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Software

Adobe dropping PowerPC support in future Creative Suite releases

By Jim DalrympleAugust 12, 2009, 1:56 pm PT

Adobe said on Wednesday that it will drop support for Apple’s older PowerPC architecture in favor of the new Intel-based Macs in the next major version of Creative Suite.

cs4 Adobe dropping PowerPC support in future Creative Suite releasesAdobe’s decision shouldn’t be a big surprise, Apple is also dropping support for the architecture in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It doesn’t make sense for Adobe to be expected to develop for a platform that is already years out of production.

Of course, existing versions of Creative Suite will continue to support PowerPC machines, as well as Intel Macs, but they will be the last to do so.

Adobe said in a note on its Web site that the majority of PowerPC users have already transitioned to more current configurations, which prompted it to suspend support for the platform. Besides critical issues that arise no further development will be done for PowerPC, the company said.

Adobe’s current Creative Suite includes InDesign, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Acrobat 9 Pro, Flash Professional, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Contribute, After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, Adobe OnLocation, Encore, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Device Central, Dynamic Link and Version Cue.



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Discussion 12 comments so far

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  1. Posted by Daniel Swanson August 12, 2009, 2:27 pm

    Sounds good!

    Here’s to leaner, meaner apps which run blazingly fast and take good advantage of multi-core and graphics processors.

    I’d LOVE to have 32 GB of RAM on a new Pro and be able to leave a half-dozen Adobe apps running most of the time.

  2. Posted by Jim Dalrymple August 12, 2009, 2:34 pm

    I thought the same thing. Leaner and meaner.

  3. Posted by Perry Clease August 12, 2009, 2:58 pm

    Well that only makes sense. However, I hope that future versions of Creative Suite apps for the Mac are more Mac like and less like a port from Windows.

  4. Posted by Jim Dalrymple August 12, 2009, 4:20 pm

    Losing the PowerPC code would certainly allow them more room and time to switch things up. Maybe include more hooks to the built-in technologies in OS X.

    • Posted by zwei August 12, 2009, 6:46 pm

      Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it. All I used to do was bitch about Quark. Now that they are out of the way I’m starting to find a lot of crap I don’t like about Adobe. Besides the horrible installers and mess of Adobe folders that litter your hard drive, they have started a trend towards making the products more Windows-like (as Perry stated above). Single window interface can lick my crack.

      If they would use Apple APIs to make the product faster/more stable I would LOVE it. Bring on the Core Image goodness, OpenCL, and Grand Central. PRETTY PLEASE!

      • Posted by Daniel Swanson August 12, 2009, 8:30 pm

        Hey you and Perry need to shove your noses into preferences in inDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and learn a thing or two. Your horrible “single window interface” can be turned off permanently with a click on the “Open windows as tabs” checkbox for each app.

        Spend a little more time learning the programs and a little less time bitching. Might make more money that way, too.

        • Posted by zwei August 12, 2009, 9:07 pm

          Yeah, I know, I have turned off the single window / tab interface elements.

          Dude, overall I really like InDesign, but I’m not about to give Adobe any slack now that Quark is fading away.

  5. Posted by Perry Clease August 12, 2009, 7:44 pm

    “All I used to do was bitch about Quark. Now that they are out of the way I’m starting to find a lot of crap I don’t like about Adobe”

    How about special and alternate characters in PhotoShop?

    I don’t think that it would take much to make Pages an InDesign killer. Apple might be keeping it dumbed down to keep Adobe supporting the Mac. Also has have any of you messed with Instant Alpha and Extract Shape in Preview?

    • Posted by Daniel Swanson August 12, 2009, 8:37 pm

      “I don’t think that it would take much to make Pages an InDesign killer. Apple might be keeping it dumbed down to keep Adobe supporting the Mac.”

      What a ridiculous statement!

      If you had any sense or experience at all with either program you’d realize that they’ll never be in the same league with each other. Each has its advantages for its particular market.

      If you had any knowledge of the histories of the respective companies you’d realize that there’d be no way that Apple would have the means or the wherewithal to unseat inDesign with Pages–even if it had the desire, which it doesn’t.

      • Posted by Perry Clease August 12, 2009, 8:46 pm

        Good grief Daniel! Did I say it was a killer? I said it could be and yes I know and use the CS apps. InDesign unseated Quark, don’t think that it couldn’t happen to Adobe.

  6. Posted by Jim August 12, 2009, 8:36 pm

    Without going into detail, I can tell you that Adobe is working on new installers for their apps. It’s one of the things they heard from users LOUD & CLEAR. Now what that translates to is anyone’s guess.

  7. Posted by Adobe posts Creative Suite 4 FAQ for Mac OS X Snow Leopard | The Loop August 26, 2009, 9:55 am

    [...] has already said it is dropping PowerPC support in future versions of the operating system, focusing instead on the newer [...]

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