Photoshop CS6 not opening in Big Sur update for Mac

Lol, where was this thread when I was searching high and low for a 32-bit workaround after I bought a 2020 iMac, not realizing that 32-bit support had dropped under Catalina? (My bad. I was still using a 2009 and failed to appreciate how much things had changed. Everything I found/read up to this point suggested even Catalina is a no-go for CS6.) I ended up giving the 2020 to another member of my household and downgrading to a 2017 I found new in a box (by some miracle) on an auction site.

Just to clarfiy, however, by CS6 do you mean only Photoshop? Or does the workaround mentioned above work for other CS6 Creative Suite software?

I couldn't bring myself to go the virtualization route under Catalina+ using VMware Fusion or Parallels so I now run a dual-boot setup with macOS High Sierra (and CS6) and a current macOS in another APFS container. Since Apple discontinued the Intel iMacs, I don't feel so bad still being "behind" because it's unclear how many macOS updates there will be after Sonoma that run on Intel, regardless.

I thought long and hard about it and realized I really only "need" a current model for casual word processing and web browsing (newr macOS/better security) so I bought the cheapest "ARM" MacBook Air I could find for that purpose. Consequently, I am more than happy to use my "outdated" CS6 on the 5K Retina 27" desktop!

There is a lot of pressure online to get with the times. (For those who are making a full-time living using Adobe products it only makes sense.) However, for those who started off in web design, graphic art (or similar) and then changed careers/jobs and just want to retain access to former projects, do some volunteer work on the side or freelance every once in a blue moon, perpetual license products are generally adequate. (If not, just buy Photoshop Elments. It will suffice for most uses.)

In recent years the subscription model has caught on among app developers big and small, not to mention streaming services, podcasts and all the rest. At some point, everyone goes through a job transition, layoff or retirement and simply can't justify "subscription everything" forever.

No one deserves to lose access to their body of work just because they retire, get laid off, change careers, etc. IMHO, Adobe should consider having an option to convert a CC: product to a perpetual license — "frozen" at whatever version of CC they are using at that point — after a certain number of years as a subscriber as (call it a "loyalty bonus"). Alternatively, Adobe should consider expanding the Elements line, to include vector graphics (repurposing an older version of Adobe Illustrator would be ideal for this purpose).