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There's a difference between charging for updates and charging for continued use. What if Sublime Text started charging a monthly fee just to use it? There's no

There's a difference between charging for updates and charging for continued use. What if Sublime Text started charging a monthly fee just to use it? There's no excuse. > But as far as most software pricing goes, if it's so bad, then people wouldn't pay. And yet people keep paying ransomware for access to their important files.

xab9 9y ago
Like Webstorm? I do feel that I get value for my money and with the yearly fee I get all the updates (which are important in the ever changing world of web development), but sometimes it still feels like protection racket.
- Bishonen88 9y ago
  no, not like webstorm. Webstorm is pretty similar to sublime text. You pay a price for a perpetual license. After one year of use, you can decide whether you keep on using the 'old' version, or if you pay again to have the newest one with all the updates. I think the comment you were referring to was thinking about stuff like adobe, where if you don't pay, you don't get anything.
  - xab9 9y ago
    Indeed, you're right. Don't Adobe give you some "cloud storage" thing though? Fortunately now that we're using Figma I don't have to deal with the hundred pound gorilla called Photoshop.
- sn0wfire 9y ago
  Jetbrains does not require subscriptions for continued use of any version. Purchasing a 12-month subscription (which is cheaper than their previous "perpetual license") gives you a perpetual license for the current version of software. This is actually my favourite licensing technique I have come across for software. https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What-is-a-perpetual-fallback-license- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What...
  - Joeri 9y ago
    There’s a difference though. Previously the version you ended up with was the one at the end of the year of updates. In the current model you have to reinstall the old version of the time of purchase, undoing the updates you got. It’s actually quite clever since you immediately notice what you’re missing by not paying.
    - Rapzid 9y ago
      I could have sworn they offer specials or something where you can get the current and next version.. can't recall, I end up upgrading each year to keep my discount going.
    - donarb 9y ago
      You can actually keep your next current version by buying for a few months to extend to the next 12 month anniversary. See last timeline example on this page: https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What-is-a-perpetual-fallback-license- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What...
siscia 9y ago
Sorry but nobody is forcing you to use sublime. If they started charging just for use they wouldn't need neither an excuse nor a justification. I really don't see your point. If you could explain further why you think sublime would need an excuse for charging a monthly fee I would really appreciate.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Yeah, I don't see the reason besides "I don't like it" either. If the problem is access to files, then they could just have a free converter tool to some standard format.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >If they started charging just for use they wouldn't need neither an excuse nor a justification. Actually they'd need both. And companies are not so dumb as not to understand this. Any company that started charging or went into a subscription model, offered both excuses and justifications for doing so. You might be think "it's a free country, it's their product, and they can do anything with it". Which is true in a trivial way (they're allowed by the law to do anything they like in that area), but it's also wrong. Wrong in that in practice they're not really free: to survive they are bound to the market and their customers responses. So they're free only as much as they're OK with pissing their user base and potentially losing sales (or have most of them go for some other product, and kill their own user base -- e.g. Quark xPress vs Adobe Indesign, and tons of other similar examples).
thechao 9y ago
If the sublime folk offered a “bug fix only” monthly subscription, I’d buy that. My grandfather went through a half day’s paycheck of tooling a month on his own dime. I figure bug fixes are the software equivalent of sharpening chisels, buying new bits, surfacing a mill, etc.
- mehrdadn 9y ago
  > If the sublime folk offered a “bug fix only” monthly subscription, I’d buy that. My grandfather went through a half day’s paycheck of tooling a month on his own dime. I figure bug fixes are the software equivalent of sharpening chisels, buying new bits, surfacing a mill, etc. Except bits don't rot?
  - notSupplied 9y ago
    New OS versions (especially from Apple) regularly create new bugs or completely break compatibility with old software. The cost of upkeep is not entirely predictable and easy to "price-in" to the upfront cost.
    - mehrdadn 9y ago
      Can't speak for Apple I guess, but this isn't exactly the normal case on Windows.
      - culturestate 9y ago
        Microsoft jumps through hoops for backwards compatibility, often to their own detriment. Apple - comparatively, not absolutely - almost ignores backwards compatibility...also often to their own detriment.
  - heavenlyblue 9y ago
    They don't rot but they get rusty.

xab9 9y ago

Like Webstorm? I do feel that I get value for my money and with the yearly fee I get all the updates (which are important in the ever changing world of web development), but sometimes it still feels like protection racket.

Bishonen88 9y ago
no, not like webstorm. Webstorm is pretty similar to sublime text. You pay a price for a perpetual license. After one year of use, you can decide whether you keep on using the 'old' version, or if you pay again to have the newest one with all the updates. I think the comment you were referring to was thinking about stuff like adobe, where if you don't pay, you don't get anything.
- xab9 9y ago
  Indeed, you're right. Don't Adobe give you some "cloud storage" thing though? Fortunately now that we're using Figma I don't have to deal with the hundred pound gorilla called Photoshop.
sn0wfire 9y ago
Jetbrains does not require subscriptions for continued use of any version. Purchasing a 12-month subscription (which is cheaper than their previous "perpetual license") gives you a perpetual license for the current version of software. This is actually my favourite licensing technique I have come across for software. https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What-is-a-perpetual-fallback-license- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What...
- Joeri 9y ago
  There’s a difference though. Previously the version you ended up with was the one at the end of the year of updates. In the current model you have to reinstall the old version of the time of purchase, undoing the updates you got. It’s actually quite clever since you immediately notice what you’re missing by not paying.
  - Rapzid 9y ago
    I could have sworn they offer specials or something where you can get the current and next version.. can't recall, I end up upgrading each year to keep my discount going.
  - donarb 9y ago
    You can actually keep your next current version by buying for a few months to extend to the next 12 month anniversary. See last timeline example on this page: https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What-is-a-perpetual-fallback-license- https://sales.jetbrains.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207240845-What...

siscia 9y ago

Sorry but nobody is forcing you to use sublime. If they started charging just for use they wouldn't need neither an excuse nor a justification. I really don't see your point. If you could explain further why you think sublime would need an excuse for charging a monthly fee I would really appreciate.

icebraining 9y ago
Yeah, I don't see the reason besides "I don't like it" either. If the problem is access to files, then they could just have a free converter tool to some standard format.
coldtea 9y ago
>If they started charging just for use they wouldn't need neither an excuse nor a justification. Actually they'd need both. And companies are not so dumb as not to understand this. Any company that started charging or went into a subscription model, offered both excuses and justifications for doing so. You might be think "it's a free country, it's their product, and they can do anything with it". Which is true in a trivial way (they're allowed by the law to do anything they like in that area), but it's also wrong. Wrong in that in practice they're not really free: to survive they are bound to the market and their customers responses. So they're free only as much as they're OK with pissing their user base and potentially losing sales (or have most of them go for some other product, and kill their own user base -- e.g. Quark xPress vs Adobe Indesign, and tons of other similar examples).

thechao 9y ago

If the sublime folk offered a “bug fix only” monthly subscription, I’d buy that. My grandfather went through a half day’s paycheck of tooling a month on his own dime. I figure bug fixes are the software equivalent of sharpening chisels, buying new bits, surfacing a mill, etc.

mehrdadn 9y ago
> If the sublime folk offered a “bug fix only” monthly subscription, I’d buy that. My grandfather went through a half day’s paycheck of tooling a month on his own dime. I figure bug fixes are the software equivalent of sharpening chisels, buying new bits, surfacing a mill, etc. Except bits don't rot?
- notSupplied 9y ago
  New OS versions (especially from Apple) regularly create new bugs or completely break compatibility with old software. The cost of upkeep is not entirely predictable and easy to "price-in" to the upfront cost.
  - mehrdadn 9y ago
    Can't speak for Apple I guess, but this isn't exactly the normal case on Windows.
    - culturestate 9y ago
      Microsoft jumps through hoops for backwards compatibility, often to their own detriment. Apple - comparatively, not absolutely - almost ignores backwards compatibility...also often to their own detriment.
- heavenlyblue 9y ago
  They don't rot but they get rusty.