Just a few weeks after I ranted and raved (well, not really, but that sounded good) about overpriced software, two of the biggest offenders have become ONE! My feeling is that this does not bode well for any but the most die-hard, well-established longtime users, who also happen to be earning good money for their expertise with the products affected.
For others, especially casual users who happen to appreciate the power of these programs, hang it up, unless you want to sell your big-screen tv or save for a few months and try to skate on those auto insurance premiums to free up the cash (Don't try it, it ain't worth it).
Both Adobe and Macromedia have always made nice products, but they intentionally overpriced them, then made them counter-intuitive so that you'd have to take an expensive course to learn to get at their full power. Generally, no one could justify this kind of expense but those who are making a (very nice) living doing what these programs are designed for.
While both companies make nice programs, their pricing, high as it is, was at least checked somewhat by their competition with each other. Now, that barrier is gone, and what's to stop pricing from spiraling upward? When the dust clears, I think we'll see more powerful apps, as the similar products will synergize from their best features, but I think the end result will be pricing that is actually even more out of proportion to the actual value of the software.
GoLive and Dreamweaver users, for example, might be happy with the merging of great features, but the prohibitive pricing will just be borne with an uneasy grin. After all, what will these people do? Are they going to bite that bullet, or are they going to switch products? And if they switch, what will they switch to? NetObjects Fusion? Great product, but hardly comparable. FrontPage? Get real! No, I suspect they'll just grumble a bit, line these combined pockets and try to pretend they don't hear Adobe laughing all the way to the bank.