> you're buying all the future bugfixes, security mitigations, server maintenance, future integration work... There's also middle ground that used to be very c

> you're buying all the future bugfixes, security mitigations, server maintenance, future integration work... There's also middle ground that used to be very common: pay a fixed fee and get a perpetual licence + free updates for a certain period (say for a year, or until the next major release). As a user, that's my preferred model as it gives me complete control over my expenditure and over when/whether I upgrade. (This is mainly about standalone software that fully runs on my own hardware.)