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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?

#371

Post by flandish »

gog wrote: post #318
flandish wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like what happened with Stronglifts 5x5.. yep.

What happened? Isn't that just a body weight exercise routine?

No, but the app migrated from purchase to “life supporter” to subscription with each prior tier getting less. Now, “buy version 1.3.0” I can get not including updates post 1.3.x.

But “life supporter” faded to “subscribe” after more time went by.

Much like the mirc thing really.

I kinda miss the days of “buy version X. Get X. X always works… tease with upgrades to get user to buy upgrade.”

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

#372

Post by Fire-Dragon-DoL »

moonchrome wrote: post #359
Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lastpass didn't deliver a single improvement, but they did double the yearly price

Switch to 1password or something else ? That's the nice part about subscription - when it's about to expire it's easy to switch. Just make absolutely sure you remove payment info from that scammer site - they charged me for a year after I canceled and supposedly "refunded me" when I went to support forums- but never actually saw money refund. Couldn't be bothered to go further but just the fact that they will charge…

I already did as of last week. Waited 3 years, the software is all riddled with bugs and nothing got fixed. Insane

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

#373

Post by lapcat »

Gigachad wrote: post #358
lapcat wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By this principle, every physical product in the world would be "a Ponzi scheme".

Most physical products don't require constant work to be done. Software will mostly stop working properly if not updated.

Why wouldn't it be updated?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34043936

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

#374

Post by JohnFen »

jimkleiber wrote: post #243
bytehowl wrote: post #145

Ignoring all the issues around ownership, corporations being untrustworthy, etc., I think one of the biggest problems is that subscription costs aren't flexible enough and require too much micromanagement. You use a program 24/7 for a month straight? That'll be $10. You need to use a program just for a single 5-minute task in a whole month? That'll be $10. You literally don't touch a program for a month? That'll be $…

I've been exploring a pay what you want model for a subscription. Would you prefer something like this? Or more about just putting in more options for selecting based on one's usage? something else?

The issue with subscriptions for me is unrelated to the price. All subscriptions are bad. They require constant budgeting and attention. They usually come with forced upgrades, or a forced cloud component. They make it too easy to get nickel and dimed to death.

If I can't pay a one-time price for the software, it's a nonstarter. I'm totally fine with paying for updates later, as long as I'm not forced into them.

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

#375

Post by HideousKojima »

aplummer wrote: post #364
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 don't believe SaaS is moral > I basically pirate everything that requires a subscription now or us a FOSS alternative… and now when I can afford to pay for subscriptions but the situation with lack of control over SaaS is so fucking untenable that I just can't. Imagine stealing peoples work you admit you can afford, and claiming their business model is immoral!

How is it stealing? They don't suddenly not licenses of their software to sell anymore because someone made an unlicensed copy.

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

#376

Post by matheusmoreira »

aplummer wrote: post #364
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 don't believe SaaS is moral > I basically pirate everything that requires a subscription now or us a FOSS alternative… and now when I can afford to pay for subscriptions but the situation with lack of control over SaaS is so fucking untenable that I just can't. Imagine stealing peoples work you admit you can afford, and claiming their business model is immoral!

It is immoral. The copyright monopoly plus copy sales model was bad enough. Now we live in digital fiefdoms and get sold like cattle to advertisers and other developers.

The only moral model is free software.

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

#377

Post by izzydata »

solardev wrote: post #47

I actually prefer the subscription model for my software, if the monthly price is reasonable. It gives me faith that they can actually sustain their business and pay their employees to maintain and improve the service over time. I hate the other model, where with Windows and Office you end up getting useless forced upgrades and terrible makeovers because they need that upgrade revenue every few years. Or the ad drive…

Subscriptions forces companies to keep re-inventing the wheel for the 100th time and inevitably break something they may have already perfected. A lot of software doesn't need to do more than it already does.

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

#378

Post by SanjayMehta »

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…

> By this point, the idea of "owning" software feels positively archaic to me, as strange as "owning" a music album.

I still own the very first music album I bought, an LP purchased in 1979. I still play it on the same turntable which my dad gave me.

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

#379

Post by zeroq »

It's an old trick.

Most people will jump on a new subscription justyfing it with a low entry cost and the premise of hassle free return policy, but even if they won't like or use the service they'll be too lazy to actually cancel it.

In the next few weeks many people will sign a gym membership as a part of their New Year's resolutions. Many will give up after a month but only few will immediately cancel their memberships.

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

#380

Post by JohnFen »

fleddr wrote: post #327

A note taking app or password manager in the modern sense is not a product, it's a service. Your content is stored and this costs money. Not only is it a recurring cost, it's also a growing cost as content keeps getting added and rarely removed. It's not illogical that a recurring fee is asked. It's very much possible that a large company subsidizes these costs or runs ads, thereby making it "free". But the costs are…

> A note taking app or password manager in the modern sense is not a product, it's a service.

Which is a very serious problem. Apps like that shouldn't be services. The only reason to make them that way is so the companies can continue to soak you over time.

Break out the services separately. If the user wants cloud storage, sell that service as an option. But if the user doesn't, they shouldn't have to pay for it.

> it would mean the companies go bankrupt, as little new revenue comes in.

This is just not true, as the history of software sales reveals. Sell upgrades. Sell more than one product.

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