NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Adobe's Massive and Bizarre Free Software Giveaway! (Or Not ...)
Adobe's Massive and Bizarre Free Software Giveaway! (Or Not ...) http://j.mp/UH8xIJ (This message on Google+) Adobe has long been known for higher-end software applications for both Windows and Mac systems. They're usually excellent, though pricey and typically encumbered with complicated DRM anti-piracy protections that can make migrating to new hardware (or even changed hardware configurations) a considerable hassle. So eyebrows have been raised by the appearance of an official Adobe page offering both downloads of virtually all of their CS2-level product packages -- including originally very expensive packages like Photoshop, Premiere, Creative Suite, and many more -- but also standalone installation serial numbers for all of these packages, including both Windows and Mac versions. CS2 dates from around 2005 (Adobe is currently at CS6) but as the registered owner of several Adobe products from the CS2 era and a bit before, I can attest to the fact that these are still excellent packages that will usually run fine in recent OS versions such as Windows 7. And since the versions placed for download on the mysterious Adobe page appear not to include the usual onerous DRM/activation functions, they are even easier to install. Why has Adobe done this? An early comment attributed to Adobe was that this was for previous buyers of the products who might need to activate after Adobe retired their CS2 activation servers -- but why include the entire downloads as well, completely accessible? Another theory is that this is a rather brilliant plan to get folks hooked on these older packages, so that they'll want to buy the newer versions. I don't know the answer at this point. But I do know that at least at the moment I'm typing this, the page is still accessible, the downloads are available, and reportedly the serial numbers and installations all work. The page is at: http://j.mp/VCX7RT (Adobe) --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info - Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com _______________________________________________ nnsquad mailing list http://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad