Well, the “forever” part was tricky because it might break due to OS upgrades or computer architecture/chip changes.

But making a one-time purchase and using software 5 or 10 years was not unheard of.

I think I paid $500 for Photoshop and it came out to under $9 per month if I do the math right… that’s for 10 years of use.

If it’s still $20 per month for a subscription and you do 10 years that’s $2,400.

@rasterweb 2/ My sense is that's the general system of frequent upgrade is necessary, but too many vendors take advantage of that fact to squeeze end-users in various ways, because current regulation does not adequately discourage that.

Regulation needs beefing up, with a few unusually egregious vendors made examples for everyone. But the subscription model is otherwise a reasonable alternative to replacing software more frequently, as long as it doesn't become exploitative.