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As a software developer, I experienced the need for subscription revenue first hand. Regular users want support for their software and there's only so much you

As a software developer, I experienced the need for subscription revenue first hand. Regular users want support for their software and there's only so much you can do for a fixed one-time payment. As an example, Windows might update on their computer without their knowledge but that Windows update breaks something so the user is like "I didn't change anything but your app stopped working" and in that situation you're supposed to sell them a paid upgrade to the next version? As a user, I share your concern. To me, SaaS means I might end up with files that I can't open anymore because the app needed to open them was forcibly upgraded. In my opinion, the solution is what JetBrains does. Regular subscription payments but you get perpetual licenses so you can keep using old versions as long as you want.

watercooler_guy 4y ago
I strongly second this. The JetBrains model is the best of both worlds and everybody wins. Being able to own a certain version of the software at my option makes me feel respected by the company, and it's also motivation for the company to continue delivering real value to users over time -- they gotta earn that subscription fee :) Depending on the product, another model I like is dual licensing, where if you're an individual or noncommercial user, you get one price/it's free, and if you're a commercial customer, you get another price/subscription agreement
P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
You fix it for future users, current users get the benefit as well.
ei8ths 4y ago
This, im still using a jetbrains php 2017...i don't really do stuff in PHP anymore but i have a couple old projects where i used it and just maintain them in phpstorm and its still working great. If i was still doing PHP i would easily upgrade it. Its the better model for software.
phendrenad2 4y ago
> there's only so much you can do for a fixed one-time payment I think that in the pre-internet times, when companies were unable to use a subscription model, they simply increased prices to account for support costs.

watercooler_guy 4y ago

I strongly second this. The JetBrains model is the best of both worlds and everybody wins. Being able to own a certain version of the software at my option makes me feel respected by the company, and it's also motivation for the company to continue delivering real value to users over time -- they gotta earn that subscription fee :) Depending on the product, another model I like is dual licensing, where if you're an individual or noncommercial user, you get one price/it's free, and if you're a commercial customer, you get another price/subscription agreement

P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago

You fix it for future users, current users get the benefit as well.

ei8ths 4y ago

This, im still using a jetbrains php 2017...i don't really do stuff in PHP anymore but i have a couple old projects where i used it and just maintain them in phpstorm and its still working great. If i was still doing PHP i would easily upgrade it. Its the better model for software.

phendrenad2 4y ago

> there's only so much you can do for a fixed one-time payment I think that in the pre-internet times, when companies were unable to use a subscription model, they simply increased prices to account for support costs.