[Leica] Fwd: lightroom

[Peter Klein]

Unfortunately, it looks like subscription is the way the software 
industry is heading.  Legally, the vendors can do it, because they never 
actually sold us their software.  We buy a license to use it. Up until 
recently, we could use any software we "bought" in perpetuity.  But that 
is changing.  Like the late Tom Petty sang, "the boys upstairs want to 
see, how much you'll pay for what you used to get for free."  Or in this 
case, how much more you will pay for what you thought you already paid for.

Much software already does what most people need.  There is less and 
less reason to upgrade these days.  So how do the companies continue to 
make money?  Subscription is a way to force the customer to continue to 
pay.  Like Ric, I oppose this on principle. It is indeed much like 
ransomware.  But some customers may indeed continue to pay. Especially 
if the program is a corporate or industry "standard" or a monopoly, if 
the data files are in a proprietary format, or if one must share files 
with others.

Adobe's behavior is not unique. The music notation software I've used 
for years (Sibelius) has also gone to a subscription model. And they 
don't even fix their bugs.  As of last year, new users must rent the 
software forever. If they stop paying, the software loses the ability to 
save files.  So they can't make any changes to their files.  The company 
is literally holding their work hostage. Long-time users such as myself 
were "grandfathered."  If we paid an $89 fee and upgraded to the current 
version, we could use it in perpetuity.  But we still lose support or 
the ability to upgrade further if we don't pay the fee again every 
year.  I paid the upgrade fee--once, for "insurance"--and I am looking 
at another program. I am far from alone.

My Raw processor is Capture One.  It came with my M8, and I've always 
liked it.  So I stayed with it, upgrading regularly, but occasionally 
skipping a major version.  A couple of years ago they started offering a 
subscription as well as the "purchase" model. Just last week I received 
an email from them. It stated that I needed to either upgrade from v. 8 
to v. 10 soon or go on a subscription model. Otherwise I would lose the 
right to upgrade further or get support.  I don't like where that may be 
leading. But for now, I still find it a more reasonable alternative to 
the "Adobe Tax."

A possibility for Ric is to use the perpetually licensed version of 
Lightroom, and don't buy any new cameras it doesn't support.  :-) Or 
switch to a free raw program, use it to do just basic white balance, 
then develop your files to 16-bit TIFFs that retain all the information 
you need.  Then process further in a regular photo editor.  I use 
Picture Window Pro as my general image editor.  PWP is no longer being 
developed, and it's now freeware.  It does everything I need that 
Capture One doesn't do.

I use an open source "office" suite (Libre Office, which can read MS 
Office files), email (Thunderbird), Zip program (7Zip), and a very 
inexpensive text editor (TextPad).  But in the more specialized fields I 
play in, the open source programs like Gimp (Photoshop substitute) or 
MuseScore (music notation) have limitations and inconveniences I'm not 
willing to live with.  So I'm stuck.  I very much like the open source 
model in general.  By its very nature, such software won't attempt to 
corner the market and then hold us and our work hostage to their 
rent-seeking.  Let's hope that better open-source alternatives emerge 
for our more specialized needs. They may.  Remember the early 1980s?  A 
basic text-mode word processor, spreadsheet or database each cost $500 
or more (over $1,000 in today's dollars).  That's why freeware and 
shareware emerged in the first place.

--Peter


Matter of opinion.... I am using 2010 versions of Office... saving me $100
(?) per year...
  It is only a good comparison if / when you update your SW with perpetual
licenses....
  Frank Filippone
Red735i at verizon.net


   -----Original Message-----
From: Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com>
To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Wed, 18 Oct 2017 20:03
Subject: Re: [Leica] Fwd: lightroom

Adobe's perpetual licenses required upgrades every two years which cost way
more than what I pay over two years with the Cloud Subscription.

Ditto for Microsoft Office.

Economically, the CC is the way to go!

Cheers
Jayanand

On Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 11:29 AM, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net>
wrote:

>
>
>
>/The standalone version of LR Will not be supported after Dec 31. No more/
>/revisions, enhancements, added cameras, etc after that date./
>/Adobe is making so much money from the subscription service, the/
>/additional income from the perpetual versions are no longer worth it. Or so/
>/it appears./
>/They now own us. You either pay your monthly fee or your images are/
>/basically as you took them. Your enhancements, crops, etc are no longer of/
>/any use. You would need to do them over again with some other SW./
>/If you have not figured it out yet, do not trust any promises from Adobe./
>
>/Frank Filippone/
>/Red735i at verizon.net/
>
>