists, I am aware that this has been posted before, in fact I started to write this as a reply, however it got too wordy and felt it deserved its own post. This post is not a plea to Adobe. I hope to start a discussion about our, as Linux users, best course of action towards resolving the issue (my thoughts are below). I will be posting this on numerous Linux and Adobe forums but thought I'd try it out here first.
Here is a point by point analysis of the reasoning Adobe uses.
1. It is not profitable to port the Adobe Master Collection to Linux.
Despite a multitude of forum posts and petitions, (see links below to sign petitions) Adobe says the research exists that shows it’s unprofitable to port most of its software to Linux. I don't doubt that this research exists, after all Adobe is a business and if it was profitable to do something they would have done it.
<snip>
2. “The ball is in the Linux court. Linux developers and users can pick the ball up and join the game.”
This is actually a direct quote from Chris Cox, a developer for Adobe posting in a forum on this issue (link below). He is referring to the lack of driver support, font and colour management (among other things) that exist in Linux distributions. It was written in 2010 when it was truer that it is now. However these points do still exist in varying degrees of severity. My rebuttal for this is a little idealistic but definitely still holds true.
Here Adobe seems to be underestimating the value of their product (something the price tag does not reflect). Most Web Designers/Programmers (myself included) use or would prefer to use Linux over another OS. In my line of work and many others Adobe Master Collection is essential. The increase in market share that would result from a Linux distribution of Adobe products would only result in a short and long-term increase in Linux users. The increase in users, by definition of the Linux business model, will result in better programming. This means better driver support and better font and colour management.
Of course, the port has to come before the improvements which means the first Adobe port is likely to have its problems, however the resulting ports will be at the standard of their Mac/Windows counterparts.
Two points arise from this logic. Adobe think in the short term, and the ball is most certainly not in the Linux court.
3. The market for Adobe on Linux is not large enough/Linux users will continue to use Windows/Mac in order to use Adobe products.
These are actually the same point. The market is not big enough because Linux users will use Mac/Windows in order to use Adobe. I mentioned in the previous point that Adobe does not offer a simple, legal alternative to Linux users. This is not strictly true. According to Adobe their research also indicates that Linux users will still buy Adobe products and run them on Mac/Windows.
This in a word is ridiculous. For a company to say "We don't need to accommodate for a particular demographic, they can change for us." is the exact mentality that that has put countless giants of capitalism squarely in the ground.
The only thing more ridiculous than this is the fact that Linux users have accepted this. We are expected by Adobe to not only pay $2,600 for the Master Collection but also $200 for the current version of Windows and unless you choose to dual-boot, $1,000 (or more) for a mid-range computer. That is a combined cost of $3,800 just to run Adobe Master Collection. As a side note, dual-booting is not a viable option for many people as it takes up valuable RAM and processing power that is needed to run the Master Collection in the first place.
If a product is not what you want then don't buy it. If they don't make Adobe Master Collection for Linux then don't buy it. I am aware that this is probably a little extreme for some people, but unless a market is created for Adobe in Linux it won't change. As I mentioned before there is a large amount of 'portable Adobe distributions' that work in WINE. Adobe hasn’t done Linux users any favours, so don’t do them any. Send Adobe a message and abstain from paying for something that is not what you want.
By the way the Master Collection is actually around $4,000 in Australia where I live. This mark up of $1,400, as far as I can tell, is attributed to shipping and handling costs for a product that is downloaded as a trial and then activated with serial number sent to you by email. *sigh*
Finally, as said by Ghandi, and used in homage by Linux...
'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.'
Currently it seems that Adobe is fighting us, so we are close.
Petitions:
https://getsatisfaction.com/adobe/to...uite_for_linux
http://www.petitiononline.com/adMaLin/petition.html
Chris Cox - Adobe Forum link.
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/487814
Adv Reply
Originally Posted by VegasTamborini
Bookmarks