[DominikR]

I just don't get such people, how can someone be so persistently annoying instead of just downloading the damn software somewhere else?

Or maybe connecting an external DVD drive/using Apple Software to connect to some DVD drive over network.

Instead this guy wastes his time calling hotlines and writing a pointless blog post - I guess that's what it means to be more productive on a Mac. (Of course, there are people that don't know how to solve such an issue, but this person is probably not one of them)

[dperfect]

FWIW, I purchased the same CS5 Master Suite with a student/teacher license and opted originally not to receive a copy on optical media (IIRC, it was a bit cheaper that way). At the time, there was no indication that in 4 years, obtaining the software online from Adobe would be an issue.

Obtaining the software from other sources is obviously an option, but not one that should be required, especially for someone trying to "play by the rules."

EDIT: While I agree that digital-only distribution carries inherent risks to the buyer (and the buyer should normally maintain thier own backup of installation files), I think most people consider that risk to be associated with things like the publisher going out of business or some other major calamity. In this case, it sounds like Adobe is willfully removing these download options (I'm sure the file didn't disappear from Adobe's servers without someone in management deliberately making a decision to remove it) with the intent to encourage people to upgrade.

[crististm]

The starting point is where you say to yourself to do it "the right way". It turns out that you had a blind spot and your solution was far from being right or optimal. Time for a reality check.

In this case "pirating" was a viable solution but the quest for a binary changed into one about "rightfulness". Reality check: "what are you trying to achieve?".

[DominikR]

Of course I agree that it would be better for customers to have the binary available on Adobes servers.

What is annoying to me is that this is so obvious and trivial to everybody here on HN, yet this developer feels it is important to declare to the world that he is going to pirate Adobe software from now on because of his "shocking" experience with Adobes customer support.

In the end it might even be that the software was always available on Adobes website, but some frontend developer made a mistake, or that the support guy didn't know better and gave him bad advise.

And then there's this line:

> I was greeted by Adobe’s “International” support team, based out of India where they can pay pennies on the dollar for you to get support in broken english. It’s almost as good as real english… almost.

My blood starts to boil when I read something like that, even though I agree that it can be hard to communicate with someone that doesn't speak your language well.

[steele]

I agree on the last point, this complaint is so casual and frequently expressed. What is the issue? That they are paid less and the service would be better otherwise? The adobe CEO is Indian too. Fact is that when I work with international teams, the English of Indian team members have been a breath of fresh air compared to ESL European counterparts. This call center first world problem trope is tired. Would love to see folks deal with call center operators from areas of the UK with more abstract manifestations of English.

[dkuntz2]

The guy's not a developer...

[res0nat0r]

The "right way" to reinstall DVD/CD based software to your Mac without a drive is to buy a SuperDrive or use the remote DVD/CD option that OSX provides.

[__david__]

The remote DVD/CD option is a great idea, but it sadly doesn't support Linux, last time I looked. I'm got a mac laptop and linux desktop, so I'm SOL as far as the remote CD thing goes. :-(

[ericcumbee]

Yeah but would that have made a good blog post for HN?

[res0nat0r]

Nope it wouldn't....Spending a couple hours calling support and writing a blog post to whine vs. doing the obvious solution helps make Adobe look evil, since they charge so much for Photoshop and all...

[lstamour]

Pirating is always an option. But why did you pay for it if it's the only answer?

[crististm]

In this case it was not pirating but "pirating" because Adobe did not have the binary that he already payed for. It is not the only answer but it is an appropriate one for the situation.

[macspoofing]

>I just don't get such people, how can someone be so persistently annoying instead of just downloading the damn software somewhere else

From where? Torrents? And risk malware and viruses?