Adobe Continues It's Decline with Photoshop CS5

"Your assumption about me is false and seems to be rooted in some kind of deficiency you choose to project on others with whom you disagree. It was also entirely unhelpful, serving only to add to the growing dissatisfaction by many Adobe customers. 

It's also an accusation (admission?) that Adobe is so sloppy that they released PSCS5 with incorrect system requirements. If you read it carefully before responding, you would see that I was using various potential examples that the masses of PSCS5 problem-laden users could relate to while trying to be fair to Adobe"

The above quote is from one of many posts in a thread on the Adobe support forums about Photoshop CS5 bugs that I—and many other users—have been essentially told "Live with it." As I explained in this article a few years back, the sign of worse to come was evident with the release of CS4.

Most of the responses are an excellent example of the a ever-growing aura of arrogance, rigidity and supremacy at Adobe.

Adobe is a huge corporation that exploded in growth with the Creative Suite (CS) marketing concept in 2001. In my opinion, this was a bad idea. It forced software engineers to come up with simultaneous upgrades (Photoshop and Illustrator) and make users fork over cash for upgrades they may not need.

I don't know what happened behind closed doors, but I'm sure it was all about increasing value for shareholders.

Then they bought Macromedia in 2005 (the creators of Flash, Shockwave and Freehand). I'm not sure what else they bought, but with over 100 software products for sale, Adobe's girth is quite sizable.

Unfortunately, the idea of being all things to all people historically leads to a critical disconnect with customers.

It's the difference between an established independent diner and a fast-food chain: They both have good customer service, but one is encumbered with robotic efficiencies, money, power and the need to serve shareholders first. One thinks the company is right; problems must be managed. The other is humble enough to admit mistakes; they put out the fire and fix the problem from the top-down quickly.

Just like Microsoft, Apple and Google, I humbly declare that bigger isn't always better. In fact, I declare that it is rarely any good at all for anyone. The attitude of supremacy and pride will only undermine Adobe. For the sake of the employees and license-holders, I hope that attitude will change.

In the very least, I hope Adobe can muster the courage to say "I'm sorry." An apology—admission of fault—can go a long way in mending strained relationships.