Quote Originally Posted by TheAnimus View Post
Whilst you have an air gap security system, this is an unusual use case. Many people find the need for connections fairly frequently, be it USB sticks or network or press play on tape.

Ultimately, software has this almost unique issue of being exploited so cheaply, so readily, so parasitically. The closest to things we've seen before are biological.

The problem here is that there is an on-going maintenance cost, rather than a power drill, think fast bread nuclear power reactor. Now, unless its in full shutdown, bits of it are going to wear out. If your in a completely deserted place, its fine, let it melt, if not, it is rather important that the system stays up to date, the vendor doesn't want to use the old flawed plumbing, it wants to use the newer stuff, it is better and more robust.

Given the events of blaster, I think it is a fair approximation, certain software is so ubiquitous, it can and will spread nasty things via flaws. It is this danger, that means there is a need for ongoing commitments to maintaince. People who didn't update their ruby framework are finding out at the moment the danger they pose, not just to themselves, but others, as these web servers help spread infection far faster than domestic machines normally do.

From the side of a vendor, I really understand them forcing time limit expiration on things you buy. With that in mind, all purchases are effectively a lease.

I think it makes more sense to always consider it a lease vs a rental.
I do love HEXUS .... where else could we go from a dog-walking power rill to a nuclear reactor in pretty much the same metaphor.

I take your point, of course, about the air-gap method not being normal. But I am referring to why I'm not going the subscription method. And I'm not. No if's or but's about it. It seems Adobe have decided to do this.Fair enough, they can sell their software however they want. But just as they can sell however they wish, I can buy however I wish .... or not buy at all. And in this case, as with the Win8 and MUI situation, my choice is to not buy. Oh, I do have a Win8 licence. I have one machine for which I need Win 8, or rather, I need to be able to run Win8, so it's on a drive I can boot from when needed. The rest of the time, I boot into either Win 7 Ultimate, or Ubuntu.

But, be it a personal or business perspective, I don't regard regard software as either lease or rental. I regard it as being a calculation of a one-off cost, which either is or is not justified. And once purchased, I expect no further costs until or unless I decide I need to upgrade. And that decision to upgrade, or not, will be mine, not the software company's, and that is the implication of the subscription.

I use the same logic for a PC, or a printer, or a car. Either I buy, or I don't, but personally, I will not lease, or rent. If I need it, can afford it and can justify the cost, I buy. If not, I don't.

And that's how I will continue to use software. If any software I'm using, and I mean any software, goes rental/lease, it loses me. There are reasons for that that I'm not going to go into, but it's how I do things, and I'm certainly not changing my view because Adobe, or anyone else, wants to do differently.