What is FreeHand
FreeHand is quite possibly the best vector-based graphics application ever created. Worldwide, many of the leading graphics designers, illustrators and cartographers, just to name a few vector-reliant professions, still use FreeHand. It's a remarkable fact considering that development ceased just prior to Adobe acquiring Macromedia in 2005.

What is FreeHand Forum
After Adobe bought and buried FreeHand in order to dominate the market with their own inferior Adobe Illustrator, in September of 2009 a group of FreeHand users founded the Free FreeHand organization with the mission of saving FreeHand. The organization gathered over 6500 members, ultimately filing a lawsuit against Adobe Systems Inc. after many failed attempts to influence the company's policy and desicion-making with regards to FreeHand. Following a long and challenging legal struggle, a settlement was reached early 2012.

While no stone was left unturned in the effort to bring FreeHand back into development and return it to market viability, in the end this proved to be an impossible goal because we were not able to compete against Adobes well paid lawyers. And so from the ashes, FreeHand Forum is born. With the new name come new direction and goals. We are pleased to share this new vision with all of our original members and those who have just discovered us.

Become a member
To become a member of FreeHand Forum, you need to write to us by email (we get spammed a lot). Please explain your relation with FreeHand and we open an account for you. (Click on CONTACT at the footer of this page.)

What we want
FreeHand Forum is for FreeHand users and other vector-using professionals alike, serving as a platform for ongoing discussions, input and support found on the forum. One of our goals is the realization of a FreeHand alternative application, one which will feel natural to FreeHand users. We support Quasado's project Gravit, which, still unfinished, may once be a true FreeHand alternative. Additionally we have an opportunity to give input to the Illustrator developer team. Read more about this in the forum.

Who is behind FreeHand Forum
Thü Hürlimann, former Art Director of Macworld & Computerworld Switzerland, graphics designer & multimedia artist (Ecliptic, Zugergrafik), who has worked with FreeHand since 1987 (Aldus version 1.0). Jabez Palmer of Bez Design, Seattle (founded 1997), whose first experience with MacDraw on a Macintosh Plus in 1986 made an indelible impression on his psyche. Since then his eclectic career points to variety of projects including illustration, graphic design for print, and web design & animation. Mark Gelotte is a book designer and illustrator of Gelotte Book Design. A designer since the late 1970's, he began computer arts with Aldus FreeHand 3 on up to the present FreeHand MX. As a user of Adobe products, Mark is a strong believer in healthy competition and that a variety of graphic applications are essential to the design community.

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