SaaS works when not everything is atomized into micro-profitable businesses. The problem with SaaS is it enabled subscription hell and destroyed ownership. When I buy software I reasonably expect to own my copy. No different than when I go to the store and buy a book, or buy a CD of music, or buy food. With SaaS I own nothing. My data is theirs. My stuff is theirs. It is no different than your example where software no longer works with your operating system. If you squint, you can see that once the company changes their model/raises their prices/etc it's no different than my software suddenly not working. The real difference is at least I only paid the exact cost for my utility vs. 5, 10, or even 20x as much for the same utility.
There is a dramatic difference between a world where some software is SaaS but most is owned vs. our current environment where everything is SaaS. It's the gestalt of the SaaS economy you have to look at and not the isolated cases.
Moveover the issue isn't "productivity software" really. That enhances your life. The fact I can't even own some books, music, simple software, movies, etc is the problem. It creates an environment where the average person is tied down with so many subscriptions just for things they'd normally buy once that they become more poor than would be otherwise.
I am at the point where piracy now makes more sense again and I will basically refuse to purchase any more software. To be honest, I don't care who it hurts. I am tired of being victimized by companies. One of the only software I pay for is the Jetbrains product suite because they are a company whose SaaS model is actually cooperative. Sublime is another one who has more than acceptable terms.
There is a dramatic difference between a world where some software is SaaS but most is owned vs. our current environment where everything is SaaS. It's the gestalt of the SaaS economy you have to look at and not the isolated cases.
Moveover the issue isn't "productivity software" really. That enhances your life. The fact I can't even own some books, music, simple software, movies, etc is the problem. It creates an environment where the average person is tied down with so many subscriptions just for things they'd normally buy once that they become more poor than would be otherwise.
I am at the point where piracy now makes more sense again and I will basically refuse to purchase any more software. To be honest, I don't care who it hurts. I am tired of being victimized by companies. One of the only software I pay for is the Jetbrains product suite because they are a company whose SaaS model is actually cooperative. Sublime is another one who has more than acceptable terms.