I always assumed that the choice was made due to piracy. I don't have any stats, but Photoshop had to be near the top of the most pirated software list, if not at the top.
On that side of the coin, I can't blame Adobe for going to the subscription model. On the other side, it's a real kick in the ass for casual users.
I worked in Graphic Design for 15 years, and always kept a personal copy of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I didn't upgrade every version, because right around CS2, the upgrades weren't worth it, imo. I still have a pre-subscription license that I hope keeps working, because as a person who only opens it up once a month, it's simply not worth the price for me.
>Photoshop had to be near the top of the most pirated software list //
Which has maintained its position as the de facto standard which may otherwise have leaked away if the students/early career users couldn't have used cracks.
On that side of the coin, I can't blame Adobe for going to the subscription model. On the other side, it's a real kick in the ass for casual users.
I worked in Graphic Design for 15 years, and always kept a personal copy of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I didn't upgrade every version, because right around CS2, the upgrades weren't worth it, imo. I still have a pre-subscription license that I hope keeps working, because as a person who only opens it up once a month, it's simply not worth the price for me.