Is it better to upgrade to CS6 or just buy DW6

If you currently own a suite, you can only upgrade to a suite.  If you switch to individual products, you'll need to buy the full scale versions of each.  

Look ahead.  As your skills improve and hopefully your client base, you may find you need more than just DW & FW to get the job done.  Having a Suite gives you more apps to work with even if you don't use them regularly.

I'm on the Cloud because it gives me access to all the software I use regularly plus others I don't but may have need for in the future (17 products in all).  If a client sends me a file from Illustrator, Flash or Premier Pro, no worries.  I can open all of them in their native applications. 

With the Cloud, I get software upgrades as soon as they're available; not 1 or 2 years later as is the case for perpetual license holders. 

Also, Cloud offers other perks that perpetual license holders don't get like having the software installed on both Mac & PC, Cloud space for storing files, TypeKit, etc...  For me anyway, a monthly fee makes more sense than purchasing perpetual licenses & upgrades down the road.

Ultimately, you must decide  which option works best for you.

Nancy O.

The cost of creative cloud is quite frankly out of reach to the independent webmaster who only writes not for profit sites, and has to pay for his own software. If Adobe were to supply a creative cloud at say £60 a year and only give access to DW and Fireworks, I would probably take up the offer. That's the background.

Depends on your perspective.

Presumably you've already got CS5 or another product which qualifies for an upgrade. (If you've got CS3 or CS4 then you've got until 31 Dec 2012 to decide to upgrade to CS6. After that, it's full price.)

£358 upfront cost to upgrade to CS6 Design & Web Premium. Due to the new "one version back" upgrade policy introduced with CS6, you must upgrade to CS7 and CS8 etc when they are released.

To join the Cloud (with all its extras) for the first 12 months for existing customers costs £27.34/month. = £328p.a.. After that it's £46.88/month = £562 p.a.

If as, Nancy says, you look ahead and cost this over, say, 5 years

Perpetual license = £358 x 3 (assuming CS6,7,8) = £1,074 (all payments in full, upfront).

Cloud = £328 + £562 + £562 = £1,452 (all monthly payments)

That's over 5 years or more with all Cloud benefits and more software and services added to the Cloud every year for no extra cost. If one extra software proves useful to you, the Cloud has paid for itself.

Or, you could hedge your bets, take out the first 12 months of Cloud for the cheaper monthly rate on a 12 month plan then upgrade to CS6 just before CS7 ships so that you're still eligible for the CS8 upgrade cycle.

Bear in mind also that Adobe's long term plan seems to be to discontinue perpetually licensed software and go Cloud only for all software delivery. That's speculation based on mounting evidence from Adobe and Adobe-watchers online. So the Cloud is something to start planning for now anyway.

If you are on the cloud do you have to download Dreamweaver each time that you want to use it?

Of course not.  Cloud software is no different from the full scale, stand alone software that you already know & love.  The only major difference is how you pay for it -- monthly instead of one lump sum.  You download & install Cloud software as a desktop application to your PC, Mac or Tablet.  No different than the perpetual licensed software.

Can you use it if you are not on line?

Yes.  I do it quite often.  However, once every month you need to be on line so the Cloud can confirm your status and alert you to any updates that are available.  You'll be given plenty of opportunity to do this.

BTW: You're under no obligation to use the free Cloud space for storing files unless you want to store files there.  I do this as a backup.  But I  keep work files on my computer as I always have.

A free Business Catalyst account also comes with the Cloud but again, you're under no obligation to use it if you decide not to.

Nancy O.

The Creative Cloud FAQ addresses many of these questions

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/faq.html

As I understand it, you would still be able to use the standalone 5.5 as long as you have an operating system that supports it.

Chris

I believe you can continue to use it as an application but not for an upgrade since that would have been used going to the Cloud.  You might want to check with Adobe for clarification on that though.

Damn I totally missed that you are working for a non-profit. I apologize about that, but for future reference Adobe does offer non-profit pricing but it's only direct from them.

http://www.adobe.com/volume-licensing/non-profit.html