Illegal bootlegs of CS

[Loopy Lisa]

I was told that if anyone is caught using an illegal version of CS, and trying to use it for freelancing, that they can be fined.

Furthermore, that when the printer opens the file or goes to print it, there is an invisible trademark on the file that is somehow electronically sent to Adobe to confirm the registration and that it is a legit version belonging to that person and if not, they are contacted by Adobe and fined up to $70, 000.

Apparently, 95 people have been fined thus far in Toronto for illegal use of ACS.

I don't consider myself a totally naive person but this scares me. I have friends who freelance and use burnt copies of Illustrator and PS...

And please don't yell at me I am simply asking for clarification.

[D-Frag]

yes, its all true. but im pretty sure the fines are a tad bit higher then $70,000.

furthermore, not only does each file contain encrypted data about the computer it was created on, but since CS came out (and any version since) will send periodic bits of information to Adobe, such as IP, name, hacked version etc...

As for your friends, well, are you sure they are really your friends? Last I heard Adobe would grant you up to $50K for turning in a company or freelancer that is using an illegal version, which in turn makes disgruntled employees of companies using hacked software even more of a reason to turn in there fellow employer.

besides, stealing is wrong..... arggg

[Silence04]

yeah, it's in the 125k range i think...

[budafist]

I was told that was a myth. I work at a printers and we don't send anything to Adobe telling them who is using illegal software.

[mikelong622]

Well if it is true, that you get a reward for turning illegal users in... does anyone know anyone who is using CS illegally and DOESN'T need the 50K...cuz I'll turn them in for ya.

Additionally, does anyone know what the penalties are for using a Student-Licensed version of CS2 for profit? And does anyone know how much it costs to get a proffesional license for it?

[D-Frag]

I was told that was a myth. I work at a printers and we don't send anything to Adobe telling them who is using illegal software.

your not going to see it, and frankly its very hard to find, its hidden in the actual code, the 0001001000110010100 of the file

[hewligan]

Yeah. Not only is that all true, but vaccinations are a secret plot by the government to implant microchips in everyone that ensure no one even thinks about trying to avoid paying their income tax.

And don't even get me started on the secret cabal of lizard people who rule the world...

[PrintDriver]

I get 125K for each designer I bust. :D
I do preproduction as a hobby because I love it. I don't need the money any more. <and I have a bridge to sell ya>

[hewligan]

The truth comes out at last! PD is really a bounty hunter. He's like the Boba Fett of the print world!

[Loopy Lisa]

My friends are all struggling students (pft aren't we all at some point?) so I am not even sure if they know about the student version they can use, but I heard that is only good till upon graduation or completion of the program.

My friend James for instance, has Illustrator, InDesign and PS all on his computer to do odd jobs as they come in. I asked him of course and he said he had no clue if he could get fined or not.

What if he were to buy Adobe CS, and save his "old" files that he created in the pirated version in the new legit version, would that be okay then?

I also heard that it's up to the printer if they even *want* to bust you. Perhaps if they knew they could get $$ out of it they would, but don't the majority turn a blind eye to this sort of thing or can THEY be liable for printing documents made in pirated programs?

Now since we are touching on the topic of pirated software and the like, what about fonts? I was surfing DaFont.com last week and found "free" fonts, but some of them are tagged with a "free for personal use"...do they work along the same lines as well, is there some kind of secret code embedded within?

[morea]

actually, piracy is even grounds for banning from GDF, according to the rules. Buy a student version or something, that costs less. You intend to make money using this software, but you are not willing to pay for it?

I had to put my copy of creative suite on my credit card. If you want to do this, do it right. I go without things like an iPod or cell phone, going to movies, going out for dinner, etc. so I can stay above board. You can't have everything, so you have to prioritize the list of things that you want.

I find it pretty insulting that people come to a professional forum and admit to running a hack copy of CS. This is why they charge so much for the programs - the people who are stealing the software actually make it cost more for the people who pay for it.

[Exodus]

I had to bust ass on a couple of big freelance gigs to make the money to buy CS2. All of that time spent away from family and friends just to do some jobs to pay for a program. No, I'm not bitter. :rolleyes:

[reuber1]

actually, piracy is even grounds for banning from GDF, according to the rules.
So, are we to expect mass bannings on Sept. 19th? :D

[morea]

*quietly bans reuber*

software piracy, my man. Not "TLAPD" piracy.

[John G]

What if he were to buy Adobe CS, and save his "old" files that he created in the pirated version in the new legit version, would that be okay then?


You wouldn't need to re-save. As long as you own your own license it is perfectly legit to use a "hacked" version from the internet as long as nobody is using your license besides you (why you wouldn't be using your own copy is beyond me, but that's how it works).

Secret code in fonts? No.
But it's not ethical, it's not right. And wow, what a fine example of a human being you or your "friends" are if they use personal use licenses for business just because they most likely won't get "caught".

bravo

[reuber1]

morea, I can't help it, I'm a pirate at heart. YARGGGGHH and etc.



What's the status on using student versions of the software? Isn't it true that you can use educational versions of Adobe products for commercial projects, but (even with the merger) you CAN'T use the educational versions of Macromedia's? And say if you pick up a student version on eBay or wherever else that isn't directly from Adobe, do you have to submit a student ID still or just activate the product like you normally would.

[resdog]

Last I heard Adobe would grant you up to $50K for turning in a company or freelancer that is using an illegal version, which in turn makes disgruntled employees of companies using hacked software even more of a reason to turn in there fellow employer.

If Adobe has this "invisible trademark" and they can easily find out who is using hacked/pirated copies of their software based on this, why would they offer money for people to turn in companies/freelancers who use the prgram illegally? Wouldn't it be better for them to keep that 50K (about 48 copies of CS2 Premium) and just wait for the company/freelancer to try to print a file, then use their "invisible trademark" to go after them. They don't really need people's help with this...if they were being sent all the information. But they aren't, which is why they need our help.

As a professional designer who uses all LEGAL copies of Adobe software, I don't understand why people use pirated copies for business. Well, I do. It's because they don't want to pay. but to me, that's just like me spec'ing a job, then the client saying they didn't like the design and so doesn't pay me, then two weeks later I see them using my design! That's the same thing piraters are doing to software decvelopers. They use spec'd software (30 day trials), then don't pay for it, but use it by finding a crack/hack/keygen.

I don't care if you are a "stuggling" anything. That is no reason to break the law. If someone broke into a camping store, stole all this camping gear, then got caught, and used the defense, "I'm a struggling student." Do you think the jury would acquit them? Probably not. Bottom line, Loopy Lisa, you're friends are scum.

As there is no way to tell whether a file has been produced on pirated software, a printer has no way of knowing whether it's a legal copy or not, nor do they care. They are in the business to PRINT, not be Adobe's watchdog.

If you don't want to pay for Adobe products, then go buy those open source programs like GIMP. They're free.

[PrintDriver]

The original post here sounds like a combination of several stories that started back when Q3 came out. Quark did embed an ID number in their files and there was talk of service bureaus checking designer files, but the printers rebelled and refused to be the software police and alienating their client base. At least, so the story goes.

[SurfPark]

Loopy Lisa, this is all urban legend you're spouting. Opening a file does not send "secret" information to Adobe. Not only would that be against the law, it would mean that every print studio would have agree to send Adobe such information.

While I think using illegal copies of software is wrong, we'd be foolish to pretend that its not widespread. There are no Adobe Police making arrests via information found via a secret file. If people are being arrested for illegal software, its usually in a bigger business setting and an insider ratted on them.

Rumors like this started way back in 1999, when Intel was planning on integrating I.D. numbers into the Intel chips (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-513450.html). This would make it possible to have software only to be installed on computers with a specific ID on its chip. It was a solution for piracy on a hardware level. It never took off because of such backlash. In a similar fashion, many software companies tried to do this without the hardware support (i.e. Windows Genuine Advantage; Adobe Production Activation). These solutions led to hackers finding more involved ways to overcome the protection.

As for your friend, I would suggest he/she switch to some open source solutions until they can afford Adobe's products. I always have a link to the free software in my signature. GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/) (Photoshop alternative), Inscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) (Illustrator alternative), and Scribus (http://www.scribus.net/) (InDesign alternative). All are developed by a community of designers/programmers and are absolutely free. Most are cross-platform for the top three operating systems.

[Sketcher]

Anyone know the legal issues with the student versions?

[Riya]

Pirating software is bad enough, but it is even worse when a designer pirates for two reasons:

1) A designer has a responsiblity to provide work for thier clients that does not violate copyright laws. How can a client trust a designer in this capacity when the basic tools he or she uses are not legal?

2) Designers depend on copyright laws to make thier living, so of all people, we should respect the rights of others who make thier living in the same way.

< Still dressed up for Talk Like a Pirate Day. And the party next week.

[Riya]

Anyone know the legal issues with the student versions?

from adobe.com:


Student question

"I'm very interested in buying the Education version of Adobe Creative Suite, but first I want to know if the software can be used to produce work for paying customers once I am working in the industry, or do I have to buy a different version of Creative Suite once I'm working in the industry?”
Answer

Good news! You can use Adobe Education software (any title!) to produce commercial/professional paid-for work when you leave school, or even while you are in school. In this regard, Adobe does not limit how student software is used. So students can use it to learn and to make money!
(Of course, students must agree to the terms of the End User Licensing Agreement — which appears during installation — just as every software customer must do.)

Education version Student question

“Is the Education version a scaled-down version? How is it different than the more expensive retail version I see being sold at other computer stores?”
Answer

The Education and retail versions are virtually identical — we do not modify the software itself. To differentiate the product offering between education and retail, we may remove some clip art, some fonts, or other non-application resources. So really, the only difference is price. Student customers can be assured that this as an opportunity to get the “full version” without paying the “full price”.

After graduation Student question

“What happens after I graduate? If a new version comes out that I want to buy, do I have to buy the full new retail version or can I save money and just buy the retail upgrade?”
Answer

You are able to continue to use your Education version serial number when you leave school to upgrade to future commercially priced versions if you want to, rather than having to buy the next “full” version. So you save money now while you are a student, and also after you graduate!

[Sketcher]

from adobe.com:

Thanks. I'm glad to hear I can continue to use it after graduation.

[DesignStudio]

My friend James for instance, has Illustrator, InDesign and PS all on his computer to do odd jobs as they come in. I asked him of course and he said he had no clue if he could get fined or not.

So what is your friend James' last name? and where exactly can you turn people in for rewards?

On an unrelated note, I've got some work I need to do on my car, does anyone know where I can steal a really good set of wrenches?

[Patrick Shannon]

I never knew you could use educational software to profit after school, interesting.

I'm willing to bet a lot of the anti-piracy mechanisms, etc is FUD, although I have indeed heard of software "calling home." Personally I don't bother worrying about pirates none...I'll admit that I did my fair share of it back in the college days. These days every bit of software I own is legit, thanks to some smart eBaying on old software (yes, legit auctions) and current upgrades. It's kind of nice knowing that you have the support on legit software and that it installs with no problems. You never know what you'll get off of Limewire or whatnot. Also I write off every software/hardware purchase I make at the end of the year, I did that last year and I came out of the CPA pleasantly surprised.

There was one instance where I turned to pirating thanks to purchased software, it had to do with Macromedia refusing to reassign my Flash MX 2004 (both Mac/PC on CD) serial number from PC to Mac (since I had gotten rid of my PCs and bought a new Mac) and had control on it due to that damned software activation. Seeing how Macromedia wasn't letting me use my own purchased software in the way I was entitled to, I borrowed a friend's Flash Mac CD and "remedied" the problem.

Although sometimes I have to crack up at some of the people who berate pirates vigerously, namely for the following two reasons. First, I don't think they have a genuine interest in preaching anti-piracy, it's just a way to make themselves feel bigger. Secondly, it's a waste of breath as pirates frankly don't give a s**t. On one forum, some people were talking about installing OS X Tiger on non-Intel/non-Mac hardware and some person replied "You DO know this is against the Apple "blah blah", right?" To which the person replied with (crickets chirping) and "Soooo?"

It kind of reminds you of those goody-goody kids in grade school that were the teacher's pet...sure they were morally better people, but they were the kids that always got beat up and no one wanted to be their friend.

[reuber1]

I never knew you could use educational software to profit after school, interesting.
I read though that this may only apply to Adobe's programs, but not Macromedia's, even with the merger. I'm not too sure, but the only Macro program I'd really want would be Dreamweaver, and that's just for it's Code View as I like it quite a bit. Flash can wait.

[CamarotaDesign]

I read from a site that sells educational software, stating some government law called the "first sale" clause which basically says if a company sells software under one license, by law they have to grant all their licenses under that license. I dunno, maybe the site was illegal and it was a bogus claim, I didn't really pay attention too much to what it said.

I did know about being allowed to use educational versions for paying work while in school and once you have graduated, which is very generous of Adobe. My home copies of CS are educational which I purchased while in college. I also heard that if you are in school you are allowed to use school computers to do paying work.

Personally, I think the $1000 or so for CS is a fair price considering the hours upon hours of work put in by company programmers. And the fact is that Adobe programs are probably the highest quality of programs ever created, I mean, I really don't have a single complaint on any of the programs I use, they are all flawless.

[PrintDriver]

No they're not.

[CamarotaDesign]

what!? oh come on, they're flawless, you know it!

[hewligan]

Well, if you compare the current versions of them to Illustrator 10, they seem flawless in comparison :D

[PrintDriver]

Well if the programs are flawless, it must be the component between the chair and the keyboard that's screwy...:D

Actually 10 was ok. If you did the updates.
Now 9 was the ditzy one.

8 was rock solid. Funny how transparency effects screw up a good program when it first appears. (Wonder how Q7 is faring LMAO!)

[hewligan]

As I recall, Illlustrator 10 was actually pretty bad - though you're right that 9 was far, far worse. 8 was pretty good, though it did seem to have the kind of memory leaks that would just eat through your RAM. Still, if you didn't try to run anything else at the same time,and you had plenty of RAM, it was rock solid.

And I'd also like to know the answer to the Quark question...

[PrintDriver]

We don't use Q7 but I've been hearing rumblings that it isn't pretty.

The major problem we had with 10 was the Pantone updates that happened at that time. That and the Adobefnt.lst crap that filled up your hard drive. LOL.
Illy still does that though not to that extent. We still have 10 active on our machines.

I don't remember any output problems with 8. Our production comps are always Ram packed though.

[hewligan]

Oh, no output problems that I recall, either. The problem was more one of it - thanks to a few fairly serious memory leaks - gradually soaking up all your system RAM until just about everything started to crash.

Of course, Mac OS 8 still not having proper memory management can share some of the blame for that one. The stuff they improved behind the scenes for OS X was way more important than the flashing buttons :)

I'm beginning to think that it's some kind of sign of old age in graphic designers if you can remember a time when you used Quark because you liked it :D

[PrintDriver]

I gotta say, I never liked Quark as a designer. But it was the only game in town at the time.

[urstwile]

As for your friend, I would suggest he/she switch to some open source solutions until they can afford Adobe's products. I always have a link to the free software in my signature. GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/) (Photoshop alternative), Inscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) (Illustrator alternative), and Scribus (http://www.scribus.net/) (InDesign alternative). All are developed by a community of designers/programmers and are absolutely free. Most are cross-platform for the top three operating systems.

Except, how widely supported are these open-source programs by printers? My suspicion is "not so much".

If they work great and are less fillling and free, if you use them and your printer doesn't support them, then you're s.o.l., in my opinion. Stuff looks beautimous on your computer, but it's all dressed up with no place to go.

So it pays to invest in software that is supported by the people you will be sending your work to. I love the notion of open-source software, I'm just not sure about the level of support you'll get when you send a job to print.

[budafist]

Someone should start up an opensource software printer then :)

[PrintDriver]

If using open source contact the printer before you start designing. That's BEFORE you start designing.
While many to most vendors don't support it directly they may be able to tell how to save/export/pdf it so it prints. You takes yer chances though.

[captain spanky]

I'm buying CS3 as soon as it comes out (actually is it today?)
...but feckin hell talk about starting a new freelancing business on a disadvantage! £2.000 of debt before i take my first design job...
going to be a while before i can eat etc :(

[reuber1]

I'm buying CS3 as soon as it comes out (actually is it today?)
...but feckin hell talk about starting a new freelancing business on a disadvantage! £2.000 of debt before i take my first design job...
going to be a while before i can eat etc :(
I've been confused about today's CS3 deal. Is it just an unveiling, just so they can show it off and then sell it like in August or something? Or is it really out today?

:confused:

[Patrick Shannon]

I've been confused about today's CS3 deal. Is it just an unveiling, just so they can show it off and then sell it like in August or something? Or is it really out today?

:confused:

It's supposed to be an "announcement" and available later in the spring, though the Amazon leaked listings list sometime later in April as a release date.

[captain spanky]

yeah, I'm confused too... they said they were launching sometime now... then they gave this date... they i hear that they are telling us the release date on this day... i got an email off them, saying 'everything's going to change...' woooooaaah (sarcastic) but their websites are strangely lacking in actual details.
So to answer your question, i don't know.
guess you need to keep an eye out here when us brits have gone to bed or something...
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/launchevent/webcast/

[captain spanky]

bunch of cnuts.

:mad:

[jessicam]

I'm buying CS3 as soon as it comes out (actually is it today?)
...but feckin hell talk about starting a new freelancing business on a disadvantage! £2.000 of debt before i take my first design job...
going to be a while before i can eat etc :(

It's hard just starting out. I'm still using student software on a 2002 quicksilver mac. When I was working full time I kept thinking I'd get around to upgrading but it never seemed important. Oops.

[PrintDriver]

The Quicksilver is a nice machine.
Stoke the ram and you'll be ok for a while yet.

And you can get along with older software too. If you really think about it, what new things did your really get between CS and CS2? Anything you couldn't live without. No. This standing in line to get the latest update the second it comes out is silly. Let the printers practice on those lemmings first. Hold off 'til at least the first update or the reviews that tell you it isn't worth it.

[Mynock]

Are there LEGAL bootlegs of CS?

[Patrick Shannon]

Hong Kong, my good man, anything is legal there. Well, almost :P

[DesignStudio]

I like CS2 better than CS1, there are a few nice updates, but certainly nothing that can't be lived without. I agree with PD somewhat. I used to have CS2 on a PC but then switched to a Mac last year. So because of finances I now have CS on my Mac, and didn't figure it was worth investing in CS2 again so close to CS3 coming out. I had wanted to wait for the CS3 reviews and decide whether or not it was worth buying, or if I should just upgrade back to CS2 for much less.

However, I have realized that if you're a freelancer you have to have the latest software. I've had clients try to send me files and I can't open them because they have CS2 and I have CS. It's not fun to explain to the client. So Print Driver is right, in some circumstances you can get along with older software certainly. But if you run your own business or freelance, I'd say compatibility issues force your hand alot more. So I'll be picking up CS3 whether it's ready for me or not as soon as it comes out.

[reuber1]

I noticed they do have the Standard Design package that's sans the extended Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver (still has Acrobat, w00t). That seems reasonable, and for $1200 full version, not far off from what I expected.

[jessicam]

The Quicksilver is a nice machine.
Stoke the ram and you'll be ok for a while yet.


The RAM is at 1.25 gb, and according to wheat I have read it can't go above 1.5 gb. Is it with the money to get that last bit, you think?

Thanks. :)

[idaho]

Hold off 'til at least the first update or the reviews that tell you it isn't worth it.

That's tough to do for those of us using Intel Macs. CS2 is really bad on the Intels so getting CS3 may actually fix a lot of the problems some of us are having.

I've been running Photoshop CS3 Beta for a while now and it has been rock solid. I don't know why the other apps would be much different.

[hewligan]

Even if you're not using an Intel Mac, live filters is a feature that many of us have been asking for for abut abut a decade. I'm sure the photoshop upgrade will be worth it.

And I've yet to see an Indesign upgrade that wasn't worth it. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later, but that doesn't necessarily mean this will be the one.

I doubt there's anything much new in Illustrator...

[Patrick Shannon]

I doubt there's anything much new in Illustrator...

The Live Color is a major addition, you can double clicked grouped items to edit them individually ala Flash (THANK YOU!), improved control points, etc. Illy has been on a roll with the upgrades as CS2 added a lot as well, but I couldn't see putting out money for the whole suite just for Illy. (You can only upgrade a suite to a suite, not a suite to an individual app.) So CS3 is made all the more appealing to me since I'm getting two versions of upgrade :)

[hewligan]

The Illy CS2 upgrade really wasn't worth it. Basically, it amounted to LiveTrace and LivePaint, which were kinda fun to play with, but I've never actually used them for any real work. I'm sure LiveColour will be much the same. Still, I did just look at the product tour, and this actually might be a decent upgrade for Illy.

Once again, though, the one with the really exciting stuff is Indesign. Multiple place! Table styles! The expanded search and replace stuff! Text variables! I think they might just about have covered everything that I've thought, while working with Indy CS2, hey - I wish it did that.

So, based on some videos on the Adobe site - hardly conclusive evidence, I know - I'd say that Photoshop and Indy are definitely worthwhile upgrades. And, for a change, Illustrator might be.

[Patrick Shannon]

The Illy CS2 upgrade really wasn't worth it. Basically, it amounted to LiveTrace and LivePaint, which were kinda fun to play with, but I've never actually used them for any real work. I'm sure LiveColour will be much the same.

If you work religiously in Illy or do a lot of vector cartooning, those options are extremely valuable. Often times I would curse out Illustrator for not being able to paint something on the fly with a tool while Flash had been doing it for years.

I was so disappointed when I found out that I couldn't not upgrade my CS1 Illustrator with a CS2 Illy (without buying the entire suite). Fortunately Adobe refunded me.

[hewligan]

I do a bit of vector cartooning, and I just didn't like livetrace or livepaint.

Of course, I also don't like flash, so I think we may have to agree to disagree on this one :)

[PrintDriver]

It all depends on your circumstances and client base, yes I agree.

[Patrick Shannon]

It all depends on your circumstances and client base, yes I agree.

You agree to disagree, you agree with agreeing, or do you agree with the intentions of agreeing to disagree? :D

[budafist]

I love livetrace. It is great for my drawings. My GDF calendar entries were live traced from pen drawings.

[captain spanky]

soooo who knows when it's coming out then?
this is 'doing my head in'.... ;):D

[DesignStudio]

anyone have a clear idea of the pricing? i've seen a ton of numbers and i'm not gonna lie, i'm a little confused. i have cs currently, so i'm not sure i can just get the upgrade, i guess i'm looking at the whole suite. but i don't need the ridiculous extended version.

[hewligan]

I love livetrace. It is great for my drawings. My GDF calendar entries were live traced from pen drawings.

You see, I mostly learnt to draw from comics.

I'll sketch in pencil and scan that. Tracing it in illy, I see as much like inking comics art. Unless I don't have my tablet handy, in which case, everything goes pear-shaped.

[PrintDriver]

They have different upgrade prices depending on which version you have now.
If you are buying for the first time, they usually have a slight discount if you already own some version of Photoshop.
It will cost more to upgrade from CS than from CS2.
Looks like Adobe has been taking lessons from Quark. Let's hope not too many lessons.

[DesignStudio]

maybe i'll go back to school to just get the student price.

[PrintDriver]

Uh...wouldn't that be even MORE expensive?:confused:

[Rocketpig]

Gr... I just bootlegged an old copy of Dreamweaver, but I take no regret in doing it.

So, CS3 is releasing next month, right? And they're eliminating GoLive, right?

Well, as a longtime GL user, that leaves me to learn a new program so I figured I'd download a trial of Dreamweaver so I'm not completely lost in two-three weeks. I go to Adobe.com and find... They removed all their trial programs with the announcement of CS3.

I really, really hate Adobe. A little more every day I work with their products. They're really worse than Microsoft in many ways.

[DesignStudio]

of course it would. stupid reality.

[reuber1]

Uh...wouldn't that be even MORE expensive?:confused:
Actually, what if you enrolled for a 1 credit hour course at a community college where it's like $90 a credit hour? Do they still honor that discount? Probably not, but dang that would be sweet.

[Patrick Shannon]

Gr... I just bootlegged an old copy of Dreamweaver, but I take no regret in doing it.

So, CS3 is releasing next month, right? And they're eliminating GoLive, right?

Well, as a longtime GL user, that leaves me to learn a new program so I figured I'd download a trial of Dreamweaver so I'm not completely lost in two-three weeks. I go to Adobe.com and find... They removed all their trial programs with the announcement of CS3.

I really, really hate Adobe. A little more every day I work with their products. They're really worse than Microsoft in many ways.

GoLive isn't completely going away yet...the Adobe site says a new version is due out this year. I liken it to Pagemaker, that program continued a version or two past when InDesign 1-2 came around.

[jessicam]

Actually, what if you enrolled for a 1 credit hour course at a community college where it's like $90 a credit hour? Do they still honor that discount? Probably not, but dang that would be sweet.

I'm pretty sure all you need is a valid student ID to get the discount. The ID isn't going to say how many credits you are signed up for...

Hmmm this is a possibility.

[reuber1]

K, what do y'all think. I mod another forum ("HA HA HA" goes the GDF) and in a thread someone started about getting a free video editor, I made sure to keep it away from pirated software, and I mentioned you may get a hefty fine.

Here's the response I got:

Won't happen, especailly if its Adobe, their entire business model revolves around "allowing" individuals to pirate their software.

This means that basically everyone knows at least something about photoshop, pagemaker, ect. Then when you go apply to work somewhere and they ask their employees what software they know how to use they're gonna say Adobe products.

Business pays $$$ for corporate licenses, and Adobe gets a much larger install base because of it. They go after corporate pirates like the RIAA goes after college students, but they could really care less (if not slightly encourage), individuals, especially students, to download their products.

Don't worry, I don't think anyone is dumb enough to post links to stuff on a public forum, and no one's ever gotten in trouble for suggesting or discussing
Ummm, am I the only one who thinks that is BS?

[urstwile]

If Adobe's current business model revolved around the ability for individuals to pirate their software, why did they add the need to activate the license?

As to the BS of that quote, I agree with you Reuber. Sounds like someone trying to shoehorn some legitimacy into the notion of pirating software. Kind of like "Adobe said no, but their eyes said yes" kind of an argument.

[reuber1]

If Adobe's current business model revolved around the ability for individuals to pirate their software, why did they add the need to activate the license?

As to the BS of that quote, I agree with you Reuber. Sounds like someone trying to shoehorn some legitimacy into the notion of pirating software. Kind of like "Adobe said no, but their eyes said yes" kind of an argument.
What I said, pretty much, only in many more words. I also brought up that many of these people who pirate the software don't use it to it's full potential; really, most people use Photoshop to the extent that they use GIMP, I just think they want the Adobe name. Who wants 'GIMP', besides Zed? :p

Ughh, they're a bit more tame about piracy in that forum than here, but that's only because they don't let us mods ban people :(

[hewligan]

Well, it's probably not entirely untrue... at least not according to Microsoft:

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070312/165448.shtml

Still, if Adobe's products are genuinely too expensive for you, and you pirate their software instead of choosing a cheaper alternative, you're actually discouraging competition in the graphics software industry and thereby pushing prices up. So you won't be able to afoord them next time, either...

[Riya]

You really are drunk, aren't you hewligan? Posting in the wrong threads, posting the same thing twice... pretty soon you will be stumbling all over the forum, then passed out in the classifieds. Cheers!

[hewligan]

Well, it's a combination of long weekend == four days without sobering up and I had a migraine a few days ago, and a migraine always leaves me feeling a bit retarded for about a week.

The other day I managed to lock myself out of my flat. It would have been embarassing turning up at my sister's place to get the spare key, except that her husband had left his cellphone in his pants when he put them through the wash that day, so I wasn't the dumbest person in the room.

Yay me.

[Crimson]

Well, it's probably not entirely untrue... at least not according to Microsoft:

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070312/165448.shtml

Still, if Adobe's products are genuinely too expensive for you, and you pirate their software instead of choosing a cheaper alternative, you're actually discouraging competition in the graphics software industry and thereby pushing prices up. So you won't be able to afoord them next time, either...

That is an interesting point. They are saying they would rather have people steal from them than to pay for a competitor's product.

Makes the arguement sounds similar to legalizing Mariuanna to me. Or the educational price for Adobe software is like giving condoms to Highschool students. "If they are going to screw us with priacy. . . . wear protection"

I don't have to just use the struggling artist excuse anymore.So if you ask me if I ever pirated software I can say it was for medicinal purposes. lol

[C.E.]

Ok so let me get this straight.... if I have the Educational Versions of CS or CS2 for my job (at a college), I am or am not allowed to freelance on the side using the same software, for profit? Also, what happens when people in my office take the software to install for themselves or their kids "who like to play in photoshop", even though the software was sort of purchased "for" me, It's really owned by the department? Do I get in trouble for that? Or do they? Or does the department?

[C.E.]

And what happens when my computer crashes and I have to install it on a loaner computer until I get mine fixed??? OR When I take my laptop home and have a different IP addy there than at work?

[jessicam]

Ok so let me get this straight.... if I have the Educational Versions of CS or CS2 for my job (at a college), I am or am not allowed to freelance on the side using the same software, for profit? Also, what happens when people in my office take the software to install for themselves or their kids "who like to play in photoshop", even though the software was sort of purchased "for" me, It's really owned by the department? Do I get in trouble for that? Or do they? Or does the department?

I called Adobe and asked some of these questions for me. I explained that I am a part time student, and asked if I could purchse the student priced CS3 web premium, and then when I was done with school, use it for profit. They gave an unqualified yes. However, this is for myself, I would think your department would have a policy about using departmental software to make money.

As I understand it, only the owner of the software is allowed to install it on one other computer, and it's meant to allow a person to have a copy at work and at home, so that really, it's never being used by more than one person at a given time. Therefore what your co-workers are doing is illegal, but they probably won't get caught.

HTH.

[SurfPark]

They're shipping Photoshop CS3 and I think the others will follow. The whole CS3 package is shipping.

As for open-source software, I only mention it because it allows most files to be saved in very typical formats: jpeg, tiff, eps, pdf, and more. The only one I'd be cautious of is an InDesign alternative because this is typically the file printers want to have to tinker with. Considering the software is free to download for many platforms, your printer can download it too. Its not a technological thing, its about the patience and time your printer will give you if something arises.

I will suggest that all students get the Adobe suite educational version if they can. I have never noticed a difference in quality, format, or interface with these versions. I work for a school and we use it in the business offices because its legally allowed. At home I have the commercial version. The main reason I mention these alternatives is because not many college students have the $1000 for the software their first year. Even some freelancers have a tough time affording the package sometimes.

[reuber1]

I will suggest that all students get the Adobe suite educational version if they can. I have never noticed a difference in quality, format, or interface with these versions. I work for a school and we use it in the business offices because its legally allowed. At home I have the commercial version. The main reason I mention these alternatives is because not many college students have the $1000 for the software their first year. Even some freelancers have a tough time affording the package sometimes.
Yup.

[Patrick Shannon]

http://gprime.net/flash.php/youareapirate :D

[reuber1]

http://gprime.net/flash.php/youareapirate :D
lol, what the ****?

[Tsmalldon]

(http://gprime.net/flash.php/youareapirate)http://gprime.net/flash.php/youareapirate :D

What the deuce

[Riya]

Hehe!

[Ned]

I love it! My new favorite song!

[Crimson]

I'm telling you guys - Pirating for medicinal purposes will total stand (not) in a court of Law. I got my doctor to write a perscription to download my medicine anytime I need it.

On top of that, Bill Gates sends me a check for 1,863,666 for that email tracking software I started back in the day. I can handle all the lawyer fees and still have money left over for a hi priced hooker.

[frankster]

http://gprime.net/flash.php/youareapirate :D

Not only did the background on that nearly give me a seizure, but now I'm going to have it stuck in my head all day. Mind you it's better than the "taco, taco, buritto, buritto" song that I got suck in my head for two days after watching south park earlier in the week.

[reuber1]

Not only did the background on that nearly give me a seizure, but now I'm going to have it stuck in my head all day. Mind you it's better than the "taco, taco, buritto, buritto" song that I got suck in my head for two days after watching south park earlier in the week.
Awww, you missed Cartman's rendition of 2 Pac's "California?"

[frankster]

Awww, you missed Cartman's rendition of 2 Pac's "California?"

That was fantastic indeed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcMMTrGqZtU