You're understating the compatibility gaps between general purpose applications like Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW. If someone is only using sign industry "CAS" software the file compatibility divide widens by a great deal more. Being able to open a certain file created in an "industry standard" graphics application with 100% accuracy is very important. It's not some artsy-fartsy indulgence of just wanting "more desirable" features in a given application. A lot of people in many areas of advertising and design use Adobe's software because there are no practical alternatives in their work flow.
No, my point was that the functional difference between the two programs is not like it was back in the late 80s, early 90s (or even throughout the 90s, hard to remember that far back). Opening up closed file formats is not the same thing. That can be an issue regardless of software, crap even Ai and Draw don't even do a good job of importing in open file formats, you expect them to handled incomplete documented closed file formats?
But keeping around a software package just to open a file format doesn't necessarily mean that it is a functionally better product (opening/importing etc is only one aspect along with other aspects).
Now, if you actually
need a specific software, fine. I would just be hesitant to think that the next person has the same exact needs.
There are some sign makers who clearly could live with Arial being the only type family in their font collection. The sign industry does not dictate standards across all the other fields of graphic design either. The thread had drifted over into a debate about what was the "industry standard." Across the entire graphics industry Adobe is doing more to live up to that than any other creative software vendor currently.
And being in the education sector is a big part of that. I can understand colleges having that as that would go into your point. HS, no, sorry, no. That's getting them while they are young(er).
My HS actually had some type of partnership with Apple. I think most of the stuff was donated (I wouldn't be surprised if software was as well, but I don't remember to that degree of detail) and they were the latest and greatest at the time. That's getting into the school system. Now do all schools get that, no. However, the more schools that they are in, the more of their potential lifetime userbase there is. I highly doubt Chromebooks are in all schools (my old HS uses traditional laptops now on what's given out to students, ironically Windows (the lab is still Apple)), but I would imagine that there are a lot more people that are used to the GSuite then Office 365, because Google probably has that sector covered far, far more.
If the schools used gimp or inkscape then y'all would be on here whining that the schools aren't teaching things that are relevant in the real world. They'd be stupid to be using anything but AI. Corel is like peachtree where adobe is quickbooks. Neither is perfect but one is the standard. I use Corel but that doesn't make me oblivious to reality.
Don't underestimate marketing. Reason why schools/governments use certain OSs versus others. Marketing and lobbying and then it's what people have been used to for years and years and once a certain age threshold is crossed, the desired to learn something totally out of box is less appealing (and there are good reasons for that). Even if they aren't the best ones out there. By the way, I think Peachtree is the standard, at least from an accountants usage (ball and chain is an accountant). I'm speculating that since Corel is supposed to be like peachtree, I was under the impression that peachtree is not supposed to be the standard.
Ironically the industry standard software in my neck of the graphics world is actually partnered up with Corel and has Corel integrated with their system (and that's also why Ai is not what is out there in that world either). That's the kind of thing that gets people using other products. That's why getting into schools does not hurt at all.
Out of people not paying for software, I have a far bigger problem with people doing paid graphic design work using pirated software. There is even a bunch of people in the sign industry doing that.
That happens in every industry, nothing new about that. That's also going to a catalyst for a bigger push to webview apps or just flat out full fledge apps that call a server for the logic (well this and the notion that we should be happy about owning nothing (although with regard to Ai and Draw never really owned it in the first place, even back in the good ole days). Most people are are already used to having to have always connected apps as it is. Not that far of a stretch to do a webview app.
Same ol'..... same ol'. Still arguing over this nonsense after 7 years.
