My college will not support CS5.5, yet I can no longer buy CS5... I am FURIOUS!

Question

Adobe, you've screwed me Big Time, you greedy bastards!
I bought the Master Collection CS4 (windows) last summer, in preparation for a two-year college course. My school had versions 4 AND 5 (Mac), so other than the InDesign backward-incompatability bug, this worked reasonably well for the first year. Then, without warning (to students), the school was suddenly unable to purchase any more copies of CS5. During this past summer, the school had wiped all CS4 off of every last computer in its three labs. Now that the new school year has started, I have to buy CS5 so that my home studio is at least compatible with the school, but NO, I'm forced to buy CS5.5. The school recommends against it, and my department head warns me that I'll have problems that he won't be able to help me with, if I do buy it.
So what the hell am I supposed to do?! A year of doing all of my homework AT SCHOOL - while my perfectly decent CS4 Master Collection sits unused at home - simply isn't acceptable. Buying a copy of CS5 off of Amazon - at a minimum of 50% more $ than I'd pay at school - isn't acceptable, either. Adobe, you've lost a customer, and gained a verrrry vocal adversary. Hello, open source alternatives! Long may they flourish!!!

Answer 1

(1)     This is a User to User forum. It does not provide feedback to Adobe management but rather serves as a means for users of Adobe products to assist each other. You are not directly communicating with Adobe decision makers, but rather, yelling at other end users of Adobe products.
(2)     From what you describe, it would appear your real beef should be with your school in terms of what versions of software it has installed on its systems and what software it “wiped” from its systems, neither of which are controlled or influenced at all by Adobe but rather, by whoever manages your school's labs. Your school was not “suddenly” unable to purchase more copies of CS5. Assuming that your school is purchasing software as part of a volume license agreement, they still can get licenses for CS5 (although they cannot buy “shrinkwrap” retail copies of CS5.
(3)     You don't indicate which CS programs your department head thinks you would have problems with if you obtain and use CS5.5. Even for InDesign, you can save back to CS5 by exporting IDML without any real problems unless you use features in CS5.5 that aren't in CS5. For that matter, even if you use CS4 at home, CS5 at school certainly can open CS4 files without any problem and you can export IDML (from InDesign) for compatibility back home.
Bottom line is that you are not as “screwed” as you make yourself out to be. And in terms of any blame (if that's what turns you on), I suggest that you have a good heart-to-heart discussion with your school's lab manager, department head, etc. about what appears to be poor planning on their part. I honestly don't understand why you are so mad at Adobe.
          - Dov