There are a million and one negative threads about the new CC stuff. But I wanted to start a thread with a different tone.
I realize that the majority of those in the forum probably see the CC change as a negative one. And in complete honesty, I understand their reasons, and even AGREE with them. The lack of an exit strategy from the cloud is a problem, though Adobe does say they are working on a solution. The place I work has no plans on upgrading to CC, though it's only maybe 10 users that are affected.
But on a personal level, the CC option is a huge blessing to me. Though I do work in an environment where software is provided for me(we're currently on CS 5.5), with a new baby on the way and daycare costs taking up half my salary, I am ramping up my freelance business again as sometime in the next year, I'll probably become a stay at home dad.
I've never been able to afford the Adobe suites outright. My wife and I do have a certain amount of personal money set aside each month to spend, but it's very difficult to come up with enough to purchase the suites.
So when I saw that I could get everything for $30 a month for the first year(I do have a CS3 or above product registered), I was very happy. As somebody trying to get my freelance business running full speed again, this is a perfect opportunity for me to get into the Adobe software outside of my place of employment. And if things go well, the $50 a month after that won't be a problem. If I'm not making enough to afford $50 a month, then I'm probably not running the best business and probably won't be needing the tools for long.
So this arrangement works perfectly for me. I do web design AND video/motion graphics editing, so having everything at my disposal is ideal.
So in the sea of negativity that exists here in the forums(and not for bad reasons), I just wanted to say that I'm happy with this. Adobe have provided a way for me, who doesn't have a ton of money flowing in, to get into the great tools I already know and love. And in my view, at least temporarily, if I'm finding success, the continued fee is more than justifiable. So I want to say thank you to Adobe for providing this opportunity.
Now, if I can please ask that this thread doesn't turn into yet another one of the already extensive number of threads bashing CC, and hopefully others who are thankful for this plan can chime in. Maybe nobody will, but I'm sure there are others out there. I just don't want this to degenerate into the same thing you can read in every other topic. Yes, I know that when I want to get off "the cloud", there are things to consider. I'm aware, and I accept that. Let's leave it at that.
Thanks!
Brent