Adobe will fix security bug in CS5.x, having originally said CS6 was the fix

It is time Adobe stopped holding loyal customers to ransom. I believe most upgrades and improvements can be supplied as plugins or service packs (this is where Microsoft scores) - good for users but not good for Adobe. I have used Adobe for over 20 years, upgrading regulary. Not any more. I am looking at other products to replace Adobe products I use. I have already gone back to QuarkXpress from InDesign. Soon I will switch away from Illustrator and Photoshop.

The CS6 trial seems to be an improvement over CS5 but I'm really not feeling the love for Adobe right now. I'm glad they are owning up to the problem and working on a fix. That is the right thing to do and it will help repair their tarnished image a bit.

If I want (and I do) to move away from Adobe's image manipulation/catalog offerings, what are my options?

For me Adobe and its arguably great products are history. If they would at least act like Microsoft when it comes to bugs in their software, I probably would feel like paying a premium price, but if Adobe has to be "forced" by their customers to fix a security-issue, it is time to leave the boat.

I can understand why a feature update should require an upgrade to a newer version of PS but not a security hole which is solely the responsibility of Adobe. Even Microsoft continues to patch XP despite not selling it commercially since Vista back in 2007 I believe. A security hole has to be patched or Adobe will have mud in their eye not that that's starting to already happen. :)

Steve Jobs. already said it some time back, Adobe had become lazy in dealing with customers needs. Thus the Flash black out from all Apple portable devices.

But I would add as some others have already stated, Adobe became greedy and trying to milk the cow for all it's worth. There is nothing left of the splendor that Adobe had a decade ago.

Adobe might be better served by imitating Apple, rather than Kodak.

CS6 is bloatware at its maximum.

In the past few years Adobe has become greedier and greedier than ever before.
This is a prime example of this.
They were shamed into this critical update by the possible loss through possible lawsuits.
They deserve being forced into this fix.

Adobe also has a bug in tiff files they refuse to fix, where it does not conform to the standards and can cause the colour space metadata to be lost. It's been reproduced for them and they blame everyone else. Quite pathetic seeing some people defending their actions or should I say inactions.

Using Adobe's logic, Photoshop CS6 is really a patch for Photoshop 1.0. That makes so much sense now.

Microsoft still provide updates for Windows XP, or our iPad 1 are still getting updates to new iOS. So, there is very little reason for Adobe not to provide a security for such an expensive software they sell.
When going from an older version to a new version, it should be about new features and functions, not patch.

You people seem to ignore a couple of things:

1. there is more than one workaround available (don't open TIF files from untrusted sources, scan TIF file with virus scanner)

2. fixing a bug in old software is more expensive by orders of magnitude than in upcoming or current software; even if the fix is a one-liner, the software has to be re-built, re-tested, re-released. Don't underestimate the effort needed for all these steps. These processes have to be re-run for the fix whereas with software currently being developed they run anyway.

That is why any software company will assess the severity of a bug. No company will fix any bug, even if it is a security issue. That's just how it is and all your rants are not going to change it.

But when will they fix the 5d3 support for Lightroom?!?! Useless.....

(I know they support the files, only they suck at converting them creating very soft, noisy files)

A quick read on software companies - Lazy, greedy management with one goal: get it out there quick, never mind the problems. When people discover problems - let customer support deal with it. Done. Move on.

It's like a protection racket. Adobe says: "Hey, psst, lots of dangerous characters out there. Nice daughter you have there. Hate to see anything happen to her. Might get your identity stolen. So just give us $500 and Reggie and Ronnie will take care of it."

Does anyone wonder anymore why some of us don't like this company and its pleistocene software?

I think it unbelievable that they even considered to only patch that in vulnerability with CS6.

USD $199.00 for an upgrade from CS5 to CS6 that really provides little is a bit pricey for me. I might as well wait for CS.X when I'll have to pay $600 for the whole thing and all the updates in-between. Then it may be worth the price. That's what I did when I had CS---wait for it to be worth-while even though I had to pay the whole CS5 package price.

well a few hundred euro for an security fix is not to much to ask, is it?

adobe as a screw loose anyway.... look at the price differnece between the USA and europe. and keep the $ exchange in mind.

and this company we shall trust with their CLOUD apps ... LOL.

It's getting a lot harder to pull one over on your customers these days.