The bottom-line recommendation is to avoid Lion for at least several months. Below are a few reasons, followed by links to some stories that will help you understand the issues.
------------------------
"Rosetta", Apple's brilliant PowerPC-emulation layer that allowed older
(non-Intel) software to run on Intel-based processors is now gone. That
means that any software that wasn't updated to run natively on Intel
processors will simply cease to function. That includes Quicken and
Microsoft Office 2004, among many others.
You can see which of your installed applications and utilities require
Rosetta by launching System Profiler (choose "About This Mac" under the
Apple menu and click on the "More Info" button). Then click on Applications
in the left column. After a minute or so, you'll see a list of all the
applications on your Mac. Click on the "Kind" column. Any item labeled
"Classic" or "PowerPC" will not run under Lion. (!) Items labeled "Intel" or
"Universal" will run under Lion.
Also see the RoaringApps website at http://roaringapps.com/apps:table. They
compiled a list of Mac OS X applications' compatibility with Lion, and the
list gets updated regularly.
------------------------
Adobe's Creative Suite (and other Adobe products) may not install in Lion,
as they require Java and by default Java isn't installed by Lion. There are
also many issues with Adobe's apps in Lion.
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QuarkXPress 9 isn't officially supported under Lion, but a free update to
QuarkXPress 9.1 is certified for Lion. It's scheduled to be available before
the end of August.
------------------------
Links to helpful stories:
Adobe's Creative Suite FAQ on Mac OS X Lion compatibility
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/faq.html#lion-os
Adobe Creative Suite's Lion limitations
by Jackie Dove at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161249/2011/07/cs_lion.html
Adobe's "Known Issues with Adobe products on Mac OS 10.7 Lion"
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/905/cpsid_90508.html
Lion: Known Issues with Adobe products
by John Nack at Adobe
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2011/07/lion-known-issues-with-adobe-products.h
tml
Will QuarkXPress 8 & 9 Run Under Mac OS X 10.7 Lion?
http://www.planetquark.com/2011/07/12/will-quarkxpress-8-9-run-under-mac-os-
x-10-7-lion/
Last word on Lion and application compatibility
by Christopher Breen at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/160783/2011/06/lion_app_last.html
Unfriendly Lion shuts out essential software
We outline issues with Creative Suite, Quark, and Microsoft.
by Neil Bennett at DigitalArts.com
http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?newsid=3293458
Bugs & Fixes: Mac OS X Lion application compatibility
by Ted Landau at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161308/2011/07/lion_app_compat.html
OS X Lion: Getting Ready for the Leap
by Jeff Gamet at MacObserver.com
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/os_x_lion_getting_ready_for_the_leap/
Installing Lion: The complete guide
by Dan Frakes at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161064/2011/07/installing_lion_complete_guid
e.html
Get your Mac ready for Lion
by Dan Frakes at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/160943/2011/07/get_your_mac_ready_for_lion.h
tml
Installing Lion: What you need to know
by Dan Frakes at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161065/2011/07/installing_lion_what_you_need
_to_know.html
Upgrade to and Learn Lion with New Take Control Ebooks
by Adam Engst at TidBITS.com
http://tidbits.com/article/12364
Lion: The Complete Macworld Review
By Jason Snell at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161026/2011/07/osx_lion_review.html
What's new in Lion: fonts and text
by Jackie Dove at Macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/161269/2011/07/lion_fonts_text.html
Special thanks to Jay Nelson - Editor & Publisher, Design Tools Monthly
http://www.design-tools.com
http://www.design-tools.com
