• zephorah@lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    How is that a boomer complaint? It’s basic. Microsoft Word should be buy once for 3 computers, as it always was until subs took over.

    We can’t even read the news anymore without a sub.

    I like the use of the word rent for this.

    • taladar@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      I think it depends on the type of software. Subscriptions do make sense for software that requires regular updates, e.g. something tax related, where you need it updated with the latest regulations every year. Basically for anything that won’t be useful a year from the purchase date without feature updates.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        That’s fair, what’s not fair is Word and other such basics engaging this model.

      • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        Nah, absolutely not. Putting a profit incentive on the news is how we end up with how the news currently is - reaction-bait with the sole purpose of driving engagement and views to generate ad revenue, instead of actual, unbiased, honest journalism.

          • taladar@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            I wouldn’t say it was just that. News also got worse on e.g. government supported TV channels in countries that have them. Part of the problem is the regurgitation of social media on the news and also news organizations being afraid of social media backlash. Another part is politicians not giving interviews to organizations that ask them hard questions, that one was probably better in the past because there were more limited numbers of news sources.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        If you want narrow readership. Or a society that bases its current events knowledge almost strictly on headlines instead of article content.

        People can’t afford groceries. Rent. There is a profound increase in garbage both along highways and in rural locations because it’s the first utility to be sacrificed in the name of survival.

        Paying $x per month to dig deeper in on a headline, while the above is happening, isn’t going to occur on any grand scale.

        • SaltSong@startrek.website
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          1 month ago

          Do you think the news just appears on webpages for us to consume?

          Particularly in the case of investigative journalism, there is a skill involved in writing the stories, and it consumes the time and effort of many people.

          Charging money for your work is not “gatekeeping.” It’s how you keep eating.