Adobe's Photoshop Architect Joins Microsoft

[mark_olwick]

Microsoft Hires Adobe Design Tool Leader

 

Mark Hamburg, a key player on Adobe Photoshop, is leaving Adobe for Microsoft.

 

The competition between Microsoft and Adobe heated up some more recently when

Microsoft scored a key hire from its competitor.

 

Mark Hamburg, who had been chief architect of Adobe Photoshop and who launched

the Adobe effort that became Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, resigned from Adobe

after 17 years and is joining Microsoft.

 

Details here: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Content-Creation/Microsoft-Hires-Adobe-

Design-Tool-Leader/

[trunfio]

I'm not worried. These development efforts are much larger than individuals. Good luck to

him at Microsoft, they need the help. I know MS is doing some cool things with imaging. See

this link, then root around there a bit:

 

http://research.microsoft.com/IVM/PhotoTours/

 

I don't know what direction Hamburg is going. But if they are working on these advanced

imaging things, it's probably interesting to him as something new.

[pmind]

Agreed Paul, that is some interesting work.

[ellis_vener_photography]

He won't be working on photo / imaging products at Microsoft. He left because he wanted

new challenges and no doubt he signed very stringent non disclosure / non-compete

agreement with Adobe. Also he also hasn't been on the active Photoshop team for a number

of years now.

 

Microsoft hired Hamburg to work on interface and user experience matters.

[marshall]

Actually, since I'm a pc user, I'm hopeful that Mark's contributions to the Microsoft UI development process will ultimately benefit us across the whole experience. Not to diminish his contributions to LR, I'm less concerned that it'll go to he[ck] without him.

[nolan_ross]

Maybe adobe can hire someone that can make a plug in for CS2 that will open RAW files from the D300.

[ellis_vener_photography]

And maybe Boeing should start adding modern avionics to the B-29.

[nolan_ross]

Interesting anaolgy. I call it poor customer support. Adobe stocks are down and the chief architect just bailed out of the adobe B29. I think poor customer/product support is the key to apathy and failure.

[sknowles]

Curious, "Maybe adobe can hire someone that can make a plug in for CS2 that will

open RAW files from the D300.", why should they if they're selling CS3 now and don't

want or need to support CS2 anymore. No one can argue backward and forward

compatibility is nice, but it doesn't drive revenues, new products do.

 

As to the subject, I agree with the idea one person doesn't make a software package,

and it fact it opens the door to others at Adobe who may be as good or better with the

software packages. Software architects are good for the initial development of the

product, but it's the team that makes it work, and once working you need people who

are better at continuity in the design. Innovation will often and usually come with new

people than existing folks.

[nolan_ross]

We shall see how they do with poor customer/product support. I don't actually have a D300 or a need for a CS2 plug-in so it's not a personal issue with me. Just an observation of poor customer support/internal strife and sagging stock values.