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Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

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Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#341

Post by Arcuru »

A subscription model is closer to how most consumers assume a software 'purchase' should work.

If you're ok with never wanting an update, bugfix, or security fix, then a one-time purchase would sort of be alright. Most consumers, however, expect that the software they buy will get some kind of support over time.

I used to work at Microsoft. I can't tell you how many times my relatives/friends complained to me about Microsoft dropping support for XP. They expected that the software would be supported forever, even though they bought it once more than a decade ago.

A subscription cost matches the expectations of the consumer better than a one-time purchase, and better aligns the incentives of the company with the consumer.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#343

Post by pishpash »

solardev wrote: post #126
thot_experiment wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What the heck subscription models are you using? In my experience the software gets broken over time and you can't do anything about it, including RUN THE OLD VERSION WHICH WORKED. There's no longer as much incentive for companies to improve because they'll get paid anyway instead of payment being contingent on actually delivering something useful. Yes subscription models are good for developers, no this doesn't make…

Not the OP, but I have to disagree too. Creative Cloud, IntelliJ, Figma, Google Workspace, Postman, Spotify, Vercel, Adguard, Google storage space, Alltrails, 1password.. They're all subscriptions and getting better all the time. Meanwhile it's the old purchased software like Windows and Office that get worse with every version.

But you don't have to upgrade your old purchased software. If your purchased Office worked for you, keep using it. How would it get worse for you?

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#344

Post by cubano »

thot_experiment wrote: post #107
crazygringo wrote: post #40

Not really, because I saw too many software companies go out of business because not enough people wound up upgrading to the next major version -- the ownership model of software can be awfully feast-or-famine for developers' income, it's a very tough/risky business model. Generally speaking, I'm happy to pay a subscription because this way I get a steady stream of all the updates, and it's much more likely the compa…

What the heck subscription models are you using? In my experience the software gets broken over time and you can't do anything about it, including RUN THE OLD VERSION WHICH WORKED. There's no longer as much incentive for companies to improve because they'll get paid anyway instead of payment being contingent on actually delivering something useful. Yes subscription models are good for developers, no this doesn't make…

Its hard to pirate SaaS for rather obvious reasons. The cracks don't work for very long and usually don't work for 20% of the system.

However, I agree...pirating is a must-do these days. It's almost impossible to figure out how well a software package is going to react to your needs without actually using it on said needs.

I do, however, think it's very important to remind everyone that you eventually must buy the product if it's filling your needs well enough.

Pirating is a crappy solution to a crappy problem.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#345

Post by antifa »

Arcuru wrote: post #341

A subscription model is closer to how most consumers assume a software 'purchase' should work. If you're ok with never wanting an update, bugfix, or security fix, then a one-time purchase would sort of be alright. Most consumers, however, expect that the software they buy will get some kind of support over time. I used to work at Microsoft. I can't tell you how many times my relatives/friends complained to me about M…

There's a pretty big market for "who cares if it's secretly 10 under the hood, continue supporting XP/7, I'll pay to not deal with all this anti user shit and unasked for changes in 8/10"

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#346

Post by i_am_proteus »

Silhouette wrote: post #333
i_am_proteus wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has been several years since WannaCry, but absolutely nothing guarantees that another such vulnerability does not surface.

Ransomware, like the old data trashing viruses of the past, is trivially defeated by having backups.

Read up on the mechanism by which WannaCry spread and report back.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#347

Post by edude03 »

inglor_cz wrote: post #175
thot_experiment wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What the heck subscription models are you using? In my experience the software gets broken over time and you can't do anything about it, including RUN THE OLD VERSION WHICH WORKED. There's no longer as much incentive for companies to improve because they'll get paid anyway instead of payment being contingent on actually delivering something useful. Yes subscription models are good for developers, no this doesn't make…

I am fine with the subscription model of IntelliJ and their IDEs. The progress is real and if you stop paying, you lose the ability to upgrade your IDE, but the older versions still work.

Yep this. I don't mind paying a subscription as long as the vendor can't hold my data hostage. An IDE for example - I won't lose my source code if the company goes out of business but something like figma? Roam? I find those types of SaaS really hard to have faith in

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#348

Post by closeparen »

37 wrote: post #59

>So yeah, why is that? And is anyone else tired of the constant barrage of subscriptions for things that should be one off purchases? It's extremely tiresome. And surely the only motives are profit and control. It's gotten so bad that now auto manufacturers are charging monthly subscriptions to use features that are built into the car that you have already purchased.[0] It's a disturbing trend that will eventually ha…

Cars are funny. The automakers pretend they are simply selling an object for a pile of money, but in the real world of the dealership & lending ecosystem it's all 60-72 month loans and service contracts and warranties. And it's all pretty smarmy compared to what people would accept from a reputable national brand. If cars are subscription products anyway, then having the automakers internalize & centralize that part isn't the worst thing.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?

#350

Post by artdigital »

I'm with you, if something is just an app (so not a service that requires a serverside component to be maintained), and doesn't have a lifetime unlock option - I won't use it. I have money, but don't have the mental overhead to keep track of subscriptions, my usage of subscription apps, and I hate having it constantly on the back of my mind. I want to purchase something, and then not think about the monetary cost of it ever again while still having the peace of mind that the thing I purchased will be usable with the featureset at the time of my purchase as long as the OS allows it.

I have a lot of apps that I use now and then. Some had major upgrades that I may or may not need (like Reeder). If I like the new version, I'll re-purchase it.

Reading through the comments here, it looks like we're the minority, but I'm glad that there are still people and devs thinking like us, so there are luckily always one-off purchase alternatives to popular apps.

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