Adobe's subscription model

[Anbaric]

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I suspect there will be a resurgence of interest in circumventing product activation when the CS6 servers are switched off, and in some jurisdictions this may be perfectly legal, provided that it is only used by legitimate licence holders - e.g., the EU 'right to repair' legislation could cover this, since an installer that can no longer install might reasonably be regarded as 'defective'.

https://www.origina.com/blog/eu-court-of-justice-says-licensee-can-decompile-software-to-fix-bugs

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[Overgaard]

On 9/1/2024 at 2:57 PM, SrMi said:

I do not think that Adobe's CEO would like to be arrested next time he visits France.

I do not feel that Adobe is acting as police but as a company that follows the laws, or at least what its lawyers say is the law. 

Again, Adobe does not scan photos on people's local storage; they scan only on storage they "sell," and which could be used for illegal activities.

Adobe Stock differs from Cloud or local content, but I agree that Adobe should not be allowed to train its AI on images for which it has not been granted permission (almost all AI training seems to be done illegally). Here is another example of how technology moves faster than social norms or legal frameworks.

P.S. Maybe we should start a thread in Barnack's Bar instead of continuing the topic here.

If Apple scanned content on their iCloud that they "sell," it would be the end for them. I think they have made sure nobody at Apple or any government agency can scan anything Apple.

For sure, if a company states they "only scan customers cloud content" to make sure they don't do anything illegal (when nobody yet asked to to do so), it means that they have access. Adobe Cloud is not private from people or machines. Then you can calculate the next steps.

 

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[SrMi]

50 minutes ago, Overgaard said:

If Apple scanned content on their iCloud that they "sell," it would be the end for them. I think they have made sure nobody at Apple or any government agency can scan anything Apple.

For sure, if a company states they "only scan customers cloud content" to make sure they don't do anything illegal (when nobody yet asked to to do so), it means that they have access. Adobe Cloud is not private from people or machines. Then you can calculate the next steps.

 

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Apple, Google, Twitter et al, all have access to user data they must share with authorities in case of a subpoena.

Apple did have a plan to scan iCloud data for CSAM but abandoned that plan. 
https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/Expanded_Protections_for_Children_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

 I do not know what Apple is doing now.
Every company must and does handle CSAM content in an appropriate way.

[105012]

15 hours ago, SrMi said:

Apple, Google, Twitter et al, all have access to user data they must share with authorities in case of a subpoena.

 

If one turns on Apple Advanced Data Protection, then the encryption keys for your data on iCloud are not available to Apple. That means a subpoena will produce nothing more than encrypted data in response, with no keys to unpack that data, because Apple has no access to the keys.

[SrMi]

2 hours ago, 105012 said:

If one turns on Apple Advanced Data Protection, then the encryption keys for your data on iCloud are not available to Apple. That means a subpoena will produce nothing more than encrypted data in response, with no keys to unpack that data, because Apple has no access to the keys.

Thanks for pointing it out! Here is a document that describing the advantages and disadvantages of that protection. 
https://support.apple.com/en-us/108756

[pegelli]

For me the biggest issue with the Adobe subscription model is that when you stop subscribing the develop module gets disabled and you can no longer work on your photo's

So while the financial cost of buying upgrades vs. the subscription model is not very different the end play is. When you stop upgrading the program still works with all the capabilities it had when you bought the licence, when you stop subscribing all you have left is the library module with only very basic tools.

That is why I will hold off upgrading from LR 6.14 as long as I don't need it for newer cameras that require a newer version.

 

[Jeff S]

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I would not stop subscribing unless I knew of a program that had more advantages.  Meanwhile, the current LR Classic is far, far more capable than LR6. Prints using new and improved controls and features are demonstrably better. New gear profiles are merely a bonus.
 

Jeff

[Pyrogallol]

I am still using Photoshop 7 on my old Windows XP machines, not connected to the internet.

[Overgaard]

4 hours ago, pegelli said:

For me the biggest issue with the Adobe subscription model is that when you stop subscribing the develop module gets disabled and you can no longer work on your photo's

So while the financial cost of buying upgrades vs. the subscription model is not very different the end play is. When you stop upgrading the program still works with all the capabilities it had when you bought the licence, when you stop subscribing all you have left is the library module with only very basic tools.

That is why I will hold off upgrading from LR 6.14 as long as I don't need it for newer cameras that require a newer version.

 

The philosophy of mine is to use LR, Capture One or other to edit the photos, then export the final images in hires JPG (and TIFF if you like) and then pack down the raw files to an archive. Like we used to put negatives in an envelope in the old days. And now, hard to find a darkroom. But then you can use a scanner.

Same with Lightroom, Capture One. We are 'lucky' they both support Process 1 (from 2009) and all the way up to present time, but if they change platform, go bankrupt, merge with somebody, that will end. And then the file shouldn't be in a software, but in your archive with final edits done and ready to use. 

If you use Lightroom Classic, go to Lightroom Classic > Catalog Settings > Metadata > and turn on "Automatically write changes into XMP". This will write changes in editing, keywords, etc into the sidecar of the DNG file. Meaning that if your catalog crashes, or LR stops working/existing, you can open the files in Photoshop and see the changes. This as well won't last forever, but it's better than having no data in the file.

 

 

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Edited September 6, 2024 by Overgaard

[Overgaard]

On 8/31/2024 at 8:33 AM, Bobonli said:

Bumping this up because:

1. I have come the unfortunate discovery that the LR app on my computer is no long updatable without paying into the subscription service, though somehow the app on my tablet still has basic functionality.

2. Recently saw the Northrop's video calling out Adobe on privacy and pricing issues.

So maybe it's time to split and try another piece of software for cataloging and basic editing. Who can summarize, please, pro & cons of switching to Capture One, which I understand has a one-time purchase option and not plagued with the company vacuuming up content.

 

 

[Split from Processing best practices" thread AB]

Yes, one option is to jump onto the subscription (which is a great deal for Adobe whose stock goes up) but not so fun for us who have to subscribe. Unfortunately it's so great business model that others follow and it becomes the standard. 

However, I have the Photo subscription (PS/Lightrroom) but moved mainly to Capture One Pro a few years ago to be 'independent' of software. Importing photos into an event folder, finishing them and exporting them out of the software. And my goal was and is to be able to use any software to do so, not having any unfinished photos in a software, having all my edited pictures in a format like JPG ready for use (and TIFF for in-house printing).

This way I can use Lightroom, Capture One Pro, Phocus, etc for as long as I like to use them, then change to another one. The downside being the learning courve to get into a new tool. 

 

[pegelli]

14 minutes ago, Overgaard said:

If you use Lightroom Classic, go to Lightroom Classic > Catalog Settings > Metadata > and turn on "Automatically write changes into XMP". This will write changes in editing, keywords, etc into the sidecar of the DNG file. Meaning that if your catalog crashes, or LR stops working/existing, you can open the files in Photoshop and see the changes. This as well won't last forever, but it's better than having no data in the file.

Thanks, this is indeed my setting for years. But I like your suggestion of having finished jpg's and tiff's and not depend on raws + sidecars in a software program, that will indeed be the best insurance against any software mishaps. It will only take more disk space, but that's easy to manage. As long as I'm using 6.14 I feel relatively secure but when I'm forced into subscription this might indeed become my strategy.

[Overgaard]

On 9/1/2024 at 2:57 PM, SrMi said:

I do not think that Adobe's CEO would like to be arrested next time he visits France.

Yes, president Tony Marx of New York Public Library and others can't visit France before they have made sure they don't have any unwanted books or documents in their vault. 

Also Director Michelle Light of Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is in danger. They have so many documents, and there are always someone who think they should burn some of it. I changes over the years. It looks amazingly pretty, but many controversies are hidden therein.

I'm pulling your leg, @SrMi 😄. No need to take side of Adobe or anyone else who wants to be police. There is always someone who wants to police something, and it seems to be up-trending. If you have no talents, you can always find some 'cause' to stand for that will make you right and other's wrong. 

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Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

 

[SrMi]

23 minutes ago, Overgaard said:

Yes, president Tony Marx of New York Public Library and others can't visit France before they have made sure they don't have any unwanted books or documents in their vault. 

Also Director Michelle Light of Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is in danger. They have so many documents, and there are always someone who think they should burn some of it. I changes over the years. It looks amazingly pretty, but many controversies are hidden therein.

I'm pulling your leg, @SrMi 😄. No need to take side of Adobe or anyone else who wants to be police. There is always someone who wants to police something, and it seems to be up-trending. If you have no talents, you can always find some 'cause' to stand for that will make you right and other's wrong. 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

 

Tim Koogle, former CEO of Yahoo, avoided flying to or over France in the early 2000s, as it could have resulted in his arrest.

[Anbaric]

On 9/3/2024 at 3:13 PM, roydonian said:

Having learned and used CS6 back in the days when I was gainfully employed, I've been looking for a copy of the Windows version of CS6 for some time, but price being asked on the internet suggests that there are folks prepared to pay premium prices for this final non-subscription version. (For some reason, the price being asked for CS6 Extreme is fairly modest, but I'm not sure why this should be.)  When Adobe finally takes down the CS6 activation server, the bottom will presumably drop out of this particular market.

I note jaapv's point that Photoshop has been widely pirated - perhaps not surprising given its pricetag. Half of all users may be an underestimate. I remember during a photo outing a few years back hearing several younger members of the group discussing ways of bypassing Photoshop activation.

I see there are people on ebay still selling boxed copies of CS4, up to the Production Premium suite for $480. As far as I know, these are completely worthless as the activation servers have already been taken down and an activation-free installer was never provided by Adobe. Even buying CS6 at this point would be pretty risky. To do it properly, the buyer and the seller would have to register the licence transfer with Adobe (they have a form for this) and the buyer would have to be sure that there are no existing activations (including 'zombie' activations on dead hardware) because Adobe now refuses to reset activation counts. The only remaining way to reduce the activation count is to deactivate a working installation, which is of course impossible if your hardware dies, so even if you are able to install a purchased copy now, you may lose it in the future. I've also seen reports of Adobe revoking the keys of apparently legitimate users, a decision that cannot be appealed, short of legal action. And then of course there is the looming prospect of complete shutdown of the activation servers.

Neither online activation nor the subscription system have really stopped the pirates, though they may have reduced casual piracy - both systems have reportedly been cracked. As usual, it's the legitimate paying customers who follow the rules who are being punished.