One of my guys has decided that he’s had enough. He’s running Linux on his Macbook now and seems relatively happy with it. His justification at least conversationally in running linux is that he wants to get more involved in the open source community. I can totally respect that.

Today we were joking around about the cost of Adobe CS2 licenses, having just upgraded myself even though I can’t use it effectively on my new machine which is completely beside the point. Someone raised the issue that we should just buy it on the academic discount but that doesn’t seem at all right considering we’re a company of professionals.

Then it occurs to me:

Why is it that someone (a student) pays less for software that they undoubtedly will be using for freelance, than someone who has complete mastery of the software in question and simply needs a duplicate copy?

It seems to me that Adobe’s recent announcement of offering web versions of their gimped product line was a huge error in the marketing department. Instead of rewarding clients that buy more volume from them; they entice new users to force-breed brand loyalty at the younger age. I end up feeling disgruntled, having used their products for years, and the newbies end up abusing the license they got a great deal on.

This doesn’t even talk to the fact that I know of several local advertising agencies that employ students for two simple reasons:

1. Academic licensing prices on software.
2. Cheap labor.

If Adobe were to simply average their licensing fees, it seems like they’d have a much more positive image in the industry. This instead of focusing on gimped versions of the product they can offer as adware online. All of which might actually culminate in someone attempting to find a more palatable hybrid of the open source vs. retail market strategy.

PERMALINK