Photoshop moves to the cloud

[Greg Beetham]

Btw speaking interfaces, does anyone know why if I open a pdf now suddenly all the fonts in the open file have turned to doggie-doo, something like vga 640x480 on a 24” screen would look (the fonts of the Reader program itself are ok) it’s only happened since I have had Win 7, I didn’t have problems in Vista at all.
And yes I heard that Win 8 is designed for tablets, maybe Microsoft think that is the future and PC’s are a thing of the past, or maybe the Penguin is taking over PC’s, whatever, it’s all very weird.
Greg
Ps yes Mark I didn’t consider ownership, good point, I guess I didn’t give it a thought because I wouldn’t get involved with uploading anything of mine to the cloud as I don’t move around with a tablet or notebook thingy, so the whole cloud thing is a waste of time for people who only have a fixed PC at home, as far as I’m concerned it is anyway.
But Microsoft thinks everyone is mobile now it seems, racing hither and yon, texting while driving etc. and if that’s what is normal now I think I’ll pass.
Greg
PS I was slightly bored with the Fuhrer the first time after the first few minutes actually...clever I guess, but that's about it for me I think. I think it's because the guy himself was a boring twit.

[mvanrheenen]

Of course, the word is that Microsoft will be coming out with Win8.1 (or whatever name they decide on) and it will probably have things restored for people who want it.

Actually, it will not. The start button will return, but the only thing it will do is return the user to the start screen. Also, it will be a feature that will be turned off by default.

I for one support this decision made by Microsoft. Windows 8 has been build from the start to support multiple platforms (pc, tablets etc) with one and the same OS. A start button on a touchscreen is just silly so they left it out replaced it with a sensible interface: the start screen.

It's the same endless discussion all over again. We had it when Windows XP SP1 was launched (remember the sudden firewall?), when Vista was launched and introduced the Aero theme and now with this.

Come to think of it, It resembles the camera market in many ways

Mark

[mvanrheenen]

Ps yes Mark I didn’t consider ownership, good point, I guess I didn’t give it a thought because I wouldn’t get involved with uploading anything of mine to the cloud as I don’t move around with a tablet or notebook thingy, so the whole cloud thing is a waste of time for people who only have a fixed PC at home, as far as I’m concerned it is anyway.
But Microsoft thinks everyone is mobile now it seems, racing hither and yon, texting while driving etc. and if that’s what is normal now I think I’ll pass.
Greg

Actually Greg, Microsoft is one of the last big companies in Silicon Valley who enter the cloud hype. Google and Apple beat them to it.

I don't agree with you on the benefits of cloudtech for home users. I use a multitude of services, even with all my previous concerns about ownership for back-up of important data, accessing information around multiple platforms, collaboration, interaction and communication. I now am certain that in the event of an issue with my system or worse: with me, I or my family have access to everything I/they need.

[Greg Beetham]

Ok it suits you Mark and it might suit a lot of people who are ‘connected’ but I don’t have multiple devices to connect to the cloud I just have a PC with a cable ADSL router and my mobile is an old model that doesn’t do all the latest stuff, I’ve asked the mobile people that when they can supply me a mobile phone at normal prices that remains being a phone no matter where I am I’ll take one.
So the cloud is of no benefit to me that I can see, I have no idea how many others there are like me.
The thing with Oz and Wi-Fi is it (requires a separate account here) works ok while you are in a city or large town but there are huge distances of ‘nothing’ in between towns where such things cease to work, well ok along a major highway they might work here and there but you wouldn’t need to go far off the beaten path before you are cut off, I dare say in Europe it wouldn’t matter where you went you could still remain connected.
And what about security? If personal data is uploaded is it secure, really secure? We have seen lots of cases where systems have been hacked and information compromised that was supposed to be secure.
Greg

[mvanrheenen]

And what about security? If personal data is uploaded is it secure, really secure? We have seen lots of cases where systems have been hacked and information compromised that was supposed to be secure.
Greg

Agreed. I use Evernote as a knowledgebase and that was hacked a few months ago. But because all my data and passwords are stored encrypted (and I use ridiculously long passwords of random generated characters), my data wasn't compromised. My e-mail and back-ups are stored with Microsoft. If one company can handle lots of data in a secure environment, it's them. I'm not that worried, I've things thought through pretty good. Not perfect, just good enough.

If you think about it and read the agreements before actually making a choice about these services and how you use them, your privacy is pretty safe up to a point (read: totally outrageous laws in the US ).

Mark

[bakubo]

Actually, it will not. The start button will return, but the only thing it will do is return the user to the start screen. Also, it will be a feature that will be turned off by default.

I have read lots of recent reports on Win8.1, but they all say that Microsoft has not said exactly what they will be doing about that. Where did you get this info?

I for one support this decision made by Microsoft. Windows 8 has been build from the start to support multiple platforms (pc, tablets etc) with one and the same OS. A start button on a touchscreen is just silly so they left it out replaced it with a sensible interface: the start screen.

For last 10 minutes I have touched my Win8 laptop screen all over and nothing happens except that it shakes everytime I touch it, my hand has to often leave the keyboard or mouse, and now there are fingerprints all over it. Please explain how I get this damn touchscreen to work!

[NevHi]

Adobe Creative Cloud: Lopsided Legal Agreement

http://j.mp/15wXE1a (Diglloyd)

"OK, so you raise your risk of identity theft as per Adobe's date of
birth requirement Well, lying about the date is the best approach
except that it is a violation of the license agreement section 7.1 to
do so ("account info will always be complete and accurate"). Hence
Adobe can terminate your service if you lie about your date of birth
(see section 6.5c on non-refundable fees). So let's look at the nasty
thing that is the Adobe Cloud license agreement, something that even
an experienced attorney would need no small amount of time to ponder."

[mvanrheenen]

I have read lots of recent reports on Win8.1, but they all say that Microsoft has not said exactly what they will be doing about that. Where did you get this info?

From the head of the Windows division at Microsoft Julie Larson-Green (Source).

Mark

[bakubo]

Thanks for the info. I am still trying to figure out how going from a multiple programs running in different windows system to a one program at a time that take up the whole screen system makes a lot of sense for desktop and laptop users. The new Win8 interface runs an app in full screen mode and you can't change that, as far as I know. Want to have a window with a news article in one window while writing an email in another window while referring to the news article? Must go to the old desktop mode. I think the desktop mode and the desktop programs are what Microsoft wants to kill and replace with the new simple minded app mode where you use a 27" monitor on a powerful computer the same as a 3.5" smartphone -- one program at a time and you can only see that one program.

I am still trying to figure out how to get Win8 and the touch screen to work on my laptop. They designed Win8 to use a touchscreen and then put it on lots of computer that don't have touchscreens.

From December I have used Win8 as it came on the computer, but I almost never get out of the desktop. The apps are mostly ridiculous and I have yet to find one that actually seems to work right. The ones I have tried have been buggy as all get out.

Win8 is trying to have a smartphone interface across the line (desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones), but that is just clumsy and, IMO, ridiculous. It is often a big mistake to try to have a common interface for very different devices. You end up compromising the interface too much and end up with the least common denominator. There is a reason that view cameras and 35mm p&s cameras had different interfaces. There is a reason bicycles and 18-wheeler trucks have different interfaces. There is a reason flip-flops and hiking boots have different interfaces.

This is not to say that the old Windows interface couldn't be changed and improved. Just that for desktops and laptops it doesn't make sense to me to reduce them to just what a small smartphone can do.

[Dusty]

Henry, stop making sense. You're talking about Microsoft, the company that gave us ME and Vista. They're just back to their "Every other version is a lemon" routine!

Dusty

[Birma]

My experience of trying to use Win 8 on a tablet pretty much ties in with Henry's findings on a laptop, with the added complication of when you fall in to the desktop version the windows icons are way to small for grown-up fingers to prod on a tablet. I think there is a way to run multiple apps at once on the screen in the tablet i/f although I can't remember how to do this and I haven't got one to hand. It probably requires some combination of swiping for which you need a touch screen . I seem to remember that this multiple frames/windows running different apps was lauded as one of the big advantages over iOS.

[Dusty]

Back to Photoshop - Take a look at the following for some of the problems with Adobe's lopsided legal agreement:
http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2013/20130508_1a-Adobe-legal-agreement.html

This is a real problem I have with "the cloud". They dictate terms, and change them at any time, and since they hold your information hostage, you either acquiesce, or you lose everything.

You even have to agree that you can't use your own countries legal systems, only those bought and paid for by Adobe.

Dusty

[NevHi]

Even more on this fascinating topic!

Adobe price hike: Your money or your files, frappuccino sippers
We count the costs of signing up to a cloudy Creative Suite
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/13 ... d_pricing/
By Tim Worstall • Posted in Cloud, 13th May 2013 10:39 GMT
Analysis So, Adobe: can it justify shifting its Creative Suite to a contentious new licensing model?

Some say it is making life more difficult and expensive for those users who'd prefer to simply purchase the software outright, while others say it's just a decent business trying to do right by everybody....

[Dusty]

Yes, it's a problem for anyone who usually buys a version and doesn't upgrade until there are compelling reasons, or can't justify the $$ output, but it's also a problem for those who may not have access to the 'net at all times. Or perhaps they use the 'net for surfing only, via tablet over the cell phone system, and has no connection for their PC. There are still rural areas (and plenty of areas in un-developed countries) that have no 'net.

Not to mention that should you be short on cash, and have to decide whether to eat of play with Photoshop, you lose the ability to open old files. Can you then re-start the subscription, and get access to those files again? Of do you have to "come current" and pay all the back subscription fees? What if you only subscribe for a year, switch to another software, and then decide you really need Photoshop? Maybe I can subscribe for a short period when I need it, and get it again when I need it for another project? (Doubtful). These are all questions that need to be answered.

Also, can we load the subscription on the server and use it through a thin client, such as Terminal Services? IF so, at least for a small office, we could just schedule use of it, and maybe save buying multiple copies.

The biggest problem, of course, is that they have you over a barrel when you're on a subscription model, and if they greatly raise the price, or modify their TOS to say that they get free use of your photos as co-copyright owners, what can you do?

This needs to be addressed, and I'm sure it will be, in court. IBM got broken up because they didn''t sell their equipment, they only leased it. That was deemed an illegal monopoly, even though there were competitors. Maybe a judge will look at this and say, no, if they stop paying, they don't get updates, but you can't shut off their existing copies.

Dusty

[bakubo]

Adobe publicly confirms stand-alone future for Lightroom

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/05/15/adobe-lightroom-5-beta-google-hangout

Adobe Product Manager Tom Hogarty stressed that Adobe has, 'no plans to make Lightroom subscription-only at any point in the future.' The statement, made in light of the overwhelming response to Adobe's Creative Cloud announcement last week, was made during a Google+ Hangout today in which both Hogarty and Lightroom PM Sharad Mangalick responded to audience questions.

LR was my big concern since I have already spent a year importing 56k photos, adding keywords, star ratings, and thousands of them also have been edited in LR using the non-destructive editor. All that info is in the LR catalog which is useless if LR is disabled because you no longer have the subscription service or don't have internet for an extended period or some other reason. The statement by Adobe, of course, is not ironclad that they will never change LR to the subscription (rental) model, but it is pretty good. I understand that no company or person would leave themselves no wiggle room at all since things change, but I am reasonably satisfied that at least for a long time LR will be okay. I was starting to think I might not upgrade to LR 5 and should once again start investigating alternatives. For now though I feel somewhat relieved.

Personally the change in PS doesn't affect me. I have PSE 9, PS CS2, PSP X, and PWP 3.5. Later versions of PSE for the foreseeable future will probably not be the subscription model either so, if necessary, I can get them. I don't need anything in PS that isn't in LR + PSE so I am okay.