3 ms·
> We need laws that say "if your software can stop functioning if a company goes under, without a technical reason, you can't say 'buy', you can only say 'rent'
by bakugo 3y ago
> We need laws that say "if your software can stop functioning if a company goes under, without a technical reason, you can't say 'buy', you can only say 'rent'".
No, we really don't, because the only thing this will accomplish is make them change the "buy" button to a "rent" or "subscribe" button. People will pay for it anyway, because most of them don't care. Things like Game Pass have already gone a long way in normalizing the renting of digital games, and digital media in general is slowly moving towards a subscription-only future. Almost nobody buys music and movies anymore, for example.
If the problem is to actually be solved, we need to stop this shift towards an online-only subscription-based future entirely. Unfortunately, I don't think that's ever going to happen.
- dizhn 3y agoI have a better button. "Add to my Collection". This also hints that you don't own any of it every time you click that button.
- tracker1 3y agoHow do you make that assumption? I dodn't expect one of a comic collection or classic transformers to disappear in a few years, other than theft. Which is what this more closely resembles in practical terms.
- latexr 3y agoI don’t find that clear at all. “My collection” implies I own it so it’s back to square one. Plus your wording is too long for a button and doesn’t make it clear at all that money will exchange hands.
- pcthrowaway 3y agoThere's a non-zero chance that a mandatory change in the user-facing language allows them to set reasonable expectations after parting with some of their money will result in more users choosing to support content which they actually will own