Buying Software Online

I just bought the Adobe Production Premium Creative Suite (taking advantage of the 50% offer that ended yesterday!) and they gave me the option to download it, or get it delivered for $5.99 more. I chose the $5.99 physical disc option for a number of reasons:

  • I could wait the week they predicted it would take to deliver.
  • I still find the idea of having something physical somehow comforting.
  • I wasn't sure how much space I needed to be able to install it, and didn't want to be juggling things while in the middle of a download.
  • It predicted that the download would take 9 hours.

That last one was a killer, but it wasn't the only factor.

I've already bought software through Apple's Mac App store (and iOS apps through iTunes) so it's not like I'm entirely new to buying software online. However, the idea of downloading the whole suite just seemed like a potential for a nightmare. Couple that with the fact that it was unclear how the download worked; did it come as one big chunk or separate parts? could I download it again later if I had a problem or wanted to reinstall it? It wasn't immediately obvious how Adobe's system worked or what the answer was, and being in the middle of completing the transaction I took the easy way out.

Had it allowed me to download the individual parts as, and when, I wanted to - rather than download and install the whole thing at once - I think I would have gone for the download option. And the funny thing is, for all I know, Adobe might allow this; but it wasn't clear from the choices they gave me, how that all worked. So I wimped out.


Soon, we won't even have the option of getting physical dics. I might have to frame those discs, or store them away to show the grandchildren. I just hope my broadband speed has improved by then...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t...
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some...
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera ...
Read more