tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

I love PS, don't use LR, PSE or other PP software. I use a couple of plugin programs (NIK, for one, which is now free and will not be updated!) I have no problem paying a reasonable monthly lease fee for the use of the software, and expect that, over time, with upgrades, security patches, etc. the cost would balance out when compared to purchasing a stand-alone program (if it were available) and paying for periodic upgrades. And I whole-heartedly concur that computer OS programs (Windows and Mac) should have OPTIONAL upgrades but should continue to function in their initial iterations as long as the user wants to keep using it in that mode. Every time I get a mandatory "upgrade" on my OS, seems like a lot of features I really like have been "improved" into oblivion. I believe in "you (should) get what you pay for" but nowadays that's a tall order and not much implemented by manufacturers. Follow the money...

jmvaugh Loc: Albuquerque

Rich1939 opened the Pandora’s box and we old schoolers want to vent a bit. We’re NOT from the Stone Age or even the Old West. I’m know that I have to update my laptop, desktop, and smartphone, long before they give up the ghost because secure OS and apps require more robust hardware. I’m simply not thrilled with subscription software and storage services and am now on the hunt for a bigger faster external hard drive.

MacGregor Loc: North America

Hear! Hear!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Rant:

A software End User License Agreement usually states that you are paying for *the non-exclusive right to use the software.* You do not have rights to distribute it, copy it, or do anything other than use it as specified. So why does it matter whether you have a physical copy of it? Once the developers upgrade from that version, the previous version is no longer supported. Or maybe, if you're lucky, they support the previous version. Eventually, the old version is left in the public domain, again, if you're lucky.

Of course, if you keep your old computer, old OS, and old software, it will run until the hardware fails. HOWEVER, most folks who use computers don't want to work on anything that isn't up to date. Why? Well, security is the number one reason. If your computer is connected to the Internet, and you get email or browse the web on it, it is vulnerable to phishing attacks. It may be vulnerable to other intrusions as well.

So if you have a computer that runs Win XP, or Mac OS X 10.6.8, or an earlier OS, either disconnect it from the 'Net, or stop using it!

To solve the security issue, you need to keep your OS up to date... At least within a release or two of the current version. If you want support for your software, it needs to be up to date, too. So the nature of computing, for most of us, is constant updates! It has been since the 1970s. A new OS eventually breaks your old software. New software eventually requires a new OS.

The subscription, or software as a service, pay-as-you-go model is sound, because it keep your TOOLS up to date. It keeps your SKILLS up to date. It keeps you SAFE. If you are in business, all those things are more than very important, they are critical.

I've worked for three companies that bought computers in the 1980s and used them until they croaked. Similarly, they bought or wrote software in the '80s, and kept using it for 25 or more years. Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest!!! When they went to buy new computers, *at some point,* they found that their old software would not run on the new OS, and the old OS would not run on the new computers. TRAPPED. By then, of course, the developers of their original systems had moved up, moved on, died, or otherwise gone away. Most of the time, they had no USABLE documentation, and had to start over!

If those companies had had their databases on subscription software, and kept the computers and the software updated, they never would have fallen into the pit of data hell they did.

Adobe, first and foremost, develops software for the creative business market. If you're a pro photographer, $10/month is a no-brainer. It's a few cups of coffee at Starbucks. For what it does, you would pay a team of developers MILLIONS if you had to develop LR or PS in house. An added benefit of subscriptions is support. When you need help, it's paid for! Another added benefit is not having to upgrade multiple workstations all at once. If your small business has five computers and needs five paid upgrades at $300 each, that's a $1500 hit to the monthly expense line. Paying a smaller amount on a monthly basis makes more sense, because it is predictable, and you can budget for it.

The idea of OWNING software probably dates back to the practice of buying capital equipment or personal possessions. But software is just a changeable bag of numbers. When its development is finished, it is ABANDONED. Abandonment equals risk...

PERSONAL situations may be different. If so, look for alternatives.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

If GM sold you a car that was as "buggy"" as MS products many of us would be dead or injured..... and Bill Gates would be in jail!

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Is that the best you can come up with when you are called out on your narcissistic personality?

What would I need medication for?

No one has put you in charge of other people. Get that through your head.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I mostly agree but...

Hardware pushes the limits from Graphic to CPU and memory. Add larger screens, accessories like drawing tablets, scanners, communication and you have a whole mess not addressed (used) by older OSes. So the result is keep the old stuff (always a valid option) or follow the trend toward more performing machines Hardware, OS and Software. MS losing some features? Some is due to lawsuits like those that took place in Europe. Being cagey about code implementation? Ask Apple about that, MS compared to that company is wide open. Not being to play some media anymore? Check the DRM, this is not about Apple or MS or Linux but about copyrights.

Personally I do not follow where the money goes but where it comes from, meaning where it goes does not matter as long as I get what I need/want from it. You will not catch me purchasing anything if I cannot pay up front or on a monthly basis.

When folks ask me if they should upgrade my first reflex is to ask: Does it still do what you need? If not, then I investigate further. More often than not this 'upgrade thought' comes from marketing or untrained users like my father in law who has thousands on e-mail in inbox but refuses to clean the damned thing because he does not understand filing and archiving e-mail on a computer. His fear? Losing something 'important' like the weather reports from three years ago.... He now wants a bigger faster computer to deal with his crap. In a week or so I will try to kill most of his stuff (chain letters, crazy stuff from his younger brother, old professional e-mail he still cling to after ten years being out of it... The later being archived, not deleted).

leftj Loc: Texas

Software is not the same as a car. Stop being so stupid.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

There are alternatives as I mentioned. I am dead set against 'cloud storage' so like you invest in local gizmos. One problem thought, if a drive fails and there is no backup you basically lost everything or have to pay a ton of $$$ for a company to retrieve the data (with no warranty of success I might add).

I am starting to give up on mechanical drive and am orienting toward high capacity memory card. It is more expensive but these things do not die easily. Folks have even machine washed them by mistake and they still worked!!! These are slow compared to a HDD but the reliability makes up for that. I have several Acronis backups on a single chip so... Another mundane draw back... WHERE IS THAT THING WHEN I NEED IT????

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

It's a good thing that you don't live in Santa Rosa California, Ron. No amount of local gizmos would survive that, not even if stored in a "fire proof" safe. Offsite storage - a key principle of disaster recovery - is the only low risk approach, and cloud storage makes that affordable to the masses. You could probably add Houston, New Orleans, Costa Rica, and many other specific locations to the list where local gizmos may be insufficient.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Yep!

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

I don't "upgrade" any parts for any vehicle unless they are part of a recall. Same with software. If there are bugs or required fixes, then I would expect the manufacturer to replace or fix the problem at their cost. I do not expect to pay for any manufacturer errors or omissions, whatever the product.
I don't want / need "upgrades" for existing programs or vehicles at my expense. I prefer to wait for a newer version and decide if the latest version is worth the cost of a newer product with hopefully better features.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Yes, well, if you include acts of god in the mix any type of 'protection' will fail, even remote storage. If the guy decides to smite your stuff, good luck.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

That probably depends upon which and how many Gods one believes in, if any. The reality is that disasters occur, small or large, and that offsite backup is the established and proven methodology to deal with such things. Sometimes offsite doesn't mean a spare disk in your woodshed, but a data center on the other side of the continent or even another country which is much less likely to be affected simultaneously. We all should know the pain associated with data loss. Rebuilding a house, a community, is possible. Buying a new computer and restoring your important data is now accessible to many people, should they wish to do that. It's simply a risk and value calculation. Cloud-based approaches have their place in the world. For backup, it's fairly obvious.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I have found your example to be incomplete. If you keep your car long enough!
My 1970 Porsche I bought new on 12/24/1970 for $6500 including CA sales tax.
Right now, according to Internet appraisal sites in its current 190,000 mile normal daily-driver condition (no Concours quality here) it is estimated to be worth $40,000 - $100,000. According to the CPI Index calculator my $6500 car in 1970 would cost $40,310 in September 2017 dollars, so at worst, I at least I broke even!