Do Macs have compatibility issues?

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I've been a PC user for years and the main reason I haven't switched to a Mac is that I have quite a bit of money invested in PC programs (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe In-Design, Pagemaker, etc.). But I just bought a Windows 7 machine that won't run most of my programs so I'm considering returning it and buying a Mac since I need to buy new software programs anyway. But before I do I was wondering if Mac users encounter the same compatibility issues that Windows users do - namely that newer Macs eventually won't run old software.

BTW, one of the programs I need to replace is Adobe Acrobat. Will Macs convert other files to PDF files without the need for additional software? Thanks.
 

vansmith

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Backwards compatibility, regardless of platform, will always be an issue. However, Microsoft tends to be a little more forgiving in this respect (for better or for worse). Apple, on the other hand, is quicker to shun older technology but won't do so on a whim (you'll get plenty of warning).

For the most part, OS X's built in PDF support will be sufficient for basic needs. Many applications have options available (such as Office) and those that don't can generally rely on OS X's built in support through print functionality. In other words, if an application can print, it can create a PDF.
 
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What versions of Indesign and Photoshop do you have
 
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You know, XP's over a decade old.. I'm really surprised it took this long for XP native apps to be dropped by MS. I highly doubt we'll see such a long lived binary set again in the future.

So to put this into perspective, up until recently.. you could still run apps made for the PowerPC processor on a current Mac.. 10.7 removed the support for this, several years after the demise of the processor.
 

bobtomay

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There has been not a single operating system to date that continues to support all 3rd party applications in newer versions of the operating system.

That role is up to the developer of the 3rd party app to support or not support the new version of the OS.
 

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Thanks. I was hoping for better news regarding Macs.

Eventually you need to modernize.

If you REALLY need to run older software...but at the same time you want or need to run newer OS versions...sometimes your best option is two computers.

- one older computer to run the older software
- one newer computer to run the newer OS version

Yes...you may have a lot of money invested in older software. But this is just like having a lot of money invested in an older automobile.

A person may have paid $30,000 for a 2002 automobile...but guess what that 10 year-old automobile is worth in 2012...probably about 10% of it's brand new value ($3000).

With 10 year-old software it's even worse. Software that may have cost $1000 10 years ago...is probably worth about $20 bucks now. Realistically if you tried to sell this old software...you would be lucky to find anyone willing to pay anything for it.

So...that money invested in really old software is really not a discussion point...since it's basically worth nothing. Is it nice to have?...sure. But financially speaking...it's almost worthless.

Time to upgrade!!!:)

- Nick
 
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chas_m

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I've been a PC user for years and the main reason I haven't switched to a Mac is that I have quite a bit of money invested in PC programs (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe In-Design, Pagemaker, etc.).

Adobe Photoshop and InDesign (and Pagemaker) are all native and original to the Mac platform, and were later ported to PC. Pagemaker was discontinued a VERY long time ago, you should have converted your documents to InDesign at least a decade ago.

so I'm considering returning it and buying a Mac since I need to buy new software programs anyway. But before I do I was wondering if Mac users encounter the same compatibility issues that Windows users do - namely that newer Macs eventually won't run old software.

Yes, if you don't ever upgrade software, then you will run into that problem MORE on the Mac than on Windows. Of course, most updates are free on Macs, so this isn't generally an issue except that you need to be a proactive user and stay up-to-date.

BTW, one of the programs I need to replace is Adobe Acrobat. Will Macs convert other files to PDF files without the need for additional software? Thanks.

You probably DON'T need to replace Acrobat -- Macs have most PDF functionality built right into the system. Some small percentage of users genuinely need the full functionality of Acrobat, and for those people Adobe of course makes a Mac version.
 
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If you are planning on doing a Photoshop buy..DO IT NOW. Adobe is going to a subscription only model for Photoshop and creative suite. I think PSCS6 is still available for purchase.

Also Adobe used to allow for a one time platform switch for serial numbers. Do that quickly as well if you want to be able to purchase an upgrade version of Photoshop.

On edit.

PSCS6 is no longer available fron the Adobe website. You will need tot ry and find it from a vendor. Do this quickly unless you like the idea of paying a monthly fee to rent your software.
 
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I've been a PC user for years and the main reason I haven't switched to a Mac is that I have quite a bit of money invested in PC programs (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe In-Design, Pagemaker, etc.). But I just bought a Windows 7 machine that won't run most of my programs so I'm considering returning it and buying a Mac since I need to buy new software programs anyway. But before I do I was wondering if Mac users encounter the same compatibility issues that Windows users do - namely that newer Macs eventually won't run old software.

BTW, one of the programs I need to replace is Adobe Acrobat. Will Macs convert other files to PDF files without the need for additional software? Thanks.

I too made the switch to an iMac after 35 years as a Windows/DOS user. I'm an avid user of Photoshop and found it didn't cost a penny to switch to a Mac. Just contact Adobe and ask for a cross platform swap of your Windows version. As a valuable customer they gladly gave me the full CS6.1 version for my iMac. The same thing happened to my OnOne, Topaz and NIK software plug-in software. They all gladly gave me the Mac versions for free. You'll love your Mac and never look back.
 

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