[mynegation]

For myself I draw the line as follows: (1) do I need it all or most of the time (2) Am I the creator. I own a real estate because this is where I live. On the contrary I own the car but I use it rarely enough that - given the cost of ownership - renting vehicle as needed seems appealing to me. For music, software, and movies situation is more complicated - even on a physical medium - you do not own them, you have the license to use it. For the content I create - however uninteresting and worthless to other people - I prefer to keep it on my servers (backed up of course). I would never leave a single copy of anything that I would like to keep on Instagram or Facebook.

I welcome renting when it reduced waste. I do not need power tools, snow shoes, or a ski chalet all the time, I can happily rent them.

[gregmac]

> For music, software, and movies situation is more complicated - even on a physical medium - you do not own them, you have the license to use it.

I don't think this is the proper comparison of rent vs own for media content.

While it's true you don't own the actual content (in the sense you own a house or car), you do own the physical medium, and this gives you non-revocable access to the content. An EULA or other contract may still say you don't have an actual license or right to use the content, but it can't just make that physical item disappear.

When you 'rent' access (eg, streaming service), aside from obviously losing access if you stop paying rent, the actual content owner can decide to stop licensing the content and it will just completely disappear.

[jstarfish]

> When you 'rent' access (eg, streaming service), aside from obviously losing access if you stop paying rent, the actual content owner can decide to stop licensing the content and it will just completely disappear.

There's also the shitty hybrid model where even though you own a physical copy of digital goods (say, Grand Theft Auto), the content owner can still revoke all or part of the content-- as happens with the soundtrack of every GTA title after about ten years.

[mmcconnell1618]

There is one catch with owning real estate. You still pay property taxes. Try not paying your property taxes for a few years and you'll find out that you may own the dwelling but you don't really own the land on which it sits. We're all renting. Home owners just pay a lower rent in the form of property taxes.

[KineticLensman]

Agree - although I have an additional criteria for digital things: is it fungible? - in the sense that if the current service provider takes it away from me there is a realistic chance of getting an identical copy from elsewhere for the foreseeable future.

[secabeen]

And that's the worry, especially if the providers share ban lists (like casinos do). When the government provides a service, I have a right to benefit from that service, and due process for that right being taken away (I hare a right to use the streets, and I can't lose my driver's license without said process). If all significant transport is via shared vehicles, and Uber/Lyft put me on their banned-customer list, can I travel anymore?