I came across a web site that listed the top 100 complaints users had against Adobe Corporation. It was quite comical. However there was good information in there. A lot of the issues impacted me in the past when I used Adobe software. I thought I would go over some of these, in an effect to make sure we do not make the same mistakes with the software on our project.One frequent complaint was the time it takes for Adobe applications to launch. Users want to quickly view a PDF file. They don’t want some updater to run first. There seems to be a bunch of unnecessary helper applications being launched in the background. They take up a lot of memory. Many people are begging for a lightweight PDF reader that is not bundled with other software.
Another common complaint is the application updates. It seems Adobe tries to get you to update their application all the time. When you choose this option, the updater takes over the whole CPU. People complain that the installer is totally bloated. And it automatically associates PDF files with their software without asking the user. The install requires the user to closer their web browser, which the users hate. It also requires a reboot which is unfortunate.
A final theme in the complaints is that the price for the software is just too high. For example, Photoshop might run around $1000. People overseas have loudly complained that Adobe does not use the correct exchange rate with foreign currency. So they get the foreign tax on their purchase.
There were a many more individual complaints. All the applications produced by Adobe do not work the same. Some require an Internet connection to run for some reason. And some hold on to memory even when the application exits. Patches to bugs are only offered in new versions. And the updater automatically steals the focus from other applications.
Many people have requested that Adobe stop adding new features, and start addressing some of the critical problems. I thought I would go over these items with respect to my own team’s project. However a lot of the complaints are loud and clear. Don’t make the same mistakes that Adobe has made. You will only end up with irate users, myself included.
