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Re:Figma Alternatives by silent_cal on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:45AM (#32865972)
This is insane in my opinion. People are acting like Figma is now "unclean" for being associated with Adobe.
Re:Figma Alternatives by dual_dingo on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:52AM (#32866046)
Adobe has a long, well documented history of screwing their users, e.g. with their switch to this stupid Creative Cloud bullshit.

It's just natural and common sense to look for alternatives if you rely on Figma and don't trust them to be a viable product in the hands of Adobe.

Re:Figma Alternatives by panzagl on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:06AM (#32866199)
So Adobe screwed their users by making them switch to a subscription model like Figma has used from day one?
Re:Figma Alternatives by the_mar on Friday September 16, 2022 @11:41AM (#32867635)
What? Figma is free for personal use.

I have no problem paying a subscription fee for a corporate account. Having to fork over $100 a month to adobe for personal use is ridiculous. Problem with adobe there was never a free tier

Re:Figma Alternatives by panzagl on Friday September 16, 2022 @11:54AM (#32867895)
If you're not the customer you're the product. Figma just cashed you out.
Re:Figma Alternatives by LoganDark on Saturday September 17, 2022 @12:34AM (#32874786)
This argument doesn't always work. Big tech like Google will definitely harvest my data and do actually-nefarious things with it that actually affect me, since I use their services, but what is Figma going to do? Sell my data to advertisers? Advertisers already know about me, but they can't reach me anyway, so that data is useless to them except in aggregation.

I'm a product to a lot of companies but not all of them are worth being concerned about.

Re:Figma Alternatives by the_mar on Friday September 16, 2022 @11:55AM (#32867920)
Ok cool. Still better than forking over 100s of dollars a month for CC
Re:Figma Alternatives by TylerE on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:05PM (#32868101)
If you're paying hundreds, you're getting ripped off. The full CC suite is $55/month
Re:Figma Alternatives by skyyler on Friday September 16, 2022 @02:36PM (#32870268)
But that's not the point.

The point is that we dislike Adobe and we don't want to deal with them in any context.

Re:Figma Alternatives by TylerE on Saturday September 17, 2022 @01:48AM (#32875098)
So feels not reals?
Re:Figma Alternatives by the_mar on Saturday September 17, 2022 @02:25PM (#32879926)
No the point is that adobe has shitty business practices and their software is also bloated and crappy and has done fuck all to make my life as a designer easier in the past decade.

The fact that overwhelming amount of designers switched over to figma in the past few years, proves that how people feel about adobe is very real.

Personally I am never thrilled to switch software and endure initial period of relearning how to do my job in a new tool unless there are measurable advantages.

I ve used adobe products since the age of 12 and not having to install their crappy software on any computer since 2019 has been liberating af

Re:Figma Alternatives by skyyler on Monday September 19, 2022 @12:05PM (#32900174)
If you want to frame it that way.

We have learned experience being hurt by Adobe. Ignoring that would be silly.

Re:Figma Alternatives by psweber on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:30AM (#32866504)
Until you need a team, Figma is free.
Re:Figma Alternatives by jillesvangurp on Friday September 16, 2022 @11:30AM (#32867439)
For now.
Re:Figma Alternatives by behnamoh on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:34AM (#32866552)
This is HN, where developers diss companies’ decisions while they would do the same. It’s actually kinda hypocritical tbh.
Re:Figma Alternatives by aikinai on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:39PM (#32868676)
It’s not hypocritical. Most of the comments I saw in the initial thread clearly supported both angles. “Wow that sucks, but huge congrats to the team!”

Looks to me like most people acknowledge that it’s great and natural for the company but just feel distraught by the implication for users.

Re:Figma Alternatives by marban on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:55AM (#32866086)
Adobe changed/is going to change a lot for the better under Scott Belsky.
Re:Figma Alternatives by psygn89 on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:04AM (#32866177)
Any supporting articles that would ease minds?
Re:Figma Alternatives by marban on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:53AM (#32866064)
Typical HN — Anything that goes under the umbrella of big corp gets thrown under the bus, while everyone dreams of selling out one day.
Re:Figma Alternatives by chenmike on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:08AM (#32866209)
I haven’t seen anyone saying the founders shouldn’t have done this or that they wouldn’t have done the same in their shoes. I’m allowed to be happy for the founders and also hate Adobe and worry about the future of a product I use at the same time
Re:Figma Alternatives by parasubvert on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:18AM (#32866328)
Yes of course, but that’s very different from “I am so traumatized that I’m giving up design as a professional interest” which I’ve seen in a few comments and tweets.
Re:Figma Alternatives by edgyquant on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:19PM (#32868336)
I don’t understand why people pretend a few radical/obscure internet comments is proof of a belief system.

No one is traumatized by this and no one is giving up their profession.

Re:Figma Alternatives by parasubvert on Saturday September 17, 2022 @12:47AM (#32874834)
Pretend?

Like read the threads dude, some people are seriously upset to the point of questioning their careers. Believe what you want of course. From the reactions I see on my own corporate slack whenever there are big changes announced, sensitivity and poor coping skills are in abundance.

Re:Figma Alternatives by scarface74 on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:31AM (#32866516)
Re:Figma Alternatives by bin_bash on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:31AM (#32866513)
It may be the case that some individuals on HN dream of selling out but I'm not convinced those are the same individuals that have an issue with products being purchased by big tech.

Is there a logical fallacy for this? I see it a lot online and it drives me nuts. Just because you can point out that the general viewpoint of a group might be hypocritical, that doesn't mean the individuals themselves are necessarily hypocritical.

(personally I have no opinion on figma/adobe, but this class of comment drives me nuts)

Re:Figma Alternatives by jlokier on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:39PM (#32868661)
> Is there a logical fallacy for this?

I call it the "fallacy of the crowd" and I agree it is very common.

I first noticed it enough to give it a name (and then see it everywhere!) about 12 years ago.

Not just online, and it's not always talking about a negative, i.e. apparent hypocrisy or contradiction. It is also used to talk about apparent consequence or implication.

E.g. political campaign speeches often use it. "They" this so "they" that; "they" this and then "they" that; "they" say this yet "they" do that: Different subsets of people referred to by "they" in the same sentence or train of thought.

It's a great rhetorical trick for persuading large numbers of people of something rousing yet wrong.

Re:Figma Alternatives by parasubvert on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:59AM (#32866121)
The classic HN crowd is the one that dreams of building and IPO’ing or selling.

The balance seems to be the “government should own/regulate all businesses I need or hate” crowd. Which feels like younger folks that haven’t thought through that endgame.

Re:Figma Alternatives by strangeattractr on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:03AM (#32866165)
This is true, but in this case it's somewhat warranted. Part of what I like about Figma is that it's browser based and pretty simple. This is in stark contrast to Adobe's products. I really hope this isn't absorbed into some bloated CC subscription package.

The reason this anti-corporate stuff appears is because the point of sale is also the best moment Figma competitors who no doubt lurk on here have to throw their name out there and convert users.

Re:Figma Alternatives by resonious on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:13AM (#32866281)
Right. Reminds me of a Dan Luu tweet where he mentioned people who used to be idealogically opposed to Amazon eventually joining Amazon with a nice cushy salary.
Re:Figma Alternatives by pjmlp on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:54AM (#32866864)
Since I am a bit older, I came to realize this is no different from the hippie movement in the 70's, whose plenty of people ended up joining Wall Street during the 1980's.
Re:Figma Alternatives by behnamoh on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:39AM (#32866614)
Agreed. Remember HN’s reaction to “I don’t care about cookies” extension being bought by Avast? or BitWarden’s sale and the many alternatives that people started sharing on HN? These kinda of reactions by HN are actually hypocritical tbh.
Re:Figma Alternatives by exodust on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:40PM (#32868698)
> Remember HN’s reaction

Who is HN? Is you HN?

Did you add your thoughts about Avast and the acquisition of the browser extension?

If you found a common opinion on that topic, perhaps it's because data harvesting and selling user data is a common pattern associated with similar acquisitions. It's not like people latch onto gloomy conspiracies pulled from the nearest echo chamber, repeating them in unison, swaying to the beat of an HN drum. Is that what you're suggesting?

Re:Figma Alternatives by behnamoh on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:48PM (#32868794)
I'm only part of HN. No I did not write about Avast takeover of the extension; I simply deleted the extension on my own machine.

At the end of the day, "data harvesting and selling user data" is done by programmers. I find it unacceptable that some do it and then come to HN to complain about other people's work.

Re:Figma Alternatives by exodust on Saturday September 17, 2022 @03:46AM (#32875576)
You're making a huge assumption and generalization that "developers do it, then complain about it". What evidence do you have for this? Sounds to me like you're making things up, then broadly accusing people of those things you made up.
Re:Figma Alternatives by mixmastamyk on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:30PM (#32868509)
It’s almost like there’s more than one person on this site, with differing opinions. :-D
Re:Figma Alternatives by mszcz on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:43AM (#32866672)
As an argument for what you're saying can you please offer some examples of small software companies / products that flourished under big corp umbrellas?
Re:Figma Alternatives by bin_bash on Friday September 16, 2022 @12:19PM (#32868332)
YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, GitHub, Pixar, NeXT, Siri, Android
Re:Figma Alternatives by mszcz on Friday September 16, 2022 @03:01PM (#32870567)
Thanks!
Re:Figma Alternatives by parasubvert on Friday September 16, 2022 @09:54AM (#32866067)
It is a bit extreme. However they have a history of jacking up prices, bundling things that independent users don’t want bundled, and slowing improvements.

That said, changing doesn’t really make much sense at the moment, it does make sense to think through the point you will change.

Re:Figma Alternatives by scarface74 on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:33AM (#32866545)
Opposite anecdote. I used CoolEdit before it was acquired by Adobe and became Adobe Audition. It’s a much better product now and is not bundled with anything else.
Re:Figma Alternatives by depingus on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:33AM (#32866540)
Changing may not make sense, but those getting started might want to plant roots elsewhere.
Re:Figma Alternatives by 9935c101ab17a66 on Friday September 16, 2022 @06:13PM (#32872683)
On more than one occasion, I’ve had Adobe customer service reps outright lie in attempts to convince me not to cancel creative cloud.

For example, I wanted to cancel my CC subscription, and when I contacted their terrible chat support (fuck Adobe for not letting me cancel it on my own? and they offered me two months free. I said no. They upped it to four months free, and I specially asked if I could cancel after the four free months if I wanted. The Adobe customer service person said “of course, no proven”. Four months later, I try to cancel and guess what? They are saying I agreed to a yearly subscription and I have eight months left. I explain that I specifically asked about that four months ago, and ask him to consult the conversation logs. They insist they don’t keep logs and there is nothing they can do. After some back and forth, the rep SENDS ME a excerpt that supports their argument (the excerpt was taken out of context and was meaningless on its own of course).

I immediately pointed out that they had just confirmed the chat log of the previous conversation did exist, that they were lying, and I wanted to speak to a supervisor. The service person quickly agreed to cancel my sub without penalty, said their supervisor wasn’t available and disconnected.

Single-handedly one of the most under-handed CS experiences I’ve ever had, and I’ve come across countless other stories similar to my own. Adobe is scum.

Re:Figma Alternatives by kmos17 on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:09AM (#32866235)
Adobe has a long history of increased prices with stagnating products, the entire creative suite subscription pricing model is just so user hostile. I am not necessarily against subscriptions, but the complexity of the packages and dark patterns of hiding cancelation fees on monthly plans and offering reductions when someone tries to cancel is just a bad experience. For the vast majority of users core products like photoshop or lightroom have not really added any major new feature justifying ongoing subscription pricing being the only option.
Re:Figma Alternatives by yamtaddle on Friday September 16, 2022 @01:31PM (#32869367)
Looking around for a life raft is just common sense when a big tech company acquires a product you use. Even if you don't necessarily jump on it immediately. Odds are pretty good it will one or more of: 1) Stagnate, 2) Be closed down, 3) Become much worse.
Re:Figma Alternatives by moomoo11 on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:04AM (#32866178)
Not at all. Maybe if adobe didn’t have such a terrible reputation it would be different.
Re:Figma Alternatives by vagrantJin on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:53AM (#32866842)
If MBAs really are for the intelligent, they'd leave Figma well alone and maybe put an Adobe logo somewhere and keep the team doing as they did, making money and keeping customers genuinely happy.

...But I have a better chance of finding the 'z' in 'Susan'

Re:Figma Alternatives by klabb3 on Friday September 16, 2022 @04:47PM (#32871819)
You don't pay $20B for a $400M revenue product with 1200 employees to pay if you're planning to keep things as they are. Best case scenario is that they accept that figma is superior and let Xd die instead. That said, they'll definitely change pricing and spend eng resources on integrations with their other crap. Oh, and you'll need an Adobe account for sure.
Re:Figma Alternatives by insane_dreamer on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:06AM (#32866189)
Creative Cloud -- need I say more?
Re:Figma Alternatives by silent_cal on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:19AM (#32866344)
The only thing wrong with Creative Cloud is the cancellation fees. Other than that it's an awesome software bundle, and the pricing is really fair for what it is, I think. For example, Adobe After Effects is so powerful that just learning it well can be the start of a career.
Re:Figma Alternatives by insane_dreamer on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:45AM (#32866719)
The individual Adobe products themselves are quite good; it's CC and all the processes it insists on running that you can't get rid of that I don't like.
Re:Figma Alternatives by the_mar on Friday September 16, 2022 @11:44AM (#32867696)
For real. Although I do remember how much i hated that “flip horizontally” meant exactly the opposite thing in Ps and Ai
Re:Figma Alternatives by shabbatt on Friday September 16, 2022 @10:49AM (#32866786)
I believe this attitude is local to HN. I don't see employers ditching Figma, they are locked in.