CS4 is a Steaming Pile of Poo
Adobe CS4 was released with high expectations in September of 2008. Nine months later, it's adoption rate within the creative community has been abysmal ... and, there's damned good reason for it.
For starters, the cost of this monolithic software package weighs in at $2500 clams, no small investment for any small shop or independent. Simply upgrading from the CS3 to CS4 Master Suite will put a $900 dent in your already tight wallet. One thing experience teaches you about using Adobe products is that jumping on the "early adopter" bandwagon will invariably lead to fits of cursing, headaches, and, in rare instances, drooling.
Adobe, due to it's monopoly in the creative software market and its habit of releasing half-baked upgrades to all of its core applications, has managed to create a customer base of people who aren't willing to jump on the newest release, but instead prefer to "wait and see" how things go.
Who would have figured that professionals who depend on Adobe products would eventually grow tired of paying $900 to become de facto "beta testers" after each upgrade release?
This time around, their lousy quality control bit them in the ass and lots and lots of creative professionals waited to watch the forums erupt with bug reports, technical issues, and user complaints before plunking down the dough to upgrade.
A short read through the Adobe User to User Forums requires a glass of water and couple Excedrin soft gels. Swarms of bugs have been reported across every product in the Creative Suite. Very little, judging by the complaints, has been done since CS4 was released to patch the massive holes in this upgrade.
So, you may point out, how much are people exaggerating?
We recently had the opportunity to use the CS4 suite on-site with a client and our opinion is this ... CS4 is a pile of shit.
Our Advice
If you are a CS3 user, DO NOT upgrade. If you are jumping onboard with Adobe, try, try, try to find CS3, unless you really enjoy headaches.
It would require far too much time to create a list of all the bugs reported across the entirety of the CS4 Master Suite. Simply stop by the User Forums if you feel the urge to buy CS4 and cure yourself of your affliction.
