Just venting.

Just chiming in.

I generally tend to keep all my software current. My personal list of Adobe purchases is quite long. Compare these two experiences:

Adobe:

C$6 Master Collection upgrade: Upgrade directly from C$5 priced significantly more than upgrade from the mostly worthless (especially in regards to Illustrator) C$5.5. So to avoid being gouged, one had to upgrade from C$5 to C$5.5, but had to do that in a short timeframe between the annoucnement of C$6 and the actual release of C$6. So had to jump through the ridiculous hoop of buying a copy of C$5.5 upgrade, which will never be used. Then pay additional $30 to receive it on physical media rather than have to download the absurdly huge installers. Then wait for it to arrive. Then use a coupon code to upgrade it to C$6. Arrived in a ridiculous gratuitous-fluff-over-substance marketing box big enough for a manual, but of course only containing a small packet of three DVDs. Adobe's documentation has of course degenerated to the current hideous everything-online web-based defaults, whereby Adobe not only eschews its responsibility to provide proper manuals, but even seems to be attempting to shift responsibility for documentation authorship over to blind-leading-the-blind customers.

Cost to me, about $1200. Experience since very start of Adobe's "suites" has trained me to dread running the installers. It's still sitting on my desk, waiting for me to dedicate a potential day or two of problem sorting to deal with it. The whole experience of a new Adobe version announcement has become a matter of dread to me. I've come to expect alot of anguish and expense, with far too little gained in practical funtionality. Makes me feel more like a captive than a customer.

Corel:

About the same time, 64 bit CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 was released. Upgrade pricing was $200 at time of announcement, and available to users of DRAW two full versions back. No need to buy the skipped-over version. Besides DRAW and PhotoPaint, includes 1000 OpenType fonts, large clipart collections (including practical ones like 2000 vehicle templates) a font management utility (Bitstream Font Navigator), a screen capture utility, and (reasonable size) download of a new and straightforward web building program (Website Creator X6).

With the bad taste of another Adobe upgrade lingering, was running a bit delinquent ordering upgrades to other software, including DRAW. Corel announced a limited-time discount in early August for $150. As is my practice, ordered the boxed version. No extra charge for that. That was Monday. Received it Thursday. Coming home from work, opened the package and was delighted to find the DVD residing in a sleeve inside the front cover of a full-color coated stock perfect bound hardback user manual, which in turn is contained in a sturdy bookshelf slip cover. No "dead airspace" in the whole tidy package. Walked right out to the studio; installed it in minutes. Reclined that evening to give the manual a quick & comfortable read, free of computer desk and online tedium.

Dread versus pleasant surprise. The difference in customer experience is striking.

JET