HUGE Humble Bundle Store Sale

[The Prowler]

XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 are both 95% off. Great games, almost free.

 

[Joe]

I've bought from Humble Bundle before @The Prowler

but not games. I'm not much into them, just software.

I'd only play board games if I had to.

I got some good software deals from them like Corel Painter, Sony Vegas software and more.

$49 Canadian or $39 US for a suite of up to five apps in 1 suite. Not bad.

I'd do it again if more deals like that come up again.

I'm buyin' all the software I can before AI puts all the software makers outta business or forces 'em to go subscription only. After AI takes over, ya won't be able to own most of the software they have out there anymore.

Best ta buy it now before the better stuff gets discontinued, eh.

 

[The Prowler]

AI puts all the software makers outta business

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Joe]

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

...means there'll be no good software left @The Prowler

just freeware stuff like Blender, OpenOffice or GIMP.

Even yer beloved WordPerfect is at risk of disappearing too, Prowler.

I noticed that Adobe lately has reverted to AI commands becomin' something like ChatGPT Lite. They may as well forget who they are, and merge with them. Who needs Photoshop when ChatGPT or Midjourney can do the job?

In which case, there's really no point in paying all these expensive subscriber fees to Adobe anymore Prowler.

 

[The Prowler]

...means there'll be no good software left @The Prowler

just freeware stuff like Blender, OpenOffice or GIMP.

Even yer beloved WordPerfect is at risk of disappearing too, Prowler.

I noticed that Adobe lately has reverted to AI commands becomin' something like ChatGPT Lite. They may as well forget who they are, and merge with them. Who needs Photoshop when ChatGPT or Midjourney can do the job?

In which case, there's really no point in paying all these expensive subscriber fees to Adobe anymore Prowler.

The sky is falling!!!

 

[Joe]

The sky is falling!!!

...and yet besides Adobe software I've seen a lotta good software titles disappear lately @The Prowler

And at one time you could actually buy a copy of photoshop or autocad. Caint do that no more Prowler. I think Autodesk asks $200 per month for the privilege to use autocad or revit. Can't own them anymore. You just rent them now.

Now I'm no gamer, but is this happening with games as well? Seems ta me at one time you could buy games on a cd/DVD.

So I think this trend will only accelerate with ai. You gamers will turn into monkeys tapping on some lever ta get yer next fix/pellet, Prowler.

See...I guess these software makers or game companies just decided that owning your own games and software wasn't profitable for them. So theyve switched to this rent or subscription only model eh.

 

[The Prowler]

...and yet besides Adobe software I've seen a lotta good software titles disappear lately @The Prowler

That has nothing to do with "A.I.".

And at one time you could actually buy a copy of photoshop or autocad. Caint do that no more Prowler. I think Autodesk asks $200 per month for the privilege to use autocad or revit. Can't own them anymore. You just rent them now.

Yeah, companies are realizing that their software is kinda doing everything required, so they need to tweak the licensing so they can make money.


On one hand, you are complaining that software companies are disappearing. On the other hand, you are complaining that the companies that are surviving are doing what they need to do to survive.

If you want companies to survive, Senile @Joe, they need to adapt a licensing model that allows them to remain profitable.

Now I'm no gamer, but is this happening with games as well? Seems ta me at one time you could buy games on a cd/DVD.

This is a different situation. This is about changing the distribution model, not the licensing model. Games are distributed via platforms like Steam because it is more cost effective.

So I think this trend will only accelerate with ai. You gamers will turn into monkeys tapping on some lever ta get yer next fix/pellet, Prowler.

A.I. is not going to create decent games, Senile @Joe.

A.I. will not create a decent game engine.

See...I guess these software makers or game companies just decided that owning your own games and software wasn't profitable for them. So theyve switched to this rent or subscription only model eh.

You never owned the games or software. You owned a physical copy of an installation CD or DVD. And you owned a singled user license to the software.

You never owned the software.

 

[Joe]

Yeah, companies are realizing that their software is kinda doing everything required, so they need to tweak the licensing so they can make money.

...so what your are saying or seem to be acknowledged is that the software has reached a point in its development that it can't be improved much more. Is that a correct interpretation of your statement?

I've kinda noticed this with Photoshop and AutoCAD. They add all this other stuff incrementally, but the vast majority of people only needed it for basic functions.

On one hand, you are complaining that software companies are disappearing. On the other hand, you are complaining that the companies that ar

Even if the companies themselves don't disappear, their permanent licensing option has in many cases. so you can't get a permanent or perpetual copy of the software where you pay once and never again after that. Now they make you get a monthly or yearly subscription to use their software.

e surviving are doing what they need to do to survive.

If you want companies to survive, Senile @Joe, they need to adapt a licensing model that allows them to remain profitable.

Well @The Prowler, what the software companies did for a while back the 1990s right into about 2020 is offer permanent or perpetual version of their software. But like you say, that wasn't profitable for them. Same thing as Hollywood yanking support for DVDs and BluRay discs. Now it's all done on streaming video, so they have as much control over their product/property as possible. Good for them I suppose, but not great for the consumer.

They seem to be going back to pre-1990 when software was prohibitively expensive and inaccessible for the vast majority of digital artists. For the past 20-30 years they let the artists buy the software outright. But now they're reverting back to the old days when it was impossible to get your hands of the software.

You never owned the games or software. You owned a physical copy of an installation CD or DVD. And you owned a singled user license to the software.

You never owned the software.

Well Prowler, in that case I still have perpetual version of several software applications which sit on my shelf and never expire. They can be installed or uninstalled when I feel like it. I suppose legally I don't own the software, but that doesn't prevent me from owning the installer discs and the right to install or uninstall anytime I want.

Ya know Prowler, recently I went out and bought the Nuke software as it was the last time they are gonna offer permanent licenses. that's the software they use for the movies and high end video games, etc. I thought I'd get it now because I won't be able to in the future.

Maybe you think nothing of it and are on the side of the companies adopting the subscriber model, but all those games you enjoy so much are made with all these fancy graphics Hollywood grade software. so if you take that away from the artist, it makes it that much harder for them to make a living and provide you with the gaming or entertainment products you enjoy so much.

 

[The Prowler]

Do you have anything to add, Senile @Joe?

Or do you just want to recap what I have told you, and repeat what you have already said?