Tech Time ::: Adobe Creative Cloud

Photo: Adobe.com (splash page when I log in)

Unlike most in my field, and unlike my typical "must have the newest of the new" behavior, when it comes to my graphic software, I am a bit of a holdout. In most cases that works out fine for me, as I don't need the newest variants, the ones I have that are maybe a version or two behind work great for me.

However, when the company providing the industry-standard software, in this case Adobe, decides to no longer support the hard-copy variant of the software and ceases to sell the hard-copy in stores anymore, naturally one begins to panic. Should I lay out the insane amount of cash it costs and get the current version on disc before it's gone? Should I just go with the newest digital variant and get used to it now since that's the way it's going?  Can my computer even run it being not brand new? And when I get the newest variant, will I be so far behind that I face a steep learning curve (answer to that last one? Usually!)