The Death of Good Software
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- Опубликовано: 18 янв 2024
- There is a lot of things happening to the software we use on our PC... Big companies are greedy, but the future looks bright! .
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once a program goes subscription, i immediately look for a replacement.
That's precisely why I refuse to use quickbooks.
Same here, I refuse to pay for something every month I might use 3 times a month
i just pirate it, sue me
Agree! A couple years ago I was finally ready to purchase an architectural software suite for $4000. But, once I noticed the new subscription model, I said NOPE! I still don't have a solution to that software!
Sadly this mentality is the minority nowadays. This people of this generation lacks resolve. Companies can do anything, change anything, and people will have to accept it because they think they can’t “survive” without it.
Too many software went the subscription route and open source ones have gotten better
For anyone who didn't want to watch the video.
Capitalism. Always trying to provide money to shareholders so everyone switches to subscription model to provide “recurring revenue” for shareholders
@@Yendi233 that's how business works. You're not going to just let your profits drop or stagnate, you'd go out of business.
@@brandonw1604 Yes, that was the logic of the current system they were pointing out - you haven't brought some sort of enlightenment into it with your comment.
R.I.P Life Time Licenses.
Shout out WinRAR for still honoring lifetime licenses and letting me pay extra for a physical disc. O.G.
The best move WinRAR ever did. And it also never expires. It was the Ultimate unpacker back then in the 90's and 2000's
You paid for winrar... based
It feels like WinRAR should cost a house because so few people buy it, but it's so cheap. I wonder how they afford to keep updating it
And internet download manager too ..
Same as Image Line and FL studio.
I just hope open source stays viable in the judicial sense. So many companies steal from open source and try to bend the rules, and companies like Apple heavily discourage use of FOSS in their devices. I wish FOSS licensing had more power, but that's a story for another time
They aren't completely defenseless. GPLv3 is very enforceable when a big company steals from that person.
Also MIT has clauses for sublicenses. So lets say someone steals my winutil and packages it up and sells it. I can then sue that person since they didn't properly license my work. The main issue folks have is getting any attorney and spending the time and money to pursue that company or individual.
@ChrisTitusTech the only real way to do that is if the MIT license is missing.
@@shewbell2176 Unlicensed software might be the easiest to protect, because literally nobody has the right to use your source code under standard copyright law
The bigger problem in the short term is having it viable from a financial sense. There's already a push to get people to talk honestly about the concept of paying for FOSS both one-off and continually.
"If paying is not owning; Then pirating is not stealing"
~AsminGold, I think
Who was the first person that started saying that
Yeah but you can’t really pirate something that you need to stay constantly connected to some server in order to be able to use.
cory doctorow
pirating data was never stealing
@@TonyLeva True I was long aware of that, but I can't recall or think of anything useful that can't be used offline and pirated, can you tell me?
It used to be those AI stuff that requires ISP but I've grown over them since youtube nor steam wants them.
The other things that can't be pirated that interested me are online-only games, but I got used to them, just don't get investd and grow attached to it.
I've been in this lifestyle for a long long time way before DMCA was an acronym, long before denuvo and long before adobe went to it's first subscription based model.
I think there was one online-only web translation service but it's not the end of the world; time will only tell. I don't have work needing such services for now.
What I hate even more is whenever a new software company with a genuinely good piece of software (with a lifetime/perpetual license model) is bought by the likes of autodesk/adobe/etc. and is paywalled behind their subscription models.
This sounds like musicmatch jukebox, yahoo bought it and destroyed it..... and I'd JUST payed for it instead of using the trial disks I'd got with other software..... that'll teach me to buy software!
It dpeends though. Some of the software that Adobe had bought they have really put money into and developed it. But at the same time, buying someone out and then discontinuing their product is a business practice (and strategic move) that many companies do, not just software companies, and for the most part, it's not illegal, unless it gives a company an unfair advantage or monopoly, then the merger/buyout is stopped usually by the SEC. But if Joe Smith wants to sell his hotdog stand to Portillos nobody is really going to stop that and it's one less competitor Portollos has.
Yep same with Adobe buying Allegorithmic substance designer and substance paint. Hopefully people will see lots of other open source solutions now exist. As well as a few Perpetual license ones.
Same thing happens in Wordpress ecosystem. Developers/companies buy free plugins and make them subscription based.
Thank the current way of doing things...it's all about money and the weak-willed individual buying into their crap...
As an open source developer and contributor I couldn't agree more with you. Thank you, Chris. for sharing this.
Do you think donation as a service (Dass) is best way to support open source/free software as way keep it alive and make funds as way to continue many projects
@@MrTheinfoman I think the real hurdle is getting adopters of open source software to contribute.
@@MrTheinfoman Why not? RUclipsrs are doing Patreon and PayPal, so I don't see why not...
I just switched to Linux and will be supporting software developers with the applications I need. I'm done with corporate crap.
So you dont use android or ios aswell?
Going foss is a process. It can be unobtainable but it will almost certainly take time.
@@antonioytm android is open source, especially if you use custom third-party ROMS.
@@vendetta.02 So you want to say that you are using android with google completely removed? I never saw that
@@antonioytm grapheneOS, fdriod and others
I work for a school as a tech teacher and our funding is limited and changes from year to year. It makes it incredibly hard to teach anything with a subscription, because we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to afford it the next year. At least some of these subscription services offer free student/tinkerer versions. But, I’ve relied heavily on open source to teach my classes. These companies are shooting themselves in the foot because they’re making the younger generation rely on open source for their education. When those kids enter the market they’ll be more likely to seek out an open source option.
keep teaching them open source, do them a favor.
@@rysterstech It should not be limited exclusively to FOSS, as there are also applications in industry that cannot be replaced by FOSS or cannot be replaced so quickly. You don't have much of a benefit if you can use GIMP and your future employer requires in-depth knowledge of Photoshop. The work processes are different in every company and are sometimes dictated by the employer or the company's own customers. So you shouldn't close your mind to either FOSS or CSS, as long as your financial resources allow it.
@@n4botzyeah, unfortunately i agree with you, so many FOSS alternative arent ready for business use, i'm dual-booting because i have to use AutoCAD occasionaly and i still havent found FOSS alternative that is ready to replace it, either missing features, or cant open the drawing properly
Freelance artists need to be constantly hustling in order to have enough money to keep feeding their Adobe masters.
Imagine if carpenters had to RENT their hammers?
They would have to finding people to pay them to building stuff, or repairing stuff to make money to be able to continue using that hammer.
I fucking despise the move to subscription models for EVERYTHING.
When I get my first job and IT and start making a little bit of money I'm going to make a point to donate $20 every month to a different project that I use. It is insane the amount of free software that is absolutely amazing quality thanks for all the developers and all the hard work.
please do, I donate 30, but i still feel sorry i dont more
I've been donating more now that I can afford to, because I know if I don't, my only option will end up being forced to pay for worse software
I donate some money to free software projects and I hope that they will copy some of the good ideas that MS and the big boys have.
There is no shame in copying good ideas.
Thanks you KDE!
I don't know why more companies don't make cross platform games.
I remember in high school convincing my parents to buy me a license to winrar. While I don't use it as much anymore they still honor their license almost 10 years later
Damn what a waste :/
7-zip was around ten years ago, you wasted your money bro
Wow, you just wasted your money on free use software.
WinRar is used for extracting and compressing within the system. Its software is 100% useless to pay for!
@@cbtillery135 i using 7zip and uninstall winrar for almost since 10 year.
I would still buy winrar if i am millionaire. Because rar have recovery record when internet at near 2000 era, which is so good when u download corrupted rar, u can recover instead of redownload. It does save my time and does really well software that is a good niche product with "fast interface and fast core feature" just like 7 zip
Ahh winrar. The only ethically licensed software, which even allows you to use it without paying for it.
Guys i know about FOSS. I'm referring to paid but ethical licenses.
As someone said... if buying it doesn't make me the owner, then pirating it doesn't make me a thief. Or one that I like even more... if buying is only renting, then pirating is only borrowing
Nobody should be willing to pay $240 for a new license each year. But they think we should if they split it up into 12 easy payments of $19.99! If it smells like a scam, it’s probably a scam.
I'm a fan of LibreOffice. I didn't switch to it solely on it being free. Microsoft Office had bugs in Excel that were driving me crazy. They would also revamp the entire interface every few years. I love the clean look and consistency of LibreOffice. It has come a long way since the StarOffice and OpenOffice days. Using it isn't a compromise for me.
OnlyOffice is better in my opinion
I had issues with Excel glitches that actively prevented me from doing homework back when I was in college. 2007 and 2010 were fine, but I dropped out and when I tried to go back, the version they had out were utterly broken, not to mention they no longer worked in Wine on Linux. That's when I switched to OpenOffice. Then the LibreOffice fork came about and OOo was deprecated, and then I realized I didn't need all the extra crap and I preferred OnlyOffice. The only part of LibreOffice that is worth installing for me is the database software, and even then there are better alternatives.
me too. I think around 2004/5, Microsoft destroyed the gui and made it all glossy and hidden. Libre let's you customize the tool strips, all visible. Once the govt accepted the open document standard, that was a sign for me to not look back. Companies waste so much money... I almost cry when I see a Citrix workstation, or somebody brings up Novell or Lotus Notes.
I have actually switched to Microsoft Office because Libre Office crashed a lot on my Windows machines. It might be more stable on Linux though (but I'm stuck on Windows because of work).
Disabling GPU hardware acceleration helped somewhat, but it was still unstable.
2 out of my 3 machines have Nvidia gpu's, so that might have something to do with that. And 4K displays.
Libre Office seemed more stable on my AMD laptop, but I also use it less often than my workstations.
But it's really annoying when you're working on a 50 page document and Libre Office craps out. It made me buy Microsoft Office. And yes, I don't like the UI either, but at least it just works.
@@marcs8325 That may be the 4k/Nvidia thing versus the LibreOffice gui framework. I never had to max out a word document, but I can imagine the memory buffer code butts up against the OS handling the pagefile... versus how Linux swap works. Again, that is a buffer stemming from the gui presentation. Windows already consumes 3gb, so other apps, like a browser w tabs, would totally be pagefile dump. Windows will use pagefile often while Linux won't touch swap. That's heap memory management difference.
you buy that lifetime license and they change the name and rebrand the same crap and no more lifetime licenses!
I’ve lost count how many times I have fell fowl to this. Some of this software wasn’t cheap either for the life time licence.
My old company did stuff like this. They would sell "perpetual" licenses but they were worthless. Without maintenance plans and continued updates the software would become significantly limited if not crippled after as little as a year.
The alternative is the company going bust due to lack of sales, in which case you lose anyway, and so do they along with everyone else, as there will be no more updates nor innovation. Have you considered that already?
When you buy a piece of software, you buy it for what it does for you NOW, not for what it will or might do in the future (if it wasn't good enough now, you would NEVER buy it). What thus makes anyone think that this one time purchase should entitle them to YEARS of someone else's work in terms of new features, etc, for free?!
The problem is that people forget others need to eat too, and that companies are not (all) big faceless anonymous corporations. Companies are made of people, and all of them need to feed their families too. Would anybody let their families starve to death while they work for free just so others can happily enjoy the benefit of their hard work without a care in the world?! No way!
As a software developer (and someone who hates RENTAL software with a passion) I try to do what is fair to BOTH me and my customers: when they purchase a new product, I give them 1 year of free upgrades. Anything they get during that year is theirs to keep FOREVER. After that year, however, if they wish to install any new updates then they must pay a fraction of the initial purchase price - this in turn will entitle them to another year of free updates and so on.
At no point are they forced to renew their upgrade subscription or having to do it every year - they only have to do it when they see an update they are interested in AND that update is no longer covered by their 1 year of free updates.
Think about it: no business can survive without returning customers, as sooner or later the market becomes saturated. For those who fell into the trap of offering life time licenses, the only solution then is to do what the op described above.
@@JcRabbit the issue here is the bait and switch (and sometimes the breach of contract by not honouring the lifetime licensing). I don't care about the company's sales or survival, if they made a contract and accepted my money they are supposed to give what they promised in return. Not change the contract when they feel like it. Because I can also "change the contract" when I feel like it and install a "patched" version of their software to use all pro features for free
@@marcogenovesi8570 You may not care about the company's sales or survival, but you do care about updates with new features useful to you, otherwise what good would a lifetime license be?
If the business goes under, you are also affected by it because you will get zero updates, pirated or otherwise. So you actually have a vested interest in the company not going under, whether it being fueled by pure self interest or not.
Anyway, I do not condone businesses doing what the op described (I certainly never did this) but I understand and explained why they might be forced to do something like that. You might not agree, but at least you now know why and what the alternative is.
Something else the business can do is to stop development of that particular app, dedicating resources to something new and more lucrative. The end result to the user with his 'lifetime upgrades' is the same: zero updates.
These days paying for updates is fortunately much more accepted than it was 20 years ago, when the norm for most small software companies was 'lifetime upgrades'. Paid upgrades are fair to both the user AND the business, and in the end BOTH benefit from it.
Speaking of life time licenses. Sandboxie saved my ass on windows back in early 2000s wild west days. Sandboxie had a lifetime license for about $50 and for use on any personal devices when it was closed source. The original author sold the software to one company, who than sold the software to another company. the lifetime license was honored for several years until the last company ended support but they made an honourable decision to open source the code. Now there's an open source fork maintainer who has the free version that has features on par with the old paid for version and a "subscription" model terms where you can get 1 year of updates and new features for $40 or $1000 for lifetime license. Obviously the lesson here is the lifetime license for $50 was not sustainable at all. But the open source author lets you keep the older versions unlocked after the 1 year license expires. While way more expensive I still think this is pretty fair. He is pretty active and also lets project contributors get a lifetime license which is really cool. The free version is on par with the original paid version features.
that's awesome
People just want a fair deal but most especially no one wants to be those guys bread-winner or child-supporter like adobe autodesk
Uh, the "free version" is the so called "Sandboxie Classic"?
classic just has the old interface. both versions are free @@Sypaka
@@balsalmalberto8086Sandboxie Plus costs money for a commercial licence. And in practice, all use of a sandbox tool is commercial because you use it to avoid the expense of replacing a computer destroyed by malware, or repairing the damage malware does.
I 100% believe what you're you're saying is true.
For me, the end user. I can't *stand* it when something like Office wants me to just rent something.
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However, for me, the business owner ... SAAS works quite well for not just a distributed workforce, but also for ensuring documents are OK.
I also moved to open source softwares, Davinci, free office, free pdf, audacity and some more. In starting its pain to move but after a months its great. 😅
davinci is great, really greatful that they have it free for personal use. How else am I supposed to learn and know if your $200 software is good lol.
You and your team continue to amaze me with the quantity and quality of your work. That's why I try to continually support you as a member. Thanks CTT!
I've seen some engineering software use a model that I really like. You buy a lifetime license that comes with one year of updates and tech support. If you want to keep access to updates and tech support for another year, you can pay 10% of what it would cost to purchase a new license. If you ever miss a payment, you're just stuck on that version
I installed Kubuntu for my daughter to use and was surprised at how many good free games are available these days. Seeing Planet Blubi was so nice because I loved that as a child and now she is playing it.
you are one of the people i really enjoy watching talk about this stuff. it’s a reality check, seeing the bad and the good, and how to move between them. here’s to the future!
lol - I wrote some shareware in 2004 and sold it for a one time price of fifteen dollars, with free upgrades for as long as I kept making them. 20 years and many many upgrades latter, the price has gone up for people buying new versions, but everyone (including those who bought as far back as 20 years ago) still get free upgrades. Every so often people try and send me a second payment, but I usually end up refunding it. This is the way!
If only more people had your commitment. I don't because I don't own any businesses
Big no no to subscription services.
Microsoft Flight Simulator X was a purchase that stopped working somewhere along the line. To get it to work again, they said I need to buy a new license.
Nero Burning ROM?… didn’t know that still existed 😂
Gotta say I think Chris is the only person I know ever bought it. It was a staple of pirated software packs. No wonder they switched to subscriptions.
@@Kermit2k the other person was me
I've used imgburn for ages. Sadly still needed in my business.
I recently set up my dad with some upgraded hardware for his work, vinyl graphics and design, and as a result we went to upgrade his design programs so they could run on windows 11. They did not have a way to do it on their website without a subscription. A minimum of $70/month. I had to contact their support team and insist on a one time license for the current version because my dad will use it for another 10 years just like he did the last version he bought. They charged somewhere around $5000 just to get the non-subscription license.
What software was it? Name and shame.
@@Shmuklidooha Good ol SAi FlexiSign.
Ehhh...too expensive for my blood.
I agree with Chris that this is great. I do not use any SaaS. If any software I use goes that subscription route, I quickly drop that software. I do willingly subscribe to the Louis Rossman theory "I will own everything, and they will be pissed"
I too have found that learning Linux has also helped me learn more/deeper in Windows, as well as computers/computing in general. (I use Linux as my main, but it is dual booted with Win 7. I have one laptop on Win 10, not eligible for upgrade to Win 11, so when it EOLs Linux will be on the laptop also).
Hah. That's why I never got into WoW
when software companies get worse (rapid onset encrapification) it's often a desperate plea to get as much money as possible before people just use the next best thing
I actually found about you from that first windows optimization script, subscribed to you right away, and watched every video ever since. Thank you so much for making great content ❤
I just want to say I love your content and the way you present it as its very much my speed. I've been subscribed for at least a year and I look forward to whatever you put out in the future!
I bought Malwarebytes antimalware years ago before they changed and they still honour that licence code. Still works today with their latest version.
I cant remember the last piece of software I paid for. Been many many years. I just muse my computers. NOT including Steam games.
Chris is a huge inspiration for me. Especially because of my mental health, I am always torn apart from "what to use", "wich is best" and so on... I am always trying out new Distros, switching back to Windows, then to Linux again.
But his videos and advice really helped me to find, what I like best. Especially the "Use the Right Tool for the Right Situation" part. The way he is able to explain tech is really helpful, especially for people like me - tech savy enough to try things out - not tech savy enough to make scripts or even code.
Chris, I'm so proud of you and your community and all this contribution for humanity. Big props!!!! Keep up the good work.
FOS also has added benefit of being (usually) free of bloat and unwanted processes making older computers still relevant.
dude you are all over it.. 100% on it.. love it, keep producing
Thanks Chris. Great information and very helpful. Thanks also for all the hard work you and your put in. Take care.
When I’m looking for software, I especially search for one time purchase ones and ignore all the BS monthly subscription software.
Proprietary software was never "good software" - the main thing it is "good at" is making money for corporations. I went (from DOS) to Linux and Free Software in the mid 90's and have ZERO regrets.
I have been reconditioning computers for 40 years and since finding your script it's made installation of windows on old computers that allegedly aren't compatible so much easier that i can't believe it unfortunately not many people will use Linux or the free software & still prefer to pay through the nose for it.
@@VioFax and they will complain more when some websites dont work due to the ad blocker
I LOVE that you ask the question rather than... well you said it. So cool all the videos are just like 'change BAD!!' instead your like 'is change bad?' awesome stuff much appreciated.
Love your stuff man. You keep it real. Thank you!
Just like UbeSoft announced their "Sub to own games instead of fully paying to own a game"
Da fk is going on with Subscription based model.
Life is a subscription if you think about it. You pay to live; you pay to heal and pay to DIE. It's a double edge sword this though, you don't have money? you die slowly.
When companies move towards subscription models, piracy will increase ten fold.
Piracy isn't rampant in developed countries because of the laws and punishment
@@containedhurricane But that's where VPNs come to play and yes I am aware that some countries have banned VPNS...ahem China,
When I used Windows, I used your debloater script and it was one of the greatest things. Hands down one of the best things I've used on Windows and will gladly say I help support the project. Keep up the good work, Chris!
Microsoft loves their bloat-ware
I have a 2013 stand-alone suite of Office with all of the stuff offered by the latest subscription service. I use it for home and club business. I am also retired and on a month-to-month income. These yearly/ monthly "deals" are a killer to us.
You know one thing I would like to see with your app is a way to search for a software's function. For example I need compression software, But I have no clue what 7-Zip is, Or I need a password manager I think you have several, Back up software, etc . I know you can hover over to get a description but adding something like a +button to get full description of every software purpose would help if you need something but you have no clue of the names. I know you can hover over to get a description but having them as a toggle all listed when needed helps with quickly scanning to see what software actually does.
The only cloud services that make sense are the ones that require big servers like early chatgpt until companies start adding ai chips and running the models locally.
AI requires a lot of training data, there doesn't seem much point in everyone processing the same data to come up with the model parameters. In fact, that would be a huge waste of resources. You could open source the models.
The worst thing ever is those phone apps that require like a $1.99 monthly subscription or something. Just charge me a one-time fee. I just avoid apps that require monthly subscriptions altogether, but sometimes there aren't even any other options for a particular solution.
TY for your work. Am a huge FOSS lover. I've learned a lot being on both Linux and Windows what I like to use.
Video games came with extra characters, gear, etc and now its all dlc.
Of course there are exceptions like Stardew Valley, and Minecraft (Java edition at least).
i will never use a software where you have to pay per month/year, i went from adobe to affinity, and i will do this with every program that changes to subscription only mode, there are also a lot of free opensource apps that are almost the same like the paid ones
krita and inkscape for graphics,open office for office tasks,toucan for backup sync and encrypt,nlender for 3D modelling,
gimp image editor,shotcut video editor,infra recorder full-featured CD and DVD burner,bandlab music creation,etc, too many to name them all, but choice enough
Really loved the insight. Thank you so very much.
My wife is a hobbyist graphic designer and uses the Adobe suite of software. The problem with their subscription model is that it literally costs more than what she makes using it. Plus, she is concerned (as am I) about who owns your data when you store it on the cloud. The problem I see is that the big software devs (Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, etc.) have entrenched themselves so deeply into their industries that the cost to change is prohibitive. The desktop publishing industry is literally owned by Adobe. If you're using something else, you risk irrelevance. This is where, I think, a really strong open source movement is needed. Same with Microsoft. Theres got to be a more compelling reason for people to care about switching from Windows and Office. For me, it was liberty. But really, thats not a strong position for a lot of people.
1 problem, opensource is written by people who work in large companies, otherwise they would die of hunger
Its actually a little bit of everything. GNU and Linux make up a ton of open source and all those people don't work at a large company. All my programming work is open source and I don't. You can even take more professional programmers like theprimagen and while he does work at Netflix as an engineer most of his open source project contributions aren't even done during work hours.
The knowledge you gain from doing open source far outweighs the monetary gain. The skills I learn today from having my project open source are easily transferable into a paying job. The benefits are there for all to see and in my case the donations are even greater than money I make from RUclips. I understand I'm part of the few where it is viable, but it is.
Do you have any data to backup your claim?
Of course people need money to survive with the system we currently have, but working at a big company is not the only way. lol.
You are not wrong sir, You're tool is absolutely amazing and I thank you for the hard work. I have decided a long time ago, that I no longer will support the rent our software for X dollars a month. If a company goes this way, I start searching for an paid alternative that is not subscription. It has gotten out of hand as these greedy companies are not happy until they fleece you!
"If paying is not owning; then pirating is not stealing"
~AsmonGold, maybe
I've been on Linux for so many years now I hadn't even noticed the subscription model. Can't remember the last time I had to pay for any software let alone think about paying monthly for it.
Great video. One thing to add, even users are willing to pay for these software / SAAS products, these companies are getting user's personal info and selling them for more $$$. It's a win win for the company but the buyer is always getting the short end of the stick.
Also concerning thing is "lifetime licenses", let's say I've bought it, it's defined differently by different companies and if this software is sold and the new owners decide to not honour old purchases, what to do then?
I think Inkscape is a really good alternative voor Illustrator, but Gimp has to develop more to beat Photoshop especially on the CMYK use.
CMYK is needed only when you need to print something.
That is kind of old school most of time.
Every professional works in CMYK. Unless you do Game Design, then RGB is fine.
@@Wasper216
I make websites, application UI, movie assets, game assets... everything is RGB. No one is using CMYK. It is only for printing. Prints belongs to same place as C-casettes. We have displays today.
Those rare cases when it is to print something it still doesn't matter much because those companies that print don't understand color calibration so it is safe to make reference how it should look and require that prints look same.
Thank you for your insight, you convinced me to go over to Linux and I have been using it ever since and while occasionally I still use Windows it is to run a program that I bought and own and not the newest version but something that still serves my purpose. I agree with the future is with open source and the change is coming slowly but surely.
I run Linux but EVERY time I install Windows on a machine, or help a friend out with their computer, the FIRST thing I do is run your Windows utility. It's also crazy how much better & broader it has become. Thanks
When I used Windows, I loved Acronis. Way back, I installed it once, but I did not like it or the business model. Every third version or so, I would buy a copy and then go to the website, log in and download the Bootable CD. I used that bootable version to do backup and restores on so many computers. I could create a single image of a PC at work and then use that to put a new PC on the network in minutes, only having to change the name of the PC before connecting it to the ethernet. It was a game changer for me. The only reason I had to buy newer versions, was to keep current drivers that would boot on newer hardware.
I switched about a year ago to use UrBackup as recommended by Chris. It has been great, backing up and deploying to 100s of PCs. Now UrBackup boot usb will not boot our newest Dell Opti 5000! I’ve spent hours upon days trying to solve this dilemma. 😢😵💫🤕
You should not be allowed to offer something for "purchase" when you don't own it when you pay. Call it a lease or subscription so people know what they are getting.
I respect devs who stick with the one time purchase for major versions model. I’m perfectly fine paying for software as long as I feel like the price is fair and the dev(s) are respectful
I refuse to pay a monthly fee for software I used to buy outright. If it comes to the point where that is my only choice I will throw my computer out and stop using the damn thing!
If you think you can just throw your computer away and that'll be the end of it, you clearly don't know how dependent society is and will be in the future for technology/internet.
A lot of software that is subscription based requires internet access to use, which is the really bad side, what if internet is down? How you supposed to use what you paid for? There's of course arguments for all this. I'll stick to my guns and say it's mostly about a group trying to control another group.
I feel the same way. Although before throwing the computer, I think I'd pirate the software first.
Perhaps you should put an 'open source' sticker behind those programs? Kind of another way to promote them.
Thank you for all you do!!! GREAT video!!!!!!
I remember back when Adobe made Photoshop and all their other things into a subscription service and people were unknowingly defending it. Saying that because it's a "industry standard" they'd have to keep buying the new versions as they come out anyway and this is cheaper in the long run. Others would say back that they don't understand where it's going and explain it won't be anywhere close to as good as they think when they raise prices and stop caring about the software because it's the only option people have and they have to live with it. But they'd still deny it and say they would easily get that money back and then some from the work they'd get out of it. Fast forward until today: Sure enough the software got worse and prices went up even more.
On top of that, tech companies pay much lower wages than they used to and are laying off people left and right, devaluing workers more and more despite the workers making the products that make the companies the big bucks.
I seen through all their BS to begin with though and have long since transitioned over to open source. Never' been happier too as not only can I get the software to run how I want, but I can also contribute towards it.
The future is so bright I got to wear shades
The future is bright because it is burning like hell
great song
Love your scriptware ! One suggestion. Sometimes older versions of software are preferred. For example, Audacity sold out to a Russian company and had changes (since rescinded) that looked like spyware. Is it possible to offer older version installation on select software? Thanks !
You're the Best! Tnx for the wonderful script Chris!
Hey Chris, Is there a way that you can incorporate in your Winutil "software" an option to magnify your fonts. I'm having a hard time reading it with it's current size
Windows 10 & 11 finally convinced me to switch to Linux after 30 years as a Widows user. I never looked back. The only thing I possibly miss is the Desktop version of OneNote, where you keep all your notes on your disk, and not in the cloud. Was never interested in the Browser based spy/crippleware version of OneNote. Still waiting for an opensource maybe self hosted version, but found some workarounds.
> "I possibly miss is the Desktop version of OneNote, where you keep all your notes on your disk, and not in the cloud. Was never interested in the Browser based spy/crippleware version of OneNote"
Aren't you just describing normal file storage?
In any case take a look at NAS servers.
Give cherrytree a try as a possible onenote replacement. It doesn't have as many features but it is pretty good.
I use .md files and Syncthing, works great.
I'm glad I'm using Linux and not renting any software. It's all free and I just donate to projects I used the most often.
Still using Adobe Acrobat Pro from 2011. Got the disc free when I bought a scanner. If I had been paying the subscription model they have now for the last 13 years it would have cost me $3100!
Kudos to you good sir i will follow along from now on
I quit Nero when they got obviously greedy. I did this with all manner of software, and this last year I have accepted Linux and all the free-to-use software and if I should have no choice to leave Windows, I think I won't even notice.
I wont be surprised when microsoft make windows 12 a subscription OS
Lol yeah it's one of the reasons why I switch to Mac.
Already done! Windows 365 subscription/cloud edition. 😮
Once they force users to do that it will be the end of them.
"Picture it 99" got me in to Photoshop, every ver. Afterward blew!
Hi Chris and greetings from Ireland. I just came across your channel today. I'm almost sixty-six and I was very interested in your Windows tier list. Now I must say that most of your stuff is way over my head. I've been using computers since day one, yeah the tape drive and dial up modem, 64k if memory serves me well. Due to circumstances I had a two year break from computers. I bought a pretty high spec laptop just over a week ago. I found it a little bit harder to "tweak" Windows 11 to my own specs and I had forgotten quite a bit. I missed Windows 10 and my laptop runs Windows 11. It's got a Ryzen 7 CPU and 16 Gigs of RAM. A 500 Gig SSD is more than adequate for my needs. I have no tech training whatsoever, the bits I know I learned from my mistakes down the years. I loved Windows 8.1, I know that you ranked it pretty low. It's too early for me to give my opinion on Windows 11 but I am very impressed with the performance of the laptop. A lot of the "tweaks " are much the same but harder to find. I am impressed with Windows Security, I almost typed Defender! You gave an excellent piece of advice about security; it's rarely the computers fault, it's the user. I really like your content and I look forward to binge watching the rest of your videos. My next project is to remove bloatware. My son would be able for the really compex stuff. He builds his own gaming desk tops. I will let him know about your channel. Thank you for your uploads, some great info even for an old dog like me. 👍
fun fact: "lifetime" purchases are not legally protected and can be taken away from you at any time
Learn Linux! LibreOffice! Brasero! God bless Linus Torvalds!
Everybody is gangsta ( thinking it is Windows 10 )
Until Chris right clicked on the start button.
and things got out of the roof when powershell opened...
I haven't seen Nero software in about 20 years. I had totally forgotten about them😭
you'll own nothing and be happy
I use your script all the time. I greatly appreciate people like you who produce such helpful tools to get my PC running like it should. THANKS
I still use a Mac that can boot into 10.6 (Snowleopard) and do 80% of my day to day work and personal stuff in Appleworks. I didn't learn all those keyboard shortcuts for nothing.
as awesome as open source software is, i hesitate to agree with the idea that its definitely the future. while there is most certainly open source stuff thats better than your standard commercial software, ive just as often (if not more so) come across software which isnt quite there, software that has a million switches with worthless documentation behind them, software that is buggy, or even straight up abandoned.
and because of the free nature of it, projects are reliant on donations (which only the most hardcore users will do), and/or the generosity of its developers. that isnt always the best environment for fixing bugs or streamlining UX. you hardcore users will take the steep learning curve and casual users will leave. plus taking a look at the insane number of forks some stuff has and just finding out what even the differences are, which are abandoned, and if it even matters can sometimes be a nightmare when i just want to do something and not play around with the software.
open source is great. but it is not without its flaws and sometimes it feels like people dont see that.
Software that is buggy? Like Windows 10 and 11 and the destructive badly written updates? Yeah . . . . Oh, and Adobes inability to stop their software crashing in the middle of a job!
More like people choose to not look into it. I like Libre Office but my experience so far is not really pleasant. Scrolling up and down in Calc is choppy and laggy and Impress is just bad. Also my family kinda have this 'alergy' with alternative app due to their 'efficient' mindset (if the alternative took more time to do a same thing as the original then it is trash). They rather explore the internet looking for that Office 2019 crack rather than use the real free one. Can't forget the day when my brother frustrated to me because I install Libre in our office computer that later repurposed as server because the table button moved somewhere else and I forgot for a split second.
@@duncanny5848 all software is susceptible to bugs, regardless of whether its open or closed source; similarly this is not a black and white issue, i have experienced open source software working amazingly and proprietary softwae working terribly.
my point was, however, that when selling a piece of software, you have a financial incentive to fix bugs, and otherwise improve your software (and to do so at a solid pace), and a potential financial punishment if they don't (i.e. when people ask for refunds / stop buying bc bad reviews). for open source software, however, this is less applicable. fixing bugs becomes something that may only get done when prioritised by the contributors. sure, for your big pieces of software that have dozens of contributors and so on, this is less of an issue; but you also see software maintained by a single person who may prefer to add more features because its more interesting, or maybe just doesnt have the time to squash a ton of bugs in a timely manner. if bugs don't get fixed, they might get some complaints but theyre doing this in their free time and lose basically nothing when someone decides to not use it.
in an ideal situation, open source software works amazingly. but it is so often when things are not quite ideal.
And proprietary software can have the same issues, if not being even more buggy, and worse, you have to paid for it. So, what's your point?
Chris, you hit the nail on the head, when you said corporate greed or greed.
If, all the companies charged a £1 or $1 or €1 etc, the would probably have millions of users paying happily. Instead they charge way to high and only have thousands of end users, the rest are using open source software.
There's a reason that piracy has been making a big comeback recently. Nobody can afford all these subscriptions for streaming and software.
Hm, a single buck might do the job, if you have thousands of paying users. But what about OSS that only has a small target group. Like contoller software for disabled people.
@@andreas7944 So because some people are disabled, everyone should pay out of their nose for Adobe products? Sorry but I fail to see your logic.
@@andreas7944 I have not heard of OSS.
I do know, that it is the hardware used for helping users adapt to computers better that costs the money and not the software side.
It depends on the ethos of the company behind, really. When Reason went subscription vs permanent (they offer both) I changed to subscription and haven't looked back to be honest. It is constantly updated, you get a lot of useful extras that you have to pay for aside if you have a permanent license and you get to try any new feature first. I really like it.
I just installed windows 11 yesterday and like 80% of my computer setting up that I used to have to do was solved just by installing your program. I have to thank you because You've probably saved me hours yesterday, and overall probably has saved me at least an entire day or more worth of time on family PCs
Can you please make a video of how you use Chris's software to setup a computer or give a link to video where he explains how to use it for that purpose? Thank you in advance
Interesting take. I heard the next Windows might be subscription based. I wonder if that will give Linux another large push. As a gamer it has me a bit worried, since Games (and graphic card drivers) are still primarily made for a Windows environment. While Linux has caught up in supporting many games, it still lags behind. We still have a bit of a lock-in situation with Windows.
I dont think the base os will be subscription based, but the smart features will be subscription only. Thats after they get people hooked on them though, so you still have some time
There is no need to "upgrade". I'm currently running windows 10 ltsc IOT and it will get updates until 2032! then at that point i'l just switch to Linux completely.
@@ackimcu I'm on Win10 as well, but at some point I'll be missing features such as new versions of Directx.
@@realmike Directx 13 should be compatible with win10. And even if it aint, Win11/12 is so trash .. i'd be willing to live without certain games if need be
@@realmike The Spyware, crappy performance and UI. Not to mention the forced AI that is useless and no ones going to use, Im good lol
Photoshop is one of the only software I can think of where I thought it was a step in the right direction. Adobe used to charge $500 - $1000 for Photoshop, and they still charged 50% for an upgrade license every 2 years which simply wasn't realistic for most users. This resulted in Photoshop being among the most pirated software for over a decade. Asking for $10/month was a nice welcome and made many pirate users move to the subscription model.
We'd be locked out of our project files if we don't pay the subscription fee. That's why I bought Affinity for my personal projects and I'm still waiting for essential Photoshop features in GIMP
the rise of FOSS has been a wonderful thing to see. were beginning to see these products from bigger companies get completely undercut by community-driven endeavors. pretty awesome shit fr
What I would like is a solid solution for a CNC replacement for carveco or aspire. We have a very mature inkscape. How hard could it be to add in a fully fledged path module equivalent to those softwares?
FreeCAD can do some CNC
I subscribed for one reason: I like your perspective on matters-computer. 8 times out of 10, I don’t know fully-know what you’re talking about - but that’s the point: You’re a good teacher with an attitude of fairness. Thank you.
I was thinking about the exact same thing while shopping for an OCR software to digitize my library. I miss those days