Adobe stuff users again.

[Rhossydd]

https://www.dpreview.com/news/5993608794/adobe-creative-cloud-no-longer-offers-most-older-lightroom-and-photoshop-versions

Without any warning all the older software has been removed from Adobe's web site. If you need to re-download any software you've bought in the past you're stuffed.

Maybe if you've been careful to save and archive previous downloads it may not effect you, but if you let software update it's self that option seems to be lost now.

Adobe again proving it doesn't care about it's users.

[TonyW]

Are you sure about this?

Adobe does seem to offer a way either from items directly purchased and registered or store bought.
https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/download-install/kb/downloaded-older-app.html#Howtodownloadolderappspurchasedfromotherstores

Seems to me they actually do care to support its users by offering a lifeline to those that did not have the foresight to store a duplicate backup.

I assume as long as a user has a legal copy the website or direct contact will allow a reinstall?

[Rhossydd]

Are you sure about this?

Just try finding the instal packages for PS CS4 or PP CS5 or any of the update patches.

The update function in all of the CS products now just shows nothing available.

Adobe does seem to offer a way either from items directly purchased and registered or store bought.
https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/download-install/kb/downloaded-older-app.html#Howtodownloadolderappspurchasedfromotherstores

So we might be able to get patches if we ask for them ? Excuse me from being cynical, but I'll be surprised if I get anything other than a 'no longer supported' reply.

[TonyW]

Just try finding the instal packages for PS CS4 or PP CS5 or any of the update patches.

The update function in all of the CS products now just shows nothing available.

They are not available as a direct download any longer..  There may be a variety of valid reasons why Adobe has taken this route.  But Adobe seem to be offering a way for legitimate user

So we might be able to get patches if we ask for them ? Excuse me from being cynical, but I'll be surprised if I get anything other than a 'no longer supported' reply.

Then perhaps it would help us all, cynics included, if you contacted Adobe directly explaining that you have lost your application due to crash/corruption but you have proof of purchase reg. licence for PP CS5 and wish to reinstall.

Note: The OP link refers to Creative Cloud a subscription based service where it would be expected that subscribers will update - a  main reason for subscription? 
C3, CS4, And the last CS6 were a different model being part of the perpetual licence Creative suite.  I understand that Adobe have a dedicated team to deal with standalone applications and I would imagine that with proof of purchase and a valid licence you should be able to download a replacement app.

[Rhossydd]

Then perhaps it would help us all, cynics included, if you contacted Adobe directly explaining that you have lost your application due to crash/corruption but you have proof of purchase reg. licence for PP CS5 and wish to reinstall.

I'm trying that. TWO HOURS logged into their chat system so far "Sorry for the delay.  We’re busier than expected.  Thank you for your patience" still no resolution.

A month ago getting hold of a patch file would have taken two minutes.

Yes, they're stuffing us.

[TonyW]

I'm trying that. TWO HOURS logged into their chat system so far "Sorry for the delay.  We’re busier than expected.  Thank you for your patience" still no resolution.
.....

I kind of expect that sort of thing with chat systems over the weekend.  The UK telephone number for Adobe is 020 – 7365 – 0735 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm

Assuming you have actually registered your products, have you logged into your Adobe account and can you see your downloads and serial numbers?
https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/downloaded-older-app.html
If you cannot see your orders then you will need to use the contact us via the chat line or telephone.  My guess chatline is manned via USA and will not expect too much activity over the weekend and out of USA hours.

[Rhossydd]

So you think it's OK to inconvenience users like this ?

For an organisation the size of Adobe, it would have negligible cost to have kept the old files available as they were last month/year.

Nothing about this decision is in their customer's interest.

[TonyW]

No, I think it is totally unrealistic to expect software support and backup from any manufacturer after the end of its cycle.

For CS6 a product launched 9 years ago (CS4 and CS5 2 years older) with support and updates for around 9 years I think that is pretty good

Spending around £600 on a piece of software and not keeping backups including upgrade backups, and ignoring Adobe comments is folly

Note:

Important: Back up your downloaded software to offline media, such as a DVD or network drive. With a backup, you have continued access to your software if it is unavailable from Adobe.com.

It is users that have inconvenienced themselves if they cannot restore from current backup, effectively shooting oneself in the foot!

What paid software do you have that is 10 years old and still supported by the manufacturer by hosting old versions on their servers?

What financial figure did you put as ‘negligible cost” to keeping old files on servers and maintaining such including staff training for the inevitable trouble shooting investigation including licence registrations?

[Rhossydd]

No, I think it is totally unrealistic to expect software support and backup from any manufacturer after the end of its cycle.

No one I've read expects actual support or continued updates. Just continuing to make the software and it's patches available for licence holders.
Many of the patches will have been applied automatically, so archiving them would have required downloading them separately. Not something you'd bother with when you know it's all there when you need it.
At the very least if they were going to stop making these available they could have given advanced warning to allow users to grab back ups whilst they were easily available.

This is expensive software that is still productively running on huge numbers of systems.

It's just another example of Adobe not caring about their users.

[earlybird]

I am concerned about the possibility of an arbitrary decision being made to shut down the activation servers without recourse. Sort of like what happened with CS2, which was thankfully addressed by the provision of installers that do not require online activation.

In the meantime here is a link to a viable Photoshop CS6 update:

https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/thankyou.jsp?ftpID=5677&fileID=5701

[TonyW]

No one I've read expects actual support or continued updates. Just continuing to make the software and it's patches available for licence holders.
Many of the patches will have been applied automatically, so archiving them would have required downloading them separately. Not something you'd bother with when you know it's all there when you need it.
At the very least if they were going to stop making these available they could have given advanced warning to allow users to grab back ups whilst they were easily available.

This is expensive software that is still productively running on huge numbers of systems.

It's just another example of Adobe not caring about their users.

No one has suggested continued updates.  Software support is exactly what you appear to be asking for - software and patches hosted by the manufacturer at their cost for an indefinite period?

Even if you believed that items always available it would be foolish to rely solely on cloud or any other offline storage, so full back up is required.

Expensive software, agreed. Running  on a huge number of machines, possibly.  Well past its sell by date as it has had no major updates for some time.  And the introduction of the new subscription model 5 years ago. All of these a huge warning bell to alert users to validate their backups to make sure all up to date!

[Rhossydd]

In the meantime here is a link to a viable Photoshop CS6 update:

https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/thankyou.jsp?ftpID=5677&fileID=5701

Thanks for that. You can't seem to navigate to that page from the main Adobe pages.
There must be similar pages for the other CS products that remain hidden.

[Rhossydd]

Well past its sell by date as it has had no major updates for some time.

PS CS4 didn't need any updates. It was good software and still is.
I didn't upgrade to CS5 or CS6 because it was worse software for me.

Why be such an apologist for Adobe ? they have quite a track record for annoying their customers.

[TonyW]

PS CS4 didn't need any updates. It was good software and still is.
I didn't upgrade to CS5 or CS6 because it was worse software for me.

Why be such an apologist for Adobe ? they have quite a track record for annoying their customers.

It could be argued that no version of PS needed updates and yet there have been many very useful improvements for some of us up to and beyond CS6, including updates to camera raw.

Why be such a moaner about a company whose products you do not seem to care about?  It does seem that you want to hold them to blame for your lack of foresight in backing up your software

[Rhossydd]

Why be such a moaner about a company whose products you do not seem to care about?  It does seem that you want to hold them to blame for your lack of foresight in backing up your software

I complain because I DO care.

I've still got all of the installation disks and many of the updates, but not all because, naively possibly, I never thought Adobe would do such daft thing as preventing people from downloading them. I can get by with what I've got here, it's just not nearly so convenient as just downloading things from the Adobe site.
 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Even Cubans are not complaining that Chevrolet is not supporting their cars anymore

[smthopr]

I have been printing using Photoshop 2017 because I like to print a black border on my prints and this feature is bugged in the newer versions of Photoshop.  Adobe has known about this bug for a couple years but has done nothing to fix it yet.  It's a feature that has been in photoshop for many many years...

I am not pleased...

[TonyW]

.....
I've still got all of the installation disks and many of the updates, but not all because, naively possibly, I never thought Adobe would do such daft thing as preventing people from downloading them. I can get by with what I've got here, it's just not nearly so convenient as just downloading things from the Adobe site.

You have all the installation disks - then you are good to go at any time at least until a change of OS may stop you in your tracks

PS CS4 didn't need any updates. It was good software and still is.
I didn't upgrade to CS5 or CS6 because it was worse software for me.

How can you say that you have many of the updates and also state that PS CS4 did not need any updates?

it's just not nearly so convenient as just downloading things from the Adobe site.

Try telling that to someone who lives in an area that is not well served with internet service suffering slow speed and intermittency. Compare that to just clicking on your online application backups and installing direct, there's convenience.

You have been shown one link to CS6 so now you just need to contact Adobe and find out if your version is archived somewhere?  But why you may need this as you already have the disks is beyond me.

I will ask once again, what important software do you own that is over 10 years old and is still supported in terms of being held on the original companies server for you to download as required.

[digitaldog]

Damn, that means I can no longer download Photoshop 1.0.9? The horror, the horror....
Anyone know where I can download OS6? 

[faberryman]

Damn, that means I can no longer download Photoshop 1.0.9? The horror, the horror....
Anyone know where I can download OS6? 

Windows 2000? Wait, I kept my installation disk. Whew!