Using the text tool i created text blocks and pasted text, about 100 words and now when trying to type in there more text or make changes it takes for ever!
Im using a dual 1.8 G5, OSX 10.4.11, 3GB RAM. i think i should be encountering such issues, machine is fast enough at least for such simple tasks.
Can it be that illustrator cant handle such large texts? But then again whats the text chain feature for? Or might it be a problem regarding some illustrator setting?

On all counts you're right. Add more than a few lines of text and AI gets sluggish. Start using advanced features -- optical kerning, every line composer, optical margin alignment -- and you'll need to grab four cups of coffee between edits. It's miserable. And longstanding. They'll just tell you to use InDesign. Not a very satisfying suggestion.

The best type engine I've ever used is FreeHand's. Hear that, Wade? FreeHand!

This is supposed to be one of the bug fixes in CS4. Working with text is supposed to be much faster. Can anyone with CS4 confirm/deny?

Can anyone with CS4 confirm/deny?




And when you do, please do not overstate the improvement, as devotees are prone to do.

I recall claims also having been made at the release of CS3 that text performance had been improved. I could not see any significant improvement between CS2 and CS3 in this regard.

The current behavior slows text editing to an obvoious and ridiculous degree, and does not require large amounts of text to encounter it. The issue has plagued AI since the new so-called "text engine". Anyone who has experienced it, and who has determined it to in fact have been corrected in CS4 should not have difficulty in realistically stating whether the problem is fixed or not.

JET

Text handling is greatly improved in CS4, but it still ain't InDesign. Text handling remains my single biggest beef with Illustrator. All you have to do is work in InDesign for a few minutes to appreciate what what Illustrator should be like.

Given the type controls Illustrator does have (which are not much different from CS3), I think performance is significantly improved. But I don't tend to do text-heavy jobs in AI - I use ID.

OK Doug that's it we're taking this outside...I'll give you FreeHand alright!

Justy joking! I didn't frighten you did I?

If you had noticed from the past postings this is an issue I have had withthe Illustrator team and have constantly been reporting difficulties. Look how long it took toget the soft return to work and if one creates a text frame with columns you can not nacigate to the next column. The problems with Justified text as well.

The concept that there cannot be a shared type engine in all of the adobe applications is very strange.

You should be able to drag and drop paragraphs as point or area text from any of the apps with everything working as expected.

Any feature that cannot work in an application say as with Dreamweaver should eityher be grayewd out or offer a warning and instructions.

All settings on text should be shown in the applications effects panel and all apps should have live effects.

All text and paragraph styles should be live effects to be turned on and off at will.

No reason to ever permanently changew the default settings for text it should all be tool for repurposing your art and layout.

Even tabs.

This has to change. You can do it in Illustrator to some degree and though it is the weakest link it now has the foundation for really powerful text handling feature now that you can turn on and off effects in the appearance panel.

There is no reason any more that the paragraph character styles panels be used once a style is applied. The effects panel should take care of that task with a wink of an eye.

If you want to transform text use the effects and not the transform tool it has to go.

And everyone has to put the screws to Adobe on this. When I get back I will put in anopther more comrehensive feature request I encourage everyone to do so especially Gary and James who Adobe are more likely to listen to then perhaps me!

It would be great if we actually get5 them to change this next time out.

Thanx for the contribution guys, i feel better that im not a single case on this matter, still it bugs me that its Sooooo slow!

Well it is actually not so slow for me, it has problems buit is not so slow.

Wade what are you using so you say that its not slow?

CS 4 what are you using?