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[rant] Seriously? Software pricing is officially nuts

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zridling:
I've seen several shareware programs double and triple their prices recently and I'm shocked that they have the chutzpah. Here's the latest in my inbox:



The guys at IDM want $280 for a lifetime license now, hey, but it's on sale for $180 if you hurry. All hail donationware, freeware, and a bunch of open source apps, otherwise, I'm saying a big "Hell naw" to these prices. Sorry folks, I have a limit, and lately I'd rather pay the bills.

 >:(

Josh:
And this is why I dislike most commercial software products. However, one has to look at whether or not they NEED a lifetime license or if paying for an upgrade WHEN IT IS NEEDED is justifiable. Most users can purchase one program and be happy with the features it provides in that version. I feel that offering upgrades for a year or a set period is reasonable for most purposes. Lifetime licenses, in the eyes of a developer, are not reasonable to support forever. The additional cost involved is to offset the added costs of supporting that user for "a lifetime". Ad Muncher is another program who has raised the cost of lifetime subscriptions. Originally a lifetime license cost 24.95, then they removed that option and went with the major version policy and now they are offering a lifetime license for approximately $100 USD as well as a subscription model on a per year basis.

And this is why people end up SETTLING for freeware. In my usage, as well as  several people I work with, most settle for freeware while admitting that the payware programs are GENERALLY superior in usability and functionality. Yes, I hate the high prices but I will pay for a program if the usability and functionality of the commercial product far exceed that of the freeware product. That doesn't mean I will buy a lifetime license as I generally don't require every upgrade that comes along. I will buy a lifetime license for a product I feel I will use for a long period of time, if offered.

40hz:
As annoying as software pricing can get, I still think it should be up to the developers to decide what they want to charge - and up to their customers to agree or disagree by voting with their wallets.

One point: the 25Gb online storage part of the deal is no biggy. Microsoft will provide you with a 25Gb SkyDrive account that's free for the asking. All you need is a (free) Hotmail account to sign up for it.

That being said, some people do love acdsee, so it may be worth the extra money to some people to go the acdsee route.

Since I'm not a photographer, I'm not really qualified to assess just how much superior their photoediting and workflow capabilities are when stacked up against similar programs. I used to own a licensed copy a while back. I thought it was a decent enough app, but (unlike PSP) I was never that blown away by what it could do.

What I do find interesting is that most of the glowing comments seem to come from photographers and photography magazine reviews. The reviews you read in computer circles, while also generally positive, are much less enthusiastic about acdsee's technical superiority compared to everything else out there.

I don't know if this is an indication that photographers know a lot more - or a lot less - about what's available than the 'computer crowd' does. Fortunately, there's a 30-day trial available so it's easy enough to check out the claims for yourself.

Something to think about anyway. :)

-----

Note: In this current business climate I'm a little skeptical about the recent proliferation of "lifetime" license offers. From an economic viewpoint, it doesn't make sense for any company that wants to remain in business to make such an offer. What often happens is they either go out of business - or pull the classic "rename the product" trick (aka the fruity loop move) to get out from under their lifetime free upgrade agreement.

Anytime I see the word "lifetime" I immediately think: Yours, ours, or the product's - whichever comes first!

 ;D

rgdot:
Similar to what's already mentioned, lifetime licenses are really a leap of faith, never mind financially but in other ways too. If you are buying the product now presumably you like a product as it is now, by paying a lifetime fee there is an assumption not only that only the product will be around but it will a)continue development at a reasonable pace b)it will add features that you may not know about now but perhaps be interested when you see it.

Carol Haynes:
That's why I never upgraded to ACDSee Pro version 2 - and I certainly won't be going to 3.

I know a lot of people like ACDSee and I used it for a long time but every version they produce has loads of bugs in it and most of these 'upgrades' seem to me to be most bug fixes and new bugs. Call me cynical if you like ....

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