In this case it was worthwhile going to the OPs website for a more detailed understanding of where he is coming from and who he is. But I still don't get it. (And Jeff, thanks for the correct spelling of Kool-Aid along with the page link; I agree red wine makes a lot more sense and used in moderation is actually supposed to be healthy; not sure about the health attributes of Kool-Aid these days.)
Now, on his site, Earl complains about needing to be on the internet to use the applications. Earl says: "While technically, this is still correct, in actuality this is not the case."
Adobe says:
"No, the desktop applications in Creative Cloud, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, are installed directly on your computer, so you don’t need an ongoing Internet connection to use them. An Internet connection is required the first time you install and license your apps, but you can use the apps in offline mode with a valid software license. The desktop apps will attempt to validate your software licenses every 30 days. Annual members can use the apps for up to 99 days in offline mode. Month-to-month members can use the software for up to 30 days in offline mode."
I think the onus is on Earl to better explain the difference between something that is technically but not actually correct, because if he's right that they don't perform as Adobe says they do, it would mean Adobe is misleading the public and that would be somewhat serious for a number of people.
As for the computer security business, if Adobe is not lying about using these applications off line, that issue tends to melt-away. The checking-inshould be no more dangerous than anything else one may do on the internet - such as downloading software or participating in Forums. So far nothing I've seen or heard reaches the spectacular heights of 4 million personnel files being hacked from so-called secure databases of the US Government. It's important to put things in perspective and get real. We use our computers, we use all kinds of stuff on the internet, we are exposed. Full stop. We depend on the diligence of the website owners. And I believe it still makes a difference to security whether we use a Windows or an Apple OS; not that the latter is invulnerable, but the former gets 99% of the attention.