In the beginning, software was hardwired into the computer. Then came the programmable era, where software was coded by flipping switches or input from a stack of punchcards. Man, how things have changed.
For the longest time, software came in a box. You went to the software store, overpaid for a box of mostly air, came home and installed the program.
The software arrived on floppy disks, which you dutifully shoved into the computer’s floppy drive. One disk was read, removed, and replaced by the second disk. The installation program told you when to swap disks. In some cases, you’d have to sit in front of the computer for an hour or so swapping up to 20 diskettes.
Then came the optical disc. Imagine that: Installing a program required only one CD ROM!
At some point, multiple CD ROMs were required, but then the DVD came to the rescue.
Just as multiple DVDs were expected to be required, software became available over the Internet. In fact, today’s software box is simply a code you type at website so that your computer can spend the next several hours downloading a few gigabytes of software.
I didn’t even mention the manuals: Software boxes original contained a manual. Though it was dreadful and often worse than having no manual, at least it was something. Today, help is all online and, well, still dreadful.
Now even the one-time install model is failing. That’s because all the major software developers are moving to an online subscription model. It’s the future.
Keep this in mind as you reluctantly drag yourself into an annual subscription model for all your favorite program: Manuals weren’t removed from the software box because people hated them. No, they were removed because the manuals were expensive. The beancounters justified the manual’s death because the material added weight to the box. The technical writers didn’t lose their jobs, they just wrote online content, which doesn’t have to be printed.
Now the disks and boxes are gone for the same reason: They don’t have to be produced and the developer saves money. The problem remains, however, how to deal with updates. The solution is the annual software subscription.
For a price, you get new versions of your programs all the time, automatically. No more boxes. No more worrying by the software devloper that people (specifically corporations) won’t update the software. Also, no more pressure on the developer to keep changing software to justify the updates. That’s actually a good thing.
Originally, I detested the subscription model. I’ve come to enjoy it, however. I like that the software is actually maintained, which is closer to how programs worked back in the early days; onsite programmers were constantly fixing things and addressing issues.
If you want to be a rebel, of course, you can go with freeware and other alternatives. You’ll still have to manually update. Then again, even this blog’s WordPress software is automatically updated at no cost. So, yes, the subscription model is the future.
Mmmm, who can forget the tower of 3.5 floppy’s that Win 3.1 came on. I was shocked when I got 95 on a single DVD! The manual is interesting I am a paper guy, I like my manuals as hard copy (hence my over large selection of books when it comes to moves!). I can’t say I have tried the subscription method as yet, the fear that I will always need a web connection to run the software (I tend to use desktops connected to the web!) I just think the software should be able to run when isolated from the net.
Comment by glennp — December 11, 2015 @ 4:10 am
Yes, alas, you need that Internet connection. That was one of my key questions: I want to use the program away from the net. And you can! But there are minor problems with (wait for it) Microsoft’s Office 365! I’ll be blogging about that next week specifically. But just yesterday I couldn’t get Word to work because the Microsoft server was down. And you can’t get the online help when you’re offline.
Still, I like physical books and references. They’re actually getting difficult to find. I have a HTML5 reference, but it’s only an O’Reilly pocket reference. I’d like a fat-ass book, and some are available, but not the kind of meaty references you once saw years ago.
Comment by admin — December 11, 2015 @ 8:04 am
>>”But just yesterday I couldn’t get Word to work because the Microsoft server was down”<<
Thats the reason subscription will never work, it implies that you never own the binary and that you can only access it online. I will NEVER put up with that for any program no matter how important that program is to me.
Comment by BradC — December 13, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
I understand you’re sentiment, but had I disconnected the Internet, the program would have worked fine.
This is just part of a larger issue with Microsoft and the stupid OneDrive. Adobe stuff works great with or without an Internet connection. Dropbox works just fine, waiting patiently until the connection is reestablished. Microsoft stuff goes verklempt when it can’t see the mothership. It’s a Microsoft problem. And I’ll bet it’s because, as usual, Microsoft is using its own “standards” instead of common protocols.
Comment by admin — December 14, 2015 @ 7:59 am