Adobe software now free to download for students - Diamondback Online

Adobe software now free to download for students - Diamondback Online

Students will no longer have to trek to McKeldin Library late at night to finish a Photoshop assignment, after the university and Adobe struck a deal that brings the Creative Suite 6 and other programs free of charge to the university community.

In addition to Microsoft Office â€" which students could start downloading for free in September â€" students, faculty and staff can also download Adobe-licensed products, Matlab and other programs through TERPware, the university’s new software distribution site. The software is funded collaboratively by the Division of Information Technology, various university colleges and schools, and the campus student technology fee, Phyllis Dickerson Johnson, DIT communications and marketing director, wrote in an email.

TERPware experienced more than 6,300 downloads within the first week of its launch, Johnson wrote. And though TERPware itself costs about $40,000 per year, all downloads are completely free, she said.

“It’s a really good idea, considering that so many classes require you to type things up and make PowerPoints and things like that,” said Aleesha Onta, a sophomore economics major who downloaded the Office suite. “By providing [programs] for everyone, it gives everyone an equal opportunity to succeed in their classes.”

The accessibility of the Adobe Creative Suite software has already proven beneficial for journalism students and faculty, said journalism instructor Jon Sham, as several of the college’s classes involve photo and video editing. The launch of TERPware came as several journalism faculty members began transitioning from teaching Final Cut Express, a video and audio editing program, to Adobe Premiere, Sham said.

Though the switch might be frustrating for students who have already learned how to use Final Cut Express, it is important to keep up with the latest technology, Sham said. Since the layouts of the two systems are basically the same, students should have no trouble switching programs, he said.

For Jenn Rothschild, a junior in the graphic design program, the software release wasn’t so exciting. Rothschild already had to buy programs such as Photoshop because they were required for her classes. And though she received a student discount on her purchase, the products were still expensive, she said.

“I would have considered it a lot more if I was a freshman and hadn’t gotten the software yet,” Rothschild said. “People are saying how excited they were to get the software, but none of them were design students. All of the people I know who are in the design [program] already are frustrated, saying, ‘Where was this when I needed it?’”

Frustration continued for some other students, who have reported some download and installation issues. But the number of issues reported to DIT is a small fraction of the total number of downloads, Johnson wrote.

In the fall, the university hopes to release the Creative Cloud, which would make Adobe software accessible wirelessly through the campus network, Johnson added.

Because TERPware provides free access on personal laptops to programs that normally cost thousands of dollars, the university’s agreements with Microsoft and Adobe benefit everyone, Sham said. The Adobe CS6 Master Collection, one of the downloads available on the site, normally retails at about $2,599.

“I think it’s an amazing idea,” he said. “Everyone at the journalism school and everyone on campus will benefit from it.”

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