It's been months since I've been to the FH forum and coming here today, I'm
actually stunned by the amount of response to this Upgrade discussion. Users
from all over the world are chiming in. Very gratifying to see the loyalty.

I have CS3 and have read through instructions with intent to learn AI, but
unfortunately I am too way habitual with Freehand actions, it's ease of vector
work, and multi-page presentation. To have an app work, I need to acquire
patterns and familiarity of use and this isn't easily happening because with
AI, I'm having to unlearn in order to relearn.

With the speed I can work in FH in my work environment, AI's present purpose
is to open docs that FH doesn't and convert to a format that FH will edit.
Basically, AI CS3 is a glorified plug-in for me.

I know AI has potential; I enjoyed the exchanges between Jack and JET and
there are good points to both. But the truth is, the two apps approach workflow
differently and we all know those ad nauseam. Adobe wants to reduce it down to
one approach and I can say this with all sincerity, once Adobe Freehand is no
longer available and/or no longer works on my iteration of OSX, then it will
NOT be Illustrator I migrate to but the closest cousin to Freehand that is in
the marketplace.

Adobe has my $ for Photoshop and to a lesser degree ID. But I hope they heed
this message that burying FH will not carry me into AI by default. The
independent market for vector apps is rapidly growing and evolving, and THAT is
what I'm watching closely.

I am a professional freelance illustrator/designer and have heavily relied on
Freehand since first purchasing Aldus Freehand 2 back in the mid 80s. I
continue that same use and use AI only when requested by my clients?and in
those cases I usually work in FH and then export as an AI file. I do not want
to lose Freehand and will hold on as long as possible. Freehand has been a
major factor in my very successful career and I would continue to purchase
upgrades for years to come.

Along with me are professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology and
designers at Xerox that dread the potential loss of this great program.

I shout my YES to keeping Freehand alive!

Ron B

I am a professional freelance illustrator/designer and have heavily relied on
Freehand since first purchasing Aldus Freehand 2 back in the mid 80s. I
continue that same use and use AI only when requested by my clients?and in
those cases I usually work in FH and then export as an AI file. I do not want
to lose Freehand and will hold on as long as possible. Freehand has been a
major factor in my very successful career and I would continue to purchase
upgrades for years to come.

Along with me are professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology and
designers at Xerox that dread the potential loss of this great program.

I shout my YES to keeping Freehand alive!

Ron B

I am a professional freelance illustrator/designer and have heavily relied on
Freehand since first purchasing Aldus Freehand 2 back in the mid 80s. I
continue that same use and use AI only when requested by my clients?and in
those cases I usually work in FH and then export as an AI file. I do not want
to lose Freehand and will hold on as long as possible. Freehand has been a
major factor in my very successful career and I would continue to purchase
upgrades for years to come.

Along with me are professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology and
designers at Xerox that dread the potential loss of this great program.

I shout my YES to keeping Freehand alive!

Ron B

I still LOVE FreeHand and would purchase anything they offer.

I still LOVE FreeHand and would purchase anything they offer.

I still LOVE FreeHand and would purchase anything they offer.

Funny thing, as I was searching for weeks to find a vector app that allowed me
to "draw" with nice variable width customized lines AND ALSO EMPLOY a real
eraser tool, I basically gave up. Then I threw an older copy of Freehand on to
my hard drive that I never used and much to my astonishment, that program had
it all!! Are you kidd'n me?! It worked exactly the way I wanted it too!! I
don't want to use it though due to the fact I know the support is nit there and
the app is dead! What a crime!! I guess I'll force myself to learn Manga
Studio! Drats!

Count me in for an upgrade! I'll pay!

Funny thing, as I was searching for weeks to find a vector app that allowed me
to "draw" with nice variable width customized lines AND ALSO EMPLOY a real
eraser tool, I basically gave up. Then I threw an older copy of Freehand on to
my hard drive that I never used and much to my astonishment, that program had
it all!! Are you kidd'n me?! It worked exactly the way I wanted it too!! I
don't want to use it though due to the fact I know the support is nit there and
the app is dead! What a crime!! I guess I'll force myself to learn Manga
Studio! Drats!

Count me in for an upgrade! I'll pay!

Funny thing, as I was searching for weeks to find a vector app that allowed me
to "draw" with nice variable width customized lines AND ALSO EMPLOY a real
eraser tool, I basically gave up. Then I threw an older copy of Freehand on to
my hard drive that I never used and much to my astonishment, that program had
it all!! Are you kidd'n me?! It worked exactly the way I wanted it too!! I
don't want to use it though due to the fact I know the support is nit there and
the app is dead! What a crime!! I guess I'll force myself to learn Manga
Studio! Drats!

Count me in for an upgrade! I'll pay!