[squarefoot]

>... but found the move to the subscription service a couple years ago to be off putting

This is so common these days. I'm still waiting for the PineNote to become stable enough to be usable by non developers. It's FOSS, so it would be immune from the subscription service plague, but they're progressing really slowly.

https://pine64.com/product/pinenote-developer-edition/

[crabmusket]

I'm exactly the same. I'd really like a large format e-ink reader for papers, notes etc. But at that point I don't want to pay for a closed-off locked-down device I can't control.

[jsmith99]

It’s almost as if there is a connection between subscription revenue and development progress.

[imiric]

Undeniably so. But charging a subscription for what is essentially a product feels like extortion to the consumer.

If using a device incurs you maintenance costs, whether those are servers or engineers, then by all means, charge a subscription, and I'll happily pay for it if it's priced appropriately. If, on the other hand, my usage doesn't depend on a service you provide, but I'm paying for R&D of your next product, then politely bugger off.

Companies love the subscription model because it's mostly fixed recurring revenue, but this trend of making everything a subscription needs to stop.

[joshspankit]

I’ve come to the opinion that the classic “make a product, sell it once, make the next product” model has always been kind of a lie. History is littered with companies who made a great product, sold it, then went out of business because the next product couldn’t make enough money fast enough to sustain them.

Especially in tech, every “evergreen” product needs to have at least basic security updates over it’s lifetime, and most likely needs code updates to continue to work across generations. I also think recurring payments can be done in a way that respects user rights and without the draconian licensing that we are rightfully cautious of.

As an example: I have paid for a parcel tracking app on iOS for a few years now. It’s solid and reliable and does not chase features or try to be something flashy. It just works. In order to keep it working they need to spend money on servers to run the interfaces with the delivery companies, dev time updating those interfaces when the delivery companies change their apis/websites, dev time to keep the app in line with Apple’s expectations for each iOS version, and the yearly Apple fee. I pay $3 per year and I’m happy to pay it. I feel confident that the money goes towards those costs while also providing the reliability necessary to let the dev(s) stay focused on making the best most effective product.