Happy cross-OS CS4ing?
September 16, 2009 9:14 AM Subscribe
If I have an iMac and also a laptop running Windows XP, is it possible to get a single license of Adobe CS4 Design Premium that I can legally use on both computers?
I don't believe so, even in a volume licensing situation.
At work we buy Adobe products for a lab environment and we've always had to purchase separate packages for OS X and Windows (even though our licensing software can group across platforms). Even within a bundle on the same platform you can't split it up. For example, it's not legal to buy Design Premium and install Acrobat on Windows-Machine-A and Photoshop on Windows-Machine-B.
posted by sbutler at 10:04 AM on September 16, 2009
At work we buy Adobe products for a lab environment and we've always had to purchase separate packages for OS X and Windows (even though our licensing software can group across platforms). Even within a bundle on the same platform you can't split it up. For example, it's not legal to buy Design Premium and install Acrobat on Windows-Machine-A and Photoshop on Windows-Machine-B.
posted by sbutler at 10:04 AM on September 16, 2009
Response by poster: The iMac would be running OS X, and I could install Windows on it if I needed to, but I'm not sure how CS4 would perform if I was running it via Windows on an iMac.
My understanding was that a CS4 license allowed you to run the software on a desktop and a laptop, as long as they weren't both being used at the same time. Is that not the case?
posted by oulipian at 10:09 AM on September 16, 2009
My understanding was that a CS4 license allowed you to run the software on a desktop and a laptop, as long as they weren't both being used at the same time. Is that not the case?
posted by oulipian at 10:09 AM on September 16, 2009
You can switch by getting a new serial number from Adobe. They may charge for this service. AFAIK Adobe will make you sign an affadavit saying you have destroyed the copy of software for one OS when switching to another.
posted by Gungho at 10:12 AM on September 16, 2009
posted by Gungho at 10:12 AM on September 16, 2009
Let me add that you could buy Parallels and transfer Your Windows to your Mac. Purchasing a PC version of CS4. Running Parallels is almost as good ,some even say better, than running a real PC.
posted by Gungho at 10:18 AM on September 16, 2009
posted by Gungho at 10:18 AM on September 16, 2009
Best answer: My understanding was that a CS4 license allowed you to run the software on a desktop and a laptop, as long as they weren't both being used at the same time. Is that not the case?
Yes, some Adobe licenses work like this, if you're talking about the same software, but the OSX and Windows versions are different software in Adobe's view. And technically, I suppose: they're different code that comes in different boxes with different product codes, and often at different price points... just with the same name for marketing reasons.
If you're willing to run Windows on your Mac, you can do this all within Adobe's "one desktop and one laptop" schema. Either a virtual machine or straight booted-into-Windows will work.
Performance on the Mac will be fine either way.
posted by rokusan at 10:38 AM on September 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yes, some Adobe licenses work like this, if you're talking about the same software, but the OSX and Windows versions are different software in Adobe's view. And technically, I suppose: they're different code that comes in different boxes with different product codes, and often at different price points... just with the same name for marketing reasons.
If you're willing to run Windows on your Mac, you can do this all within Adobe's "one desktop and one laptop" schema. Either a virtual machine or straight booted-into-Windows will work.
Performance on the Mac will be fine either way.
posted by rokusan at 10:38 AM on September 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by yesno at 9:51 AM on September 16, 2009