Another comment posted on John Nack's blog.
[Let's assume that doesn't happen & think creatively about other approaches. --J.] (from John Nack)
John, saying “Let’s assume that doesn’t happen” is a serious statement — that there’s no going back on this by Adobe. Wow.
This change to subscription only fundamentally changes the relationship between Adobe and its customers. It shifts control of the relationship from the customer (who chooses if and when to pay money to Adobe) to Adobe (who chooses if and when the customer can use their tools).
But then maybe this change will have hidden benefits by creating an opening for competition? There is nothing that can replace the key Adobe apps today, but that doesn't mean there cannot be something that’s good enough in a couple of years. There are some promising candidates from small, nimble software companies.
This is the cycle of the software business isn’t it. Remember when Adobe was the young upstart, the David challenging the Goliath of the entrenched monopolistic publishing/typesetting industry? Now Adobe has become the new Goliath. The cycle will repeat.