Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet)

Posted Jan 6, 2005 23:50 UTC (Thu) by allesfresser (subscriber, #216) [Link]

Some backroom pressure from Apple probably wouldn't be unheard of either... can you imagine all the graphic arts users switching to Linux? Nightmare for Mr. Jobs!

Posted Jan 7, 2005 1:45 UTC (Fri) by dhess (guest, #7827) [Link]

What happened? Probably some subtle threats from Microsoft along the lines of "Remember what happened to WordPerfect . . ." In other words, Microsoft won't tread on Adobe's turf as long as Linux is treated like the redheaded stepchild.

I remember the aborted release of PageMaker, but I don't think it follows that Microsoft had anything to do with it. This happened years ago (back in 1998 or 1999?), long before Microsoft perceived desktop GNU/Linux as a credible threat. And PageMaker doesn't really compete with any of Microsoft's offerings, anyway; it's not aimed at the same market as Word.

It is very likely that Adobe and Microsoft have some sort of behind the scenes "gentleman's agreement" which keeps Adobe from supporting Linux.

I really doubt that. I've spoken to an Adobe product manager about Adobe's interest in GNU/Linux, off the record, and what I inferred from that conversation is that Adobe is simply trying to figure out whether there will be enough (paying) customers for GNU/Linux proudcts to justify the development cost. They're genuinely interested in the GNU/Linux creative content market, at least.

And there's no love lost between Adobe and Microsoft, so I doubt they have a "gentleman's agreement" on anything, at least not on product lines.

I think the upcoming release of Acrobat 7 is a good sign. I'm pretty optimistic that we'll see the Adobe Creative Suite on GNU/Linux in the near future. Crossing my fingers, anyway... Adobe's support would "legitimize" the GNU/Linux desktop overnight.

Posted Jan 7, 2005 5:03 UTC (Fri) by jabby (subscriber, #2648) [Link]

I also remember that brief flirtation of Adobe with Linux. I also remember what followed...

Then CEO of Adobe, John Warnock, defended Microsoft in its antitrust trial. He came out as a staunch opponent of Free Software and GNU/Linux in particular. It seemed obvious at the time that Adobe would never make its applications available on a Free/Libre platform. Adobe became a member of the BSA. Their CEO hated Free Software and testified on Microsoft's behalf. They pulled their only Linux beta project.

Given this record, it doesn't seem like there would be the need for any backroom deal. The company was openly hostile toward GNU/Linux.

Fast forward to today and Warnock is no longer the CEO. He was one of the founders of the company, however, and probably doesn't want to let go completely. He is still Chairman of the Board. The new CEO is Bruce Chizen.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/56833/adobe-experimenting-wit...
http://builder-news.com.com/Adobe+dipping+toes+into+deskt...

According to these articles from last year, Adobe is indeed planning a full Linux release of Acrobat (not just Reader). Adobe has joined OSDL and is active in the desktop Linux working group. It is hiring a "director of Linux market development" and a computer scientist to "become maintainer and/or architect for one or more Adobe-sponsored open-source projects." This doesn't even sound like the same company.

Perhaps this renewed interest in Linux is a sign of Warnock's decreasing influence over his company. Perhaps Chizen sees the writing on the wall that GNU/Linux is going to be one of the top three major desktop platforms. Maybe they see The GIMP improving quickly and they're hedging their bets.

I'm not sure how seriously to take them. They're a big proprietary software company. Their motivations are certainly not derived from any sense of community. Perhaps they are simply being pragmatic. That would be a step forward from the old days of open hostility.

Jason