Freehand Users / Adobe

Question

Yes. Freehand remains far better than Illustrator. We have
been using Freehand for the last 12 years here at Electronic
Theatre Controls, Inc. I am a Product Graphic Designer and need the
features and power that FHMX provides. We use Illustrator basically
to export .dxf. files. I think if Adobe had a Graphic Designer who
worked in Macromedia Freehand and then started using Adobe
Illustrator that Adobe would finally "get it" I think they would
just take FHMX and write Illustrator on the box. Designers do not
like the cumbersome slow interface of Illustrator.
I can run rings around Illustrator users with FHMX. While
your figuring out how to stop the guides from moving or trying to
set up a custom page size, my work will be on its way to be made
into a finished product.
The name - Freehand does not accurately describe what this
program does.
It's simply the best Vector Graphics program for doing
professional design work. I work with Engineers who use Solidworks
and AutoCAD. With Freehand, Acrobat Professional and Photoshop, I
am able to do award winning design work.
Can we ask Adobe to continue to support and expand Freehand?
Or can we ask them to put all of the great features Freehand
has into Illustrator?
I think new designers are just given Illustrator and think
that's the only program they have to choose from.
Adobe, please consider that the professional users of
Freehand will continue to use it anyway. Why not please your
customers?
Thank you,
John Masino
ETC Product Graphic Designer

Answer 1

First off, nice blog site you have. Very informative on the
Adobe-Freehand issue over the last few years.
Secondly, I was more frustrated by the interview than I was
appeased. Corporate Adobe seems more at fault than Terry Hemphill,
who I felt was only toe-ing that corporate line. Comments like
these don't help me feel confident when I am looking at keeping my
FH workflow:
— "Adobe will continue to evaluate the demand for
FreeHand before bringing the product to end-of-life. It's not our
intention to force people into another solution."
— "Freehand is not going to be revived; time to move
on, really. The Illustrator team is making a determined effort to
bring the best of FreeHand into Illustrator, which should be
evident from some of the new features in CS4."
— "Official line -- we don't comment on future
development plans."
— "Illustrator's integration with other Adobe tools and
presence as the industry standard application for designing vector
content."
— "Special upgrade pricing for owners of FreeHand who
want to move to Illustrator, and we're updating the FreeHand
migration guide for CS4, which should be available for download on
line early next year."
From the interview, I see AI now has Multiple Artboards
(nice) and working on Clipping Masks in this latest AI version, but
like FH Addict says, CS6 may be the earliest I ever upgrade. You
have a ways to go yet.
(Message to AI team, get the simplicity of FH tools and
workflow, not the bloat I see. Make a REAL effort to create the FH
workspace within AI. Keep it a separate interface from your
Illustrator Users if you want, but show me the familiar interface
and tools when Freehand was your competitor.)