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by hdjjhhvvhga 1092 days ago
It will take these customers some time to understand that their deeper problem is not the lack of support for XMP but decades-long vendor lock-in they voluntarily entered into. Only with this understanding they can realize it's worth the effort.
2 comments
nullindividual 1092 days ago
There was no real competition to the Adobe suite for decades. Pros didn't have a real choice.

The same pros didn't have a choice between Mac OS and Windows NT. The lack of accurate color calibration kept them on Mac OS, even with it's significantly inferior kernel process, and memory management.

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dataflow 1092 days ago
The existing files they have are still going to be there regardless of how much "understanding" they do.
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pessimizer 1092 days ago
Sunk costs.
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dataflow 1092 days ago
No, being unable to utilize your old files is an ongoing cost, not just a sunk cost.
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hdjjhhvvhga 1092 days ago
Let's reformulate the problem: what is a more responsible approach regarding old graphics files that have value for you: to keep them in a proprietary format that can be used only with a tool you will have to pay for until the end of your life and can lose access to at any moment[0] because it's controlled by a third party, or rather store them in a format that is open or can be opened by software you actually own and which cannot be shut down by someone else?

Yes, I know we had little choice back then. But we are in a better position now.

[0] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49973337

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dataflow 1092 days ago
> and can lose access to at any moment

The risk detailed in the link you posted is regarding online storage. Notice it's talking about downloading files stored with Adobe. That's a very real risk, and I never advocated storing stuff online.

However, if Adobe really canceled everyone's subscriptions tomorrow, people would immediately mess with Photoshop enough to at least export their files to some other formats, if not outright keep using it. There isn't a genuine risk of "can lose access to at any moment" here.

However, I'll also note that the risk profiles are obviously different for different situations. An individual photographer that takes pictures of their family or nature is not going to be in the same boat as the employees of some company. Heck, if I was working for some big corporation that dealt with RAW files, I would probably immediately migrate to an open format for files moving forward. That doesn't imply the same thing makes sense for every individual. Same goes for corporate vs. individual backup schemes/security defenses/etc.

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