Enshittification: Difference between revisions

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'''[[Adobe]]:'''

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*Forced shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.

Beginning in 2013 with Creative Cloud, Adobe eliminated the option to purchase perpetual licenses for core products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere. Users must now maintain an ongoing subscription to access the software at all. Cancelling payments disables applications regardless of prior investment, dramatically increasing long-term costs and removing user ownership in favor of recurring subscriptions.

*Loss of access to files after subscription ends.

Many Adobe file formats (PSD, AI, INDD, AE project files) are proprietary and poorly supported by third-party software. When a subscription ends, users become unable to open, export, or meaningfully edit their own historical work, effectively holding user-created content hostage to enforce continued payment.

*Mandatory Creative Cloud account and DRM for offline tools.

Applications that run locally require frequent online authentication through the Creative Cloud desktop app. Forced sign-ins, background services, and periodic license checks can disable software unexpectedly, undermining reliability and making professional tools dependent on Adobe’s servers.

*Dark patterns in subscription cancellation and pricing.

Adobe’s subscription plans use confusing billing structures (such as “annual plans billed monthly”) that impose early termination fees. Cancellation flows are deliberately complex, with obscured options and repeated retention prompts, resulting in users paying longer than intended or being penalized for leaving.

'''[[Microsoft Windows]]:'''

@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 '''[[Adobe]]:'''
-...
+*Forced shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.
+Beginning in 2013 with Creative Cloud, Adobe eliminated the option to purchase perpetual licenses for core products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere. Users must now maintain an ongoing subscription to access the software at all. Cancelling payments disables applications regardless of prior investment, dramatically increasing long-term costs and removing user ownership in favor of recurring subscriptions.
+*Loss of access to files after subscription ends.
+Many Adobe file formats (PSD, AI, INDD, AE project files) are proprietary and poorly supported by third-party software. When a subscription ends, users become unable to open, export, or meaningfully edit their own historical work, effectively holding user-created content hostage to enforce continued payment.
+*Mandatory Creative Cloud account and DRM for offline tools.
+Applications that run locally require frequent online authentication through the Creative Cloud desktop app. Forced sign-ins, background services, and periodic license checks can disable software unexpectedly, undermining reliability and making professional tools dependent on Adobe’s servers.
+*Dark patterns in subscription cancellation and pricing.
+Adobe’s subscription plans use confusing billing structures (such as “annual plans billed monthly”) that impose early termination fees. Cancellation flows are deliberately complex, with obscured options and repeated retention prompts, resulting in users paying longer than intended or being penalized for leaving.
 '''[[Microsoft Windows]]:'''