bsprague wrote:
It's the "principle" of it, not the cost of it. It's a big, even giant, multinational corporation that invented a way to steal from you monthly. If enough people make it painful on the world wide web, the burglars will go back to the old way.
It's like Amazon. I (should) refuse to buy from them because it is their fault that the local retailer with the high list prices and weak inventory went out of business.
I boil it down to practicalities.
1. Is it good software?
2. Is it properly maintained by the publishers?
3. Does it cost considerably more than other software?
4. Is it stable on my computer?
5. Does it work for me?
6. Is there a better tool to do what I need to do?
My answers are y, y, n, y, y, n. So do I really care about how they've decided to have me pay for the license? Absolutely not? And any nonsense about "principles" is horse manure, especially when you characterize Adobe as a thief - which is defined as "one that steals especially stealthily or secretly also : one who commits theft or larceny." I see absolutely no justification for your cynicism. I do not feel like I am being taken advantage of, I do feel that I am getting my money's worth, and Adobe is 100% in the open - no stealth here. I don't fall for the conspiracy theory you are promoting.
If you are thinking that one day Adobe will "see the light" and return to a permanent license model, I would not hold my breath. Adobe software has become so much cheaper and better with the subscription model. CS6 Extended cost $1000, and if you were upgrading from the previous version it was $400. I am over the moon on the current pricing, I have saved $100s ever since they went subscription.
I seriously doubt they are going to go back to permanent license just to satisfy the tiny number of Luddites, and risk losing millions of subscribers. BTW, there are close to 10,000,000 subscribers to Adobe software. That would put you clearly in the minority.
I would love to see how you would address the "principle" theory with your cable company, gas company, mortgage lender, magazines and newspapers that you get in the mail or delivered on a regular basis, etc etc etc. Subscriptions for software have proven to be extremely efficient business models that absolutely work for all three stakeholders - the enduser, company and its shareholders. Everyone wins. At the end of the day it's all about principle - and company policies that increase revenue AND benefit the enduser are good business.
Now, if you are of the sort that just doesn't recognize the costs involved in delivering and maintaining software, preferring to use "free" software or using software that must be paid for without paying for it - then that is another conversation about principles. After seeing the subscription models for Adobe and MS software, I wish all companies would move to that model.