Hi!

My first blog on RPGBomb is going to be an ANGRY rant!!

I knew it was coming, but it hadn't landed in my email yet: Adobe CS4. Yes, it's here, and it's out. Even the Master Edition seems to be available. Now, since I'm new here, no one knows that I am a Software Junky. That means I NEED the newest version of software like a heroin addict needs their next fix. So when a giant like Adobe launches closely spaced full point releases, well, I get ANGRY!!! I can't afford this crap year after year! Who can? My office sure can't!

I always associated this evil behavior with Microsoft and Autodesk. I knew Adobe was teetering on the brink for a long time, but CS2 was so solid, I thought they hadn't succumbed to the dark side. Clearly I'm wrong. What with absorbing the only true competition and integrating Flash, it's the single choice for professional graphics. I know, I love the GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus and especially Open Office, but come on, honestly, CS2 and CS3  are so powerful. And considering their capabilities, their accessible too.

Now it seems not only Adobe, but other players as well are jumping on the "full point release a year" bandwagon. The other one that's really breaking my b***s today is Nemetsheck North America's Vectorworks. Last  year around this time, they releast Vectorworks 2008. It had some bugs, like all major updates, but they got them ironed out the software has become intergrated into my workflow. Now they're about to (maybe they have, it's made me so mad, I haven't followed along!!!) release 2009, and it's supposed to again be a major upgrade.

Well! Screw all that!! Major upgrades every year? Sounds to me like the last EXPENSIVE upgrade wasn't so well done if there was that much left to do! I like Newtek's Lightwave, they're release schedule is slow, but they do tons of open beta testing and while there's a hiccup every couple full point releases, they generally make the paid upgrades extremely worthwhile. Right now, besides Open Source projects, they're the only software company not on my sh**list.

And what does this all have to do with roleplaying you ask? Well, since I'm a sick puppy, I use the same software from my day job to make maps, digital props, character illos, and god knows what else for the games I run and play. I think there is a lot of crossover with professional artists and designers into the RPG world. I know I'm a gamer because of the design element!

Well, thanks for letting me rant. If someone gives me a couple grand, I'll sure as heck run right out and download CS4. But I'll curse Adobe the whole way. Isn't that exactly how a junkie acts?

-Rogue-z

(PS: Software rants may very well be considered politics, so pull this if it needs be! I won't be offended. Honest.)

Tags: Angry Software Adobe

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