this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Can someone enlighten me as to when this magical period of time was supposed to have been? As far as I can remember (end of the 80s), proprietary software never had any source available and always had an EULA stating that you don't actually own anything. Best you could get was usage rights which were revocable for arbitrary reasons. So I'm a bit confused as to what they are talking about.
Right. Even pay-once software can have a phone home component that disables it if the creator deems it. So really we're talking about old versions of software that just used offline license keys which were easily cracked.
I honestly really like the Jetbrains model where they offer a subscription for continual updates but you also get a fallback version you can use forever if you decide to stop paying. It acknowledges that you aren't costing them money if you aren't getting the new updates.
I came across a similar pricing model for Prodigy, and it does seem like a sensible option. You pay for updates, but will always be able to use the versions you already have in perpetuity.