PC World - USA (2019-10)

104 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019

HERE’S HOW ADOBE ALTERNATIVES

One of the pros of the subscription-based model is that subscribers pay only for what they use.

few weeks of that, I uninstalled it and

reinstalled the old Pro 2017 version that I

had on a disk.

If you’re a non-subscription-based user,

always get your software on a disk. Even if

you download it from the Internet, pay the

extra money to have them send you a

physical disk. I’ve lost track of how many

programs I paid for and downloaded, only

to lose them forever after a system crash or

corrupt backup, or buying a new computer.

Companies go out of business, original serial

numbers or proof-of-purchase documents

are lost; or vendors refuse to honor the

version I lost. And the cloud? Clouds

dissipate—don’t trust them! The freedom

and independence of the desktop

computer, with everything on your own

hard drive (with regular backup, right?) is

still the best system.

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED

SOFTWARE: PROS AND

CONS

Gartner senior director & analyst John

Santoro says the subscription-based model

is gaining acceptance (even popularity) for

many reasons:

• It reduces the initial cost of the sale,
  because the up-front cost for a desktop
  program is much bigger than a single
  monthly fee.


• Subscribers pay only for what they use.


• Subscriptions change the dynamic
  between vendors and end users. Vendors
  must earn those ongoing subscription fees
  by providing regular updates, patches, and
  new features; easily accessible support; and
  creative incentives that convince customers
  to renew their subscriptions.
  “In addition,” Santoro says, “Because the