Rapid U-turn: Adobe reverses announced end of Animate after criticism
On Monday, Adobe announced its intention to discontinue Animate in March. Following criticism, a U-turn occurred, but the tool will not be further developed.
(Image: chrisdorney / Shutterstock.com)
After an outcry from users, Adobe has at least partially reversed its announced end of the animation tool Animate. The US software group had only announced on Monday that the tool would no longer be available for new customers starting next month: Depending on the subscription, users were still supposed to be able to access it, download content, and receive support for one or three years. Now, instead, it is stated that there is no longer a shutdown date. However, Animate will not be further developed; only security vulnerabilities and errors will be fixed in a maintenance mode. Access to the tool will also not be blocked for new customers.
Quickly backtracked
On Reddit, an Adobe employee has now explained that the discontinuation of Animate announced by email did not comply with its guidelines. When Adobe discontinues the further development of a software, it is actually removed from its portfolio, as was initially announced for Animate. However, what is to be explained as an error in email communication had already found its way onto Adobe's website, including an FAQ about the announced end of Animate. Adobe now wants nothing more to do with this, and the company also explains on social networks that the original announcement was incorrect. However, it at least appears that the loud protests against the plan forced a change, of course.
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Animate has a long history; the software is the further development of Flash Professional and is therefore now 30 years old. The program can be used to create and animate vector graphics, and the results can be published on various platforms. The criticism of the originally announced discontinuation clearly shows that the software is still used by many. Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005, thereby acquiring Flash Professional; ten years later, the tool was renamed. The company has been under enormous pressure on the stock market for months, due to fears that many will forgo its tools in favor of AI tools. Against this backdrop, the criticism was possibly taken particularly seriously.
(mho)
