Time — and Adobe — March On
Adobe already announced that CS5, the next version of its Creative Suite software, will run only on Windows and Macs with Intel processors, leaving PowerPC Macs behind. Now the company reports that it has not and will not test how well CS3 plays with the imminent Mac OS X 10.6 update. Apple is releasing its new operating system (code-named Snow Leopard) tomorrow, August 28. CS4 is certfied as Snow Leopard-compatible with two exceptions, noted in the FAQ below.
[Editor’s note: After this article was published, Photoshop QA Manager David Howe passed on this information: “We did test Photoshop CS3 on Snow Leopard and worked with Apple to fix any issues we found. We’re not aware of any significant problems at this point. If people do find issues, definitely let us know.”]
In an FAQ, Adobe notes, “While older Adobe and Macromedia applications may install and run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), they were designed, tested, and released to the public several years before this new operating system became available. You may therefore experience a variety of installation, stability, and reliability issues for which there is no resolution. Older versions of our creative software will not be updated to support Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6).”
While I’m sure the potential CS3/Snow Leopard compatibility problems will anger some customers, I understand why Adobe drew the line. CS3 came out in April 2007, long before Snow Leopard. Adobe has to devote its resources to current and future software. I feel the same about the abandonment of the PowerPC platform. If Adobe stays on its 18-month production cycle, CS5 will be out in April 2010, more than four years after Intel Macs debuted.
John Nack, the principal product manager for Photoshop, posted Adobe’s Snow Lepoard FAQ on his blog. You can download that PDF or read its text below:
Q. Will Adobe offer technical support for its CS4 products and components running on Max OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)? What about for older versions of Adobe’s Creative Suite software?
A. Adobe will support Creative Suite 4 software running with Snow Leopard according to its standard customer support policies. Older versions of Adobe Creative Suite software were not designed to run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), so you may experience issues installing and using the software for which there are no solutions. Please note that support for Creative Suite 3 applications is currently available through Adobe’s paid support program. Visit www.adobe.com/support to check the Adobe knowledgebase for the latest information related to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), and for detailed information about our complimentary and paid support programs.
Q. Are Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 products and components compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. Yes. Working closely with Apple, Adobe has tested and determined that our Adobe Creative Suite 4 products and components are compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Q. Is Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) important to Adobe Creative Suite 4 customers?
A. Yes. Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) —the latest version of Apple’s operating system—delivers a productive computing experience for creative professionals. Adobe and Apple have worked together closely to test that Adobe Creative Suite 4 products and components run reliably and efficiently on Intel-based systems running Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) with optimal performance and user experience. As with any new release of an operating system, there may be unexpected issues that arise that may not have been uncovered during our testing efforts.
Q. Will older versions of Adobe creative software—such as Adobe Creative Suite 3 or Macromedia® Studio 8 software—support Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. Older versions of Adobe creative software were not included in our testing efforts. While older Adobe and Macromedia applications may install and run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), they were designed, tested, and released to the public several years before this new operating system became available. You may therefore experience a variety of installation, stability, and reliability issues for which there is no resolution. Older versions of our creative software will not be updated to support Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6).
Q. Will Adobe continue to test its Adobe CS4 applications on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. Yes. Adobe sets high standards of quality, stability, and reliability for our professional products, and we worked closely with Apple to test that Creative Suite 4 products and components run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6). As with any new release of an operating system, there may be unexpected issues that arise that may not have been uncovered during our testing efforts. If you encounter any issues, please report them by going to www.adobe.com/misc/bugreport.html and clicking “Report A Bug”. Please note that we do not respond to submissions, however we do review the information closely with the appropriate teams, and continue to test and monitor the user experience.
Q. Do any of the Adobe CS4 applications require updates to be compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. At this time, none of the Adobe Creative Suite 4 products and components requires updates to be compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6). However, you can visit www.adobe.com/support/downloads to monitor if and when any updates are posted, and then download and install the updates for each relevant Adobe CS4 product or component.
Q. How do I install any required updates for Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) compatibility?
A. At this time, the Adobe Creative Suite 4 products and components do not require updates to be compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6). However, if required in the future, any necessary updates will be made available through the Adobe Updater, a utility that is installed with Adobe products or components to manage the download and installation of updates for you. As long as the automated notification feature in Adobe Updater is turned on, you will be alerted automatically when the updates are available. You can then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the updates. Alternatively, you can open the Adobe CS4 product or component that requires an update, choose Help > Updates to open the Adobe Updater, check all of the updates you want, and click Download and Install Updates. Lastly, you can also visit www.adobe.com/support/downloads to monitor when updates are posted, then download and install the updates for each relevant Adobe CS4 product or component.
Q. I am a volume licensing customer. How do I get updates for my Adobe CS4 products or components?
A. Adobe recommends following your company’s internal guidelines to manage updates. You may want to contact the IT or technical person who manages your Adobe licenses for information about your corporate policies on updating software. For volume licensing customers, information is available for IT managers on how to silently push installations of Adobe CS4 updates at https://kb2.adobe.com/cps/491/cpsid_49171.html. For individual users, there is an Adobe Updater (choose Help > Updates) to download and install updates for Adobe CS4 products and components for individual system updates.
Q. Are the trial versions of Adobe CS4 products and components fully compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. Yes. If a full version of an Adobe Creative Suite 4 product is compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), then the trial version of that product is compatible as well.
Q. Is Adobe aware of any major issues, bugs or odd user experiences when using Adobe CS4 products or components with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)?
A. Adobe Creative Suite 4 solutions are designed to perform to the high standards and level of performance, quality and user experience our customers expect. In our testing, we did discover two functional areas that display unusual user experiences. One involves a unique configuration running Adobe Creative Suite Infrastructure (CSI) update v1.0.1 on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6). Users may be unable to update their CSI Extensions via the Connections Panel. The cause is related to interaction between Creative Suite 4 products and Apple’s Java™ Runtime Environment (JRE) v.1.6. The update will appear to complete, but the user will again receive notification that the update is available at every update check interval. Users who have not installed the CSI update v1.0.1 will not be impacted, but they also will not receive notifications about available extension updates. Users who installed the CSI update v.1.0.1 and the corresponding extension updates prior to upgrading to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) will also not be impacted by the issue. Adobe Extensions affected include the Connections panel itself, Kuler, Search for Help, and Share My Screen. Adobe plans to have an additional update for the CSI and related files as soon as possible.
The second issue involves Adobe Drive used with Adobe Version Cue® CS4 Server. At this time, Adobe Drive does not run on 64-bit Snow Leopard. For customers that are dependent on Adobe Drive and Version Cue, we recommend that they do not upgrade to Snow Leopard at this time. Please visit www.adobe.com/support to check the Adobe knowledgebase for the latest information related to Mac OS X Snow Leopard v.10.6.
Q. Will Adobe offer technical support for its CS4 products and components running on Max OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)? What about for older versions of Adobe’s Creative Suite software?
A. Adobe will support Creative Suite 4 software running with Snow Leopard according to its standard customer support policies. Older versions of Adobe Creative Suite software were not designed to run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), so you may experience issues installing and using the software for which there are no solutions. Please note that support for Creative Suite 3 applications is currently available through Adobe’s paid support program. Visit www.adobe.com/support to check the Adobe knowledgebase for the latest information related to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), and for detailed information about our complimentary and paid support programs.
I’m the QA Manger for Photoshop. To help clarify, we did test Photoshop CS3 on Snow Leopard and worked with Apple to fix any issues we found. We’re not aware of any significant problems at this point. If people do find issues, definitely let us know.
– David Howe
I saw this and Adobe’s customer service problems coming back when they gobbled up Macromedia.
Not happy with constant upgrades
With the arrival of each new version, of the operating system from Apple, of the software from Adobe, it is trumpeted for it’s greatness and “ultimate” nature. Well, it’s only the ultimate for 18-months, until the next marketing cycle. If the products are that temporal and disposable, they ought to be priced as such. The CS, all of it, for $50 would seem about right. At that price I would upgrade with each version. The new operating system the same, maybe less. Further, now that it requires an Intel-chip Mac to run these products, new hardware is also required, so that piece of equipment also proves itself to be temporal and disposable. Why should it be priced so high if it has such a short lifespan? To leave a pre-intel chip Mac G4 running CS2 on OSX v10.4 requires a new OS, new version of the CS, AND a new computer. And then how long could all that be expected to last? About 18 months or so. It’s reasonable then to wonder why give so much money so regularly to these companies and to wonder just exactly who is being served? I use and think well of these products, but their marketing and upgrade behaviors are not winning favor with me and it makes me regard them with increasing scepticism. If they feel they need to change things every other time you turn around, then the old equipment should remain workable for anyone not needing or wanting to spend more money with them. They should go on supporting the old gear, and the new gear should not be designed in such a way as to deliberately not interface with the old. These are costly purchases and they ought to be durable products. PETER WETHERBEE.