Hey folks, I was wondering, if an one has upgraded/purchased CS5 and what do you think is that you like the most and what do you hate. We are on CS4 - do you think, under what situations, it makes sense to upgrade to CS5. Also wondering, if anyone has used any open source alternatives and your impressions on it
I’ve used all the versions along the way and I’d agree with Alex. Unless there is a good reason (and sometimes there is), hold off on buying every single upgrade. It depends how much use each application gets too as to the value of an entire package upgrade. I use primarily PS and InDesign, with Illustrator and DW a little less. It may only be worth upgrading one application if there’s a killer new feature that will justify the expense.
I have CS3 and CS5 installed on this machine and I would rather use CS3 as it runs much quicker. If someone else is footing the bill for the upgrade insist on it (for compatibilities sake of course), but otherwise check out some of the new feature lists and see if it is really worth your hard earned cash. In another office I work at they run CS4 and honestly for the majority of my work I could happily stay with CS3.
Just followed the tip from Alex and had a look at You Tube and I have to say CS5 has some impressive new features. But wasn’t that the case with every new release? I think you should ask yourself, what can I do with CS 5 what I can’t with CS 4 any longer. I know lots of designers who are still on CS 2 or even earlier versions and believe me their work is not less than people working with CS4. I think there is a lot to consider especially with the price in mind. I think I stick around with CS4 a bit longer
To be honest, most people I know upgrade every two versions (so like 1 > 3 > 5 or 2 > 4) rather than jumping up to each edition (due to the cost).
I would check some review websites or YouTube for videos to see some of the new stuff in action. 
Well if you use a mac and have more than 6 gigs of ram I do believe you could see some performance benefits.