cs2

Why Adobe (and other vendors) should give away older software

No doubt you heard earlier this week that Adobe is giving away Creative Suite 2, an older version of its popular (and pricey) image-editing and design bundle.

Then it turned out that, no, the software wasn't free; Adobe's Don Isaacs wrote that the company was merely "terminating the activation servers for CS2," and that the download page was only for those who already owned licenses for the product.

Ah, but it was too late: the story had gone viral (big time), and it appears Adobe has decided not to try stuffing the genie back into the … Read more

Adobe releases Creative Suite 2 for free

CORRECTION, 2:40 p.m. PT: There has been clarification since this story broke. Adobe has not officially released the CS2 software for free. Instead, it has canceled its CS2 license management servers because of a technical glitch, so for those with existing licenses it is now offering downloads that do not require contact with the licensing servers. While Adobe admits this may be seen as it giving its software away for free, this service is intended for those with existing Adobe CS2 licenses.

Adobe's popular Creative Suite has been developed way beyond the capabilities of the initial versions … Read more

Adobe updating raw-image converter for CS3

Adobe plans this week to update Photoshop's plug-in for importing and editing raw images from higher-end digital cameras, adding support for several new digital SLR cameras and improving noise-reduction and sharpening tools. Raw images are taken directly from a camera's image sensor without any in-camera processing, preserving more detail but requiring processing by a person into a more portable format such as JPEG; raw support is typically only available on higher-end cameras.

But the new version 4.1 of the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in tool works only with Photoshop CS3, the San Jose, Calif.-based company's brand-new … Read more

Adobe CS3 coming this spring

Adobe has learned that it's hard to keep a secret these days. It seems that the announcement date for the third version of Creative Suite (aka CS3) has been leaked.

The company has now officially said that it will announce the details of the product on March 27, at a press event in New York City. The event will be Webcast at 3:30 p.m. EST. Details on the Webcast will be posted on the Adobe Web site later this week.

Adobe doesn't plan to ship the new version of Creative Suite until this spring. Previous versions … Read more