1) Purchase software and pay additional for upgrades if you deem the upgrade worthy of purchase. 2) Go with the subscription model where " updates " are laughable because they don't need to entice you to keep buying their product, you already are.
Problem with #1 Your " purchased " software is only operational as long as the authentication servers allow you to " activate " it. The moment those servers are gone, so is your " purchased " software. So, while you're not paying for it as an ongoing subscription, it still has a limited shelf life. By design.
Problem with #2 Your " subscription " service can raise prices on a whim and you'll pay it if you want to keep access to all of your files that are produced with their proprietary products. As you pay full price year after year, you start to ask yourself if the updates are really worth the cost ( I'm looking at you Autodesk Maya @ $1700 / year ) when they introduce just as many problems as they fix. ( Ensures you buy the next upgrade of course )
Which brings me to choice # 3
The " Yarr Matey " editions of software ( assuming you trust it at all, which I don't ) lack the problems of both # 1 and # 2 which likely contributes to their popularity. I don't mind paying for software that I use, but I do mind getting screwed over by $giant_corporation because of greed.
I have stopped all subscriptions for all software with the exception of Adobe so far this year. However, make no mistake about it, once I find suitable replacements for Photoshop ( no, Gimp doesn't count ), Audition and Premiere Pro that will mark the end of any subscriptions I have.
If / when Microsoft ever fully commits to an Operating System subscription service, that will be the final nail in the coffin for Microsoft products. I don't care how much software I own ( and it's a non-trivial financial amount ) that will go dark because of it, that will be the day I fully commit to Linux and wash my hands of Microsoft and software subscription services forever.
1) Purchase software and pay additional for upgrades if you deem the upgrade worthy of purchase.
2) Go with the subscription model where " updates " are laughable because they don't need to entice you to keep buying their product, you already are.
Problem with #1
Your " purchased " software is only operational as long as the authentication servers allow you to " activate " it. The moment those servers are gone, so is your " purchased " software. So, while you're not paying for it as an ongoing subscription, it still has a limited shelf life. By design.
To a point:
When Adobe lost their CS2 activation servers, they made alternate CS2 downloads available that did not require activation.
When they deactivated their CS3 activation servers, they allowed the affected users to convert their Acrobat/Contribute/etc. CS3 key to a CS4 key, and essentially gave out a free major version upgrade.
Of course there are no guarantees, like when microsoft terminated their ironically named "PlaysForSure" DRM validation servers.
Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.
- Henry Spencer, University of Toronto Unix hack
Sometimes, a third choice is necessary (Score:2)
The official options:
1) Purchase software and pay additional for upgrades if you deem the upgrade worthy of purchase.
2) Go with the subscription model where " updates " are laughable because they don't need to entice you to keep buying their product, you already are.
Problem with #1
Your " purchased " software is only operational as long as the authentication servers allow you to " activate " it. The moment those servers are gone, so is your " purchased " software. So, while you're not paying for it as an ongoing subscription, it still has a limited shelf life. By design.
Problem with #2
Your " subscription " service can raise prices on a whim and you'll pay it if you want to keep access to all of your files that are produced with their proprietary products. As you pay full price year after year, you start to ask yourself if the updates are really worth the cost ( I'm looking at you Autodesk Maya @ $1700 / year ) when they introduce just as many problems as they fix. ( Ensures you buy the next upgrade of course )
Which brings me to choice # 3
The " Yarr Matey " editions of software ( assuming you trust it at all, which I don't ) lack the problems of both # 1 and # 2 which likely contributes to their popularity. I don't mind paying for software that I use, but I do mind getting screwed over by $giant_corporation because of greed.
I have stopped all subscriptions for all software with the exception of Adobe so far this year. However, make no mistake about it, once I find suitable replacements for Photoshop ( no, Gimp doesn't count ), Audition and Premiere Pro that will mark the end of any subscriptions I have.
If / when Microsoft ever fully commits to an Operating System subscription service, that will be the final nail in the coffin for Microsoft products. I don't care how much software I own ( and it's a non-trivial financial amount ) that will go dark because of it, that will be the day I fully commit to Linux and wash my hands of Microsoft and software subscription services forever.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The official options:
1) Purchase software and pay additional for upgrades if you deem the upgrade worthy of purchase. 2) Go with the subscription model where " updates " are laughable because they don't need to entice you to keep buying their product, you already are.
Problem with #1 Your " purchased " software is only operational as long as the authentication servers allow you to " activate " it. The moment those servers are gone, so is your " purchased " software. So, while you're not paying for it as an ongoing subscription, it still has a limited shelf life. By design.
To a point:
When Adobe lost their CS2 activation servers, they made alternate CS2 downloads available that did not require activation.
When they deactivated their CS3 activation servers, they allowed the affected users to convert their Acrobat/Contribute/etc. CS3 key to a CS4 key, and essentially gave out a free major version upgrade.
Of course there are no guarantees, like when microsoft terminated their ironically named "PlaysForSure" DRM validation servers.