They didn't become the richest companies in the world by selling software without a subscription, they did it by illegally suppressing competition without any repercussions (among other things)
Re:10x Editor
by someguydave on Tuesday January 03, 2023 @12:38PM
(#34234770)
Agreed, when I think of "rich software companies" they all either had monopolies or were able to monopolize a significant network or "mindshare".
The free updates don't last indefinitely, generally you still have to pay for "extended" support.
If you have happily used some software for say 6 years, it is no problem if the vendor stops fixing bugs in it. It already works.
SaaS and subscriptions is mainly a way to control the users and milk them for money.
1. Ship software, including free updates for the current version to fix bugs, without any fees beyond the purchase price.
2. Become the richest companies in the world, by far, to the point it's not even close.
So the idea that they need subscriptions so they can 'afford' to fix bugs is ridiculous. Also, paying the subscription isn't a warranty, maybe they collect my money and don't fix my bugs.