Mac OS X update could deliver fatal blow to Photoshop CS3

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 03 June 2008 09:55

Business IT - Technology

One workaround is to save Photoshop files to a local disk, and then transfer them to a server volume if required. Any subsequent editing should only be done after copying the file back to local storage, or by using Save As to make a local copy of the altered file. We have seen a suggestion that Save As will work correctly to a networked volume.

According to user reports, the problem is widespread but not universal. Some people say they are able to successfully save Photoshop files to the server, while others report a similar problem that predates Mac OS X 10.5.3 and that affects a wider range of applications including Adobe InDesign and Acrobat, and Microsoft Word 2004.

Some commentators suggest the underlying problem is that the applications concerned make certain assumptions about storage latency, and that networked storage can fail to meet the threshold. We have yet to see anyone explain exactly why a fresh group of users should be affected following the installation of Mac OS X 10.5.3 when they were previously able to save to a network volume.

At this stage it is not clear whether a fix will come from Apple or the applications vendors, or even if a simple fix is possible. There have been some suggestions that the issue is deep seated and would require extensive rewriting of the affected applications.