InDesign 5.5 does not meet system requirements

Question

Hello,
Currently I have a much older version of Adobe creative suite, CS3. But I am currently attempting to install CS5.5 Master Collection onto my MacBook OSX 10.6.8. As I get to the Install options, I choose Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign 5.5 as those are the programs I use most. However, though both Photoshop and Illustrator meet my system requirements, InDesign 5.5 does not. I have no idea why InDesign does not meet my requirements. And I would like to wait before installing the programs on my computer as InDesign is the program I use most for my work.
I would just like to know why InDesign is not compatiable with my current computer and to see if there is a possibility to resolve this issue.
Please let me know if I should be more specific with my questions.
Thank you,
Peter S. Yang

Answer 1

Peter S. Yang wrote:
Hello,
Currently I have a much older version of Adobe creative suite, CS3. But I am currently attempting to install CS5.5 Master Collection onto my MacBook OSX 10.6.8. As I get to the Install options, I choose Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign 5.5 as those are the programs I use most. However, though both Photoshop and Illustrator meet my system requirements, InDesign 5.5 does not. I have no idea why InDesign does not meet my requirements. And I would like to wait before installing the programs on my computer as InDesign is the program I use most for my work.
I would just like to know why InDesign is not compatiable with my current computer and to see if there is a possibility to resolve this issue.
Please let me know if I should be more specific with my questions.
Thank you,
Peter S. Yang
Hi, Peter Y.: (FYI, "Peter" seems to be among the most popular names on this forum.)
Please note that Adobe's method of numbering ID releases is confusing in any language. "CS 5.5 Master Collection" is the full and correct collection name, but it's also the full and correct release name of the ID component it contains, as in "InDesign CS5.5," whether referring to the ID component that is integrated into the 5.5 Creative Suite, or to the single ID CS 5.5 product bought outside any Creative Suite collection.
On Mac, the About InDesign menu item under the InDesign menu will show a different number, just to make things crazy. ID CS 5 in the About panel is "Version 5." ID CS 5.5 in the About panel is "Version 5.5." In the early days before suites, ID 1.0 was version 1. When suites came in, for whatever reason, the new numbering convention came with it. It's absolutely guaranteed to baffle folks in the same way that, in Paris, "the left bank" of the Seine doesn't relate to which direction you're facing - it's always the south bank.
As Peter S. says, newer installing a newer InDesign release won't damage an installed older release. However, just to be super-cautious, keep in mind that installing a component from within a collection that has the same number as an existing installation of the same product that wasn't part of a collection may cause problems. For example, if ID CS5.5 was purchased as a single product and installed on a computer, installing ID CS5.5 from a collection may cause damage; perhaps someone on the forum knows if a warning message would appear in a case like this.
Also, it's well known that installing an older version when a newer version is already installed, can cause problems. For example, if ID CS5.5 is installed, installing ID CS5, ID CS4, ID CS3, etc., will cause problems. The issue is that some newer-version files reside in the same location as same-named older-version files, and installing older versions overwrites the newer files; the installers don't catch this problem, and so there's no warning message.
HTH
Regards,
Peter Gold
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