The Adobe Illustrator CC 17.1 (171) Final Multilingual Update was a net positive for global users, reducing language-related crashes and improving text rendering. However, it inadvertently harmed automation workflows reliant on legacy ASCII assumptions. Users requiring heavy scripting should remain on 17.0 or rewrite scripts using Unicode-safe methods. This update marks a turning point where Adobe prioritized human usability over machine automation—a philosophical shift that continues to shape the software today.
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