Final Draft revokes perpetual software license for your own security; how nice of them!!

[@rossmanngroup]

wiki.rossmanngroup.com/ - help create the best collection of _"you will own nothing"_ consumer protection on the internet. ublockorigin.com/ - i never say *"trust me"* - i am going to be a hypocrite and break my own rule here. *TRUST ME,* you will prefer the internet you have after installing this. sponsor.ajay.app/ - avoid annoying youtube in-video ads that are often unrelated to the video and completely unvetted.

[@legitjeff7298]

Are you getting paid from this sponsor?

[@wyred]

Best sponsors ever.

[@QuantumPickleJar]

Hey, thats kick-ass. Curious how that works and will peek at its guts thanks to its open source status!

[@bawitdaba1337]

I also highly recommend "DeArrow" also by ajay, replaces titles and thumbnails with the highest crowdsourced title/thumbnail. Frees KZbin of clickbait.

[@FreeFireFull]

I've been using Ublock Origin for many years now. Honestly, it is the only thing that makes watching youtube tolerable for me, otherwise the video ads would have driven me away from the website long ago. I know that the video creators do need to get paid somehow, and I wouldn't mind banner ads, but.. Video ads are just not worth it.

[@BDnevernind]

The recursive irony of a Sponsor Block ad read is magnificent.

[@ventilate4267]

And being marked as a sponsor with sponsorblock

[@stickmandaninacan]

its blocked with sponsorblock already, a beautiful thing to see

[@D-Ogi]

The hilarious fact is that SponsorBlock skips automatically this sponsor block sponsored by SponsorBlock xD

[@Mr.Riojas]

Oh LOL... excellent point on the irony there :D

[@miken3963]

The only thing that's missing is the option to skip to the highlight. And by that I mean the exact frame when Clinton finally gets some attention.

[@LFPGaming]

"buy" "own" "warranty" "purchase" "perpetual" "lifetime" none of these words mean anything anymore in today's world it seems

[@vehicle-stuff]

You can add moral values, respect, common sense...

[@Reptilia12]

Inconceivable!

[@Brato1986]

So should Piracy to.

[@4TheRecord]

If you can't own anything then you can't steal it either. Piracy isn't theft :)

[@iHawke]

Words in general means nothing these days

[@havenisse2009]

I love the wording "old software MAY not work and give you problems". actually, I can install WordPerfect 5 or Office 97 on a Windows 11 and it will work just fine. Forever. The argument is only to scare you.

[@rossmanngroup]

I still have my floppy disk of Gertrude's secrets from 1986. archive.org/details/msdos_Gertrudes_Secrets_1986

[@НиколайЛамберт]

I think they will make anything they can do to make it stop working soon.

[@deoxysandmew2162]

They can sought out the "update" to make it "a problem to use". Create a problem, sell the solution.

[@mveldt]

Still using MS Office 2003 on Windows 11, works great and is very fast

[@andym2612]

I use Office XP on Windows 7

[@jmi967]

How it should read: We are not providing support for this version anymore. This is what the new version provides: If you buy the upgrade before , we will give it to you at instead of . If you’d rather continue using this version, here’s a patch to allow you to continue being able to install it. Thank you for being a valued customer.

[@robertsmith2956]

Maybe a PS, Our latest and greatest won't run on your machine probably.

[@SimonGreen85]

Yes a patch or ini file. Or whatever !

[@jbutler8585]

You're assuming there is a at all. Unless some widespread new encoding comes out, there probably isn't anything except UI shuffling and increasingly minor bugfixes. As for them playing the 'security concerns' card, my immediate and overwhelming response is: This software better not have an exploitable network footprint at all! And it better have an option to permanently shut off the only possible vector, the update check.

[@GGigabiteM]

I have a customer that is a land surveyor. He uses this ancient piece of software for drawing survey plots from like 1993. When it was discontinued, the rep from the company just gave him the activator program to generate an activation key. That being said, the software is still a pain in the ass to run, it was originally designed for Windows 3.1 and later 95. Since it relies on ancient Windows GDI calls, it doesn't run on anything past Windows 7, and really XP is where it starts to break. So I maintain two equally old Optiplex 755s with Windows XP for him to use his software. He says that paying me to support his old software is cheaper than buying a modern surveying program that costs thousands of dollars, and the steep learning curve to learn the new software. He's well past retirement age and such an expenditure of money doesn't make any sense.

[@masterkamen371]

Mate I've pirated the latest Photoshop for a bit. Compared to PS 7 that I've been using on my PowerBook G3, they have not added any features that I would really use. In twenty five years. As an analog photographer working in a darkroom, I can pretty much do anything with the few basic tools alone. I don't need any AI crap, thanks. So is it worth paying hundreds every year for that?

[@m-a-t-t6869]

I quickly downloaded sponsor block when you mentioned it and it immediately skipped to the end of the sponsor block segment lmao

[@1vbAPiYk]

lol

[@deltamico]

immediade function demonstration

[@SmookinJoe]

LOL...sorry couldn't help it

[@kal4950]

I also had to try it out lmao

[@MXCN_El1011]

sponsor block: sorry force of habit

[@kamilfilipowicz]

I've bought like 15 years ago perpetual license for my company for some (back then) niche type of software. 5 years ago i got e-mail they're disabling the authorization servers and if i ever want to reinstall the software, i'm to go to their website and use old key to redeem newer version and install that. It worked just fine, with no missing functionality and no noticeable "unwanted feature", so i'm pretty fine with that solution.

[@masterkamen371]

It's only the "too great to fail" companies that do this always online BS. My school got licenses for engineering software some fifteen years ago and the software is still running fine. No activation servers, no internet integration at all. The computers are on Windows 7 and not networked. The licenses are all permanent. Truly permanent. As long as computers exist that can run the software, you will have your license. Now, the question remains of whether it is worth paying $4500 for a license to software that to this day only runs on a single core and a single thread. My monster PC cannot run a fucking 555 astable simulation in that software at more than ⅒ real time speed. I just used a keygen to generate a license key.

[@DeadHorse666]

That's still not a solution as they're forcing you onto a newer version that can introduce unwanted features if they're not already hidden such as telemetry used to train ai as well as heavier system requirements which can come along in the future. Once people start saying they're ok with a rapist mentality forced upgrade without consent, companies will push it.

[@quademasters249]

That's how we've done it for the past 20 year.

[@Xalies]

There should be a law requiring that any software that needs activation via a online service should be patched to disable that activation requirement upon the software EOL

[@Brato1986]

100000% this, there are examples that did it, like the game Supreme Commander, the devs patches it so it goes via community now and still works with own servers.

[@CookieCraftMedia]

Sounds like common sense, and it’s such a simple law to put into place. But alas, politicians aren’t qualified to understand common sense

[@tpd1864blake]

This is the exact argument being used in the StopKillingGames campaign. Just getting that for video games is already very difficult, let alone all licenses software

[@opiegonebad58]

Absolutely. Not only that, there should be a way for the end user to disable that activation without the need of the company to do it in case the company goes belly up prior to deactivation.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

​@@opiegonebad58 if software can function with the activation requirement disabled it shouldn't have the activation requirement to begin with

[@Bamamarama]

Me using Microsoft word 2007, that I absolutely did not steal from work more than a decade ago. Works perfect. Installed on multiple machines over the years, never fails. Can't deactivate my CD.

[@sirmonkey1985]

glad to see i'm not the only one still using office 2007 because of the same reason, lol.

[@Power-Wiesel]

Libreoffice

[@MrZetor]

I use Office 2003, and will NEVER update it! The 'ribbon' idiocracy must be the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Why break something that works, and looks good? I have the Windows XP look mod on my Win 10, and if it's not available for Win11, I'll go for Linux when Win10 support ends.

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

@@sirmonkey1985 Same here, Office 2007

[@acmhfmggru]

​@@MrZetoroffice 2003 is incompatible with many modern formats and all modern features. I guess you write a lot of letters to yourself, because you aren't interacting with real people sending real files... You'd be wise to update, or at least to recognize that your aversion to change isn't a point of pride.

[@Azrtheal]

Perpetual licenses should be PERPETUAL!

[@leonro]

You'd normally think so, perhaps because you are a sane person, but those wonderful people who sell you perpetual licences are apparently free to change the definition of the term "perpetual" unilaterally and free of consequences after the sale is done.

[@skycloud4802]

I've been burned by perpetual licences before. The companies sneakily stop updating the product, breaking it. Then they release another version of it, this time with subscription model and ads.

[@LordHonkInc]

"perpetual" is just going through the same linguistic shift as "literally" did. I'm just waiting for the entry in Merriam-Webster's to read perpetual, adjective 1a: continuing forever : everlasting b(1): valid for all time (2): holding something (such as an office) for life or for an unlimited time 2: in effect: lasting for a limited time

[@Azrtheal]

​@@skycloud4802 Or intentionally input breaks into it to where you get frustrated with the program, call support, "nothing they can do", and then they try and push you to buy the new version because "your old version doesn't work with today's systems".

[@iRelevant.47.system.boycott]

No such thing. In small print somewhere in the contract is the right to cancel the licence for any or no reason, with a refund kinda. The legal voodoo is grand. Let's not start on "Lifetime free updates".

[@Planeta1951]

This is a reverse piracy. They just decided that from "tomorrow" you no longer own the copy you paid for, since you cannot activate it. Same way users may decide to use a copy of SW without activating it and paying for it.

[@blango-san]

If some other users decide not to pay, why would the company make it the paying customer's problem? Unless the company is of the asshole-ish variety. If anything, this behavior does actually promote piracy, so the users could have some means to get what they had paid for.

[@user-vq8fq1ty7c]

Planned obsolesence may not be a felony crime - but it damn well should be.

[@wolphin732]

And one which can pierce the corporate veal... and one where it is considered theft and fraud of each and every sale of the version of software.

[@cjthebeesknees]

The robber barons from the gilded age just rebrand and continue plundering.

[@SkyyySi]

This here isn't planned obsolesence though. This is just plain contract violation.

[@wombatillo]

@SkyyySi They will keep doing all of these shenanigans if they keep making money and keep getting away with it.

[@aussiegruber86]

My iPad is lucky to last half a day now, it’s only 1.5 years old. 100% got a dodge going on in the background, my 6 year old Samsung tablet actually lasts longer.

[@paulw7404]

Im using an accounting program that is over 20 years old! By not "Upgrading" to the subscription based version I have saved my business over $30,000. Still works to this day even with all of the tax changes etc. Same with NOT using Microsoft 365 (saving $10,000). I have also saved a client $50,000+ in the last 5 years for not putting them in the cloud.

[@chaos.corner]

People need to check their 365 licenses. Apparently Microsoft have been doing a forced upgrade (at a higher price) and including Copilot and it's possible to downgrade to the old tier with copilot removed at the old price.

[@paulw7404]

@@chaos.corner Yup. Downgrade and remove Teams as well.

[@slwsnowman4038]

@@chaos.corner And Copilot might as well be a child on the show Kids Say the DarndestThings. If you don't limit what it can access, and HR stores salary data in SharePoint/OneDrive, you can ask it the right question and it will reveal company salary details for anyone. Regardless of what your permissions to that data is.

[@slwsnowman4038]

It's disgusting how expensive Office has become, and people just pay it! 🤣

[@tonydavis9495]

​@@chaos.cornerif you are using Classic Office perpetual licence, and you see Microsoft 365 Copilot, uninstall it straight away, it's not needed.

[@Zundfolge]

If buying is not owning, piracy is not theft.

[@jasonsachinger3276]

Piracy isn't theft of the item you are pirating because the original remains in the owners/publishers possession. It is a theft of the value of the sale price.

[@iRelevant.47.system.boycott]

Owning as a concept was out from the get go of licensing.

[@imaginarymenageriemanager6303]

I paid $200 for Substance Painter

[@MichaelPohoreski]

Piracy was _never_ theft -- it was *copyright infringement* because the MEDIUM is different. Copyright was started by PUBLISHERS to prevent OTHER publishers from printing and profiting.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

I've pirated everything for the last 2 decades.

[@xm8553]

I have a video idea (kind of research project too) for you regarding Costco and them basically requiring you to do a background check for your membership. Long story short my wife and I went to Costco today cuz she wanted to sign up. In the “security questionnaire” they do in order to sign up it asked me about my estranged dad’s address from when I was a little kid. I have never used this address for ANYTHING in my life. Which means Costco is digging through information about me from when I was a minor from 20-30 years ago. Just To get a freaking Costco membership! I doubt this comment will get seen or liked enough, but I would love to get more info on this and see this exposed cuz I have never heard anyone talk about their intrusive as hell “background check.” Blew me away when I saw that address today Edit: let me just add this is, I did not sign up for any Costco credit card at all, just the basic membership

[@chaos.corner]

I believe that info is in the credit check which can involve a whole lot more than just a number. You might want to check cards haven't been opened in your name (though that's not the only reason this could happen)

[@amandaliberty08]

That must really be an elite membership. I hear a lot about costco on the internet, seems they have famous dogs.

[@sirmonkey1985]

it could be a multitude of things.. either you have similar names, or he used your name, or the address is in your credit report history for some reason. they're not doing any kind of background check. either way they've had to get a lot more strict with their memberships because of people creating fake accounts. you use to not need anything other than an ID to get a membership.

[@justanotherstanczyk]

Costco uses a third party for the security questions. The third party is utter garbage. When I needed to change some billing information, I got the security questions too. My favorite was: "What state were you living in in 1967" Me (born in 1971): err, umm, uhhh. My parents reproduction systems? So I just guessed and got it right.

[@yensteel]

When I was in Taiwan, I was asked whether I was living in a community of locals or a community of foreigners in a tick box, by Costco. They offer credit cards and can deny you services based on what kind of people are in the building you live in.

[@metalmollusquetv]

It's bullshit when companies do that, like Adobe did with the old Creative Suite licenses (among others). I have a friend who paid for it and can't use it anymore, while I can just pirate it easily.

[@GoalOrientedLifting]

im so glad Clip Studio Paint still have forever licenses

[@larrybud]

Just show him how to pirate it with the latest version.

[@pvanukoff]

When they revoke software you PAID for, that's literally theft, so I feel zero qualms doing the same thing back to them.

[@shingover]

Pirating Adobe products helps keep Adobe as the industry standard.

[@metalmollusquetv]

@ I pirate adobe out of moral duty but use GIMP 99% of the time

[@Jauntie_J]

0:59 "Or a therapy service that's a scam..." I love the Better Help dig.

[@itwasmedionysus]

My friend didn't like it when he told me he was using them for therapy via his employer and I told him he was selling his soul/secrets to the company store. He didn't like that response but like.... we work in infosec. You can't be that daft sir.

[@valvejob4215]

@@itwasmedionysuswe have lyra, won't touch that with a ten foot pole.

[@SilverKnightPCs]

Remember when software came with the CD code that can be taken away from you and you could move from computer to computer indefinitely? Pepperidge Farm remembers

[@DeKempster]

Unless it has crappy DRM that doesn't work on new systems like securom

[@TheRagingSerpent]

@@DeKempster SecuROM actually works on modern Windows, you might be confusing it for SafeDisc which does not.

[@callak_9974]

Until you lose the case.

[@redpheonix1000]

​@@callak_9974To be fair, that's more of a "you" problem, just don't lose it or back it up somewhere safe. It's still a heck of a lot better than the company being the one who decides you don't own it anymore.

[@XDRosenheim]

Sponsor block has saved me more than 2 whole days of video watching. The segments I have made have saved other people more than a total of one and a half year. This is a great tool!

[@itwasmedionysus]

oh fuck there's time tracking in that jawn? I'm done for.

[@Dimondminer11]

@@itwasmedionysus I've had sponsorblock installed since I got sick of the baked in sponsors with LTT and I've saved over 3 days of time since installing it on THIS computer.

[@AymanB]

12:19 "You Don't Need a Conspiracy When Interests Converge" - George Carlin

[@HimmelsDaemon]

Converging interests, or perceived mutual benefit, being _practically "conspiracy"_ will _appear as "conspiracy"_ and therefore be _colloquially referred to as "conspiracy."_ Yet, because it is not *technically* _pure "conspiracy,"_ it has been stated or addressed wrong and therefore no issue exists, all must be dismissed, and may not be restated or readdressed. This is also where "conspiracy theory" gets coined in a mutual interest in dismissal to avoid any cause of investigation that my find tertiary or unrelated wrongdoing by the act of looking. (The terms degree of nonsensical construction probably plays part, though it could be happenstance upon common misnomer.)

[@mithril_mirth]

@@HimmelsDaemon "Look at the big brain on Brad!" - Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction

[@flamjamok]

@@HimmelsDaemon That makes perfect sense, thanks for explaining the difference and how they relate to a real world example :D!!

[@DerIchBinDa]

Can you imagine a car company deactivating your car because it is 8 years old over "securtiy concerns"? This s*** is what they are trying to pull off!

[@honeybadger6275]

Give them a decade at most and it will be a thing.

[@KT-pv3kl]

BMW already does a simmilar grift. the explosive shock absorbers in the hood need to be replaced every 24 months which costs around 500€ in the official BMW repair service. VW uses the exact same part in their cars which costs 25€ and can be replaced by anybody with a screwdriver in 10 minutes. the VW part doesn't have a QR code and doesn't need to be replaced at all unless it was activated in a crash. if you fail to replace that part on a BMW every 2 years you will fail your TÜV inspection in Germany. if you replace the BMW part with the exact same part from VW (literally same part number but no BMW QR code) you will fail the inspection...

[@freelancerthe2561]

Thats been around for a while. Remember OnStar? It can disable your car remotely as an antitheft feature. But it, and other remote access features have been used as backdoors to manipulate vehicle control systems. I think it was Toyotas a few years ago where someone proof of concept hacked a car, and get full remote control of any electronically operated feature; including the accelerator, ABS/Braking system, ignition, not to mention the whole interior. That thing was hooked into the cell modem in the car, in order to get software updates over the air. Its practically 1 step away from the car scene in 'I, Robot'.

[@fabriglas]

NOT A JOKE TESLa can do this thats why having everything connected is dodgy and dangerous! your car could stop in somewhere inconvient or dodgy as a result

[@honeybadger6275]

@@freelancerthe2561 There have been a few journalists and whistleblowers that decided to floor it and wrap their vehicle around a tree because of that.

[@BehindthesafetyofLinux]

Planned obsolescence is a companies way of admitting they have given up on innovating for the consumer. Instead they are focused on innovating schemes to increase their own profits to zero benefit of the consumer.

[@Zimbob2424]

love your user name.

[@SimGunther]

Actually, they gave up on innovating in increasing product quality to compete with rival products and are now innovating in decreasing product life expectancy to compete against the customers too savvy to blindly buy their products every 2 seconds

[@acmhfmggru]

Innovations like... Uh... Keeping a license server running for multiple decades without change... So innovative!

[@HackerJac-cs7io]

Still using Office 2003.... 22 years old, yet still does all I need it to do just fine. And I know a lot of ppl who are still using it.

[@atari7001]

Don’t forget to backup your activation

[@MrZetor]

Me as well. The ribbon UI was idiotic. Didn't even Bill Gates ask if he could change it back to the original menus?

[@blackrifle6736]

*Indeed, you do...*

[@MatterMadeMoot]

Stop typing in bold.

[@NatureAndStars]

The "patches" on the high seas will become more and more popular I guess.

[@kenabi]

bring back the glory days of astalavista box sk

[@Zimbob2424]

nobody is looking out for us, the government, corporations, doctors, lawyers and now engineers. we have health epidemics, while the money is being funneled up by the law and now we have engineers designing stuff that can't be fixed or breaks on time and or requires the "Qualified" manufacturer to fix it.

[@2PartyBrainrot]

It's because the American population has become complacent. Over time corporations have gained more power and line the pockets of the politicians. Insider trading is common. This is happening on both sides but thanks to 2 party brainrot pitting Americans against each other these corporations can continue to thrive. Divide and conquer. At the rate we are going this will not get better. We need a lot more Luigis.

[@TurinAlexander]

The group of people in the US that at least tried to look out for the little guy got their asses handed to them in the recent elections because they had the gall to tell people that you have to treat everybody equally the same, even if you don't like them. The only solace I have is the fact that the policies being put into place will hurt those that voted for them more than they will hurt me.

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

@@TurinAlexander As long as we are dealing with vast oversimplifications, you can't help the little guy by ruining the country, which is the perpetual problem with the left everywhere.

[@AOLAmericaOnline]

Makes the choice between Fade In and Final Draft a no brainer. Thanks Final Draft!

[@GabrielSykes]

I'm glad my lecturer introduced us all to FadeIn like 2 years ago, and doesn't care about the watermarks on exports, instead of only talking about Final Draft. (btw you can bypass the watermarks by exporting as fountain then using a fountain to pdf converter site) Sadly he's still madly obsessed with Avid Media Shitposer being the iNdUsTwY sTaNdAd editing software just because it got there first.

[@CHA05duck]

Wonder if sponsporblock will block its own segment lol

[@Spaztron64]

Already did.

[@CaptainChrom]

Obviously. It blocks all sponsors. And ppl already using it don't need to hear about it anyways.

[@alisonnatasha4616]

it did

[@stigmaoftherose]

Do people not realize sponsorblock segments are community submitted? Of course it's going to skip over a segment if someone submits it.

[@Splarkszter]

​@@stigmaoftheroseIt's like how normies think wikipedia works

[@SireSquish]

I love the idea of this wiki. Also Louis, probably the absolute best kind of review of a product that I've ever seen is the teardown style. One time, BigClive did a tear down and appraisal of a multi battery charger device. He went through the electronics engieneering, the design layout and how it all works. That's probably one of the most confident purchases of a device that I've ever made, after watching someone with a great reputation look so thoroughly into it. I know it's pie in the sky at this point, but if your database of shitty companies thing takes off as much as I hope it does, something like an index of these kind of review would be a Godsend.

[@logiclust]

so many of the utilities we used to use switched to subscriptions and we've moved away from all of them.

[@davidlazarus67]

Yes and it’s so short term. They will lose customers over this. Time for me to look for alternatives.

[@davidlazarus67]

Yes and it’s so short term. They will lose customers over this. Time for me to look for alternatives.

[@larrybud]

Like who/what?

[@golem-of-thoughts]

​@@davidlazarus67 you paid once and left, one stays and pays 12, 24, 36 times... They lose nothing.

[@cjthebeesknees]

Capitalism, rent seeking extraordinaire.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Yea, about the definition of the word ‘perpetual’, it now means we can PERPETUALLY extract revenue from you in the form of recurring billing. Note this doesn’t include support, that’s in a different perpetual definition. Oh, it doesn’t include updates either, that’s a different perpetual. We have a room full of people now coming up with yet another way to define it. Thanks. Good talk.

[@SpaceTheAge]

My perpetual motion machine is complete! It will last for up to 8 years.

[@itwasmedionysus]

This was underrated, you deserved more.

[@D43vil]

If someone abandons a piece of software on the side of the road, no one should be surprised if someone picks it up and does what they will.

[@robertsmith2956]

I've bought a couple of machines at auctions and have never agreed to any microsoft EULA's. Love that auctions negate any holds on products. It's all yours when you have the winning bid.

[@murrayedington]

That's nothing. Altium PCB design software is one of the most popular professional schematic and layout design programs out there. They are in the process of redefining their "perpetual" licences to require repurchase each year. And also pay for "maintenance" support. We are talking thousands a year per licence for renewal and also for support. So "perpetual" has been redefined as "annual rental". Welcome to the new world!

[@martinfinne7259]

AutoCAD has done this for years already, don't know of any worthy alternatives. I don't know enough about all the functions Altium have, but glad to see KiCad getting constant updates and new features. Hopefully fast enough to make it a serious competitor.

[@cjthebeesknees]

The inevitable progression of capitalism.

[@jwr2904]

​@@cjthebeesknees greed is in our nature, not just capitalism

[@cjthebeesknees]

@@jwr2904 They are one in the same and the latter is not human nature.

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

@@cjthebeesknees As opposed to what, socialism where because tech has stagnated and computers are made to a quota, you would have to bribe an official to get one at all? I lived through the end of socialism in my country, just give me some capitalism, warts and all.

[@donnyboy619]

Louis. Thank you for all the sweat and blood (and hair) you've sacrificed to move the consumer protection and right-to-repair needles to where they're currently at. You've done more than I'll ever truly understand. I haven't fought back as hard as you...yet. You are an inspiration. You are a real influencer.

[@itwasmedionysus]

Influenced me to have a slightly more positive opinion of Paxton 🤷 I only heard about the VW/Audio break due to international law. I'm all too familiar that we don't have GDPR in America; hence why the TikTok ban was malarkey. If they truly cared about data access, loss, protection, privacy, etc, they would just remix the template. They don't care so they didn't. I yearn for America to be like France and de facto ban child exploitation in the form of family youtubing/family tiktoking.

[@marcusaurelius49]

Perpetual license in 2025: we might let you use this software for the whole year, until we decide to release some replacement sw and force you to buy another perpetual license.

[@Kalvinjj]

I always say this about any online-only, download-only or internet activated stuff: you pay for the "privilege" of the corporation maybe allowing you to access some of their files for as long as they feel like not charging you again for it, and they'll stop this "privilege" whenever they want regardless of what you think.

[@jwr2904]

Darth Vader is running most corporations

[@acmhfmggru]

​@@Kalvinjjit isn't a privilege or anything shady, it is just a limited license to download and use their software within the terms of their licensure agreement which you agreed to. I don't like that, but it isn't a mystery or in any way hidden, it is just a limited use license: a very common type of license that has been around since people started writing down their agreements.

[@masterkamen371]

Always online, subscription based programs ---> straight to piracy One time purchase ---> support Why tf would I pay Adobe for their shovelware when DaVinci Resolve is a one time purchase for a far superior product?

[@freelancerthe2561]

@@jwr2904 Darth Vader is pretty old fashioned. When he chokes you, he looks you in the eye. He's out lived 2 of his replacements. When hes on the prowl, hes Jason Vorhez in Space Samurai armor. Slow forward walk, practically unstoppable. None of this fancy ninja bouncing around BS. I don't think the Empire could afford to build another one of him, after sinking all of the budget into 2 failed Death Star projects. I mean, he even did all of his worst massacres in person, with his own two hands.... well... hand + robot hand. If anyone is running corporations, its the First Order. Know one knows where they got the money to build things bigger than the Empire, still only about as effective as an Empire super weapon, lead by a bunch of arrogant grad students and Imperial Navy drop outs, whose top leader is basically a Crypto Bro who has zero understanding of the industry hes trying to disrupt, but all the confidence of a modern day grifter, and whose number 2 is an Emo in his late 20s for whom "it was not a phase".

[@hansdegroot652]

Thanks

[@SilverKnightPCs]

The only kind of Perpetual license that matters is the kind that can be activated offline. When I was in the military we had access not only to perpetual licenses but gold keys which are keys that can be used in unlimited number of times with the idea of being that you pay for so many seats and you do a yearly audit and if requested you provide that to the software company. Well with everything being classified they could never receive that audit. It was very much a trust me bro system and I guess when you're selling millions of dollars worth of software you really don't care. The idea that they don't have the ability to do this is malarkey. Even software is that were advertised as only subscription-based when the dollars got big enough would make exceptions.

[@MagnetismR]

The 'Stop Killing Games' EU petition is still up! Sign it if you want to help end this practice!

[@dr_ari_gami]

Im using sponsor block, and I was surprised to see a sponsored segment in one of your videos. I decided to watch it, because I was curious. Your ad read about sponsorblock was blocked by sponsorblock!

[@nottsoserious]

Because if you already have sponsorblock, there's no meaning in watching the ad anyway!

[@umbaupause]

I mean that's just kinda logical and respectful of your time. If you are already using it, why would you need the segment anyway?

[@Splarkszter]

​@@umbaupauseBecause there are trolls. It's community driven anyways.

[@TheMysteryDriver]

No sponsor block showing on mine for that section

[@rossmanngroup]

sponsorblock needs to have a category called _"sponsors of adblockers/sponsorblock"_ so that people can choose for themselves whether they want to hear it! Something tells me this was never considered during development of the program. :D

[@TallulahSoie]

I remember using a version of Photoshop I got for free from my high school in the 90s. It worked until I gave up on computers around eight years ago. I also used a program that let me allow or deny any attempt anything on my computer attempted to access my internet. I always blocked Photoshop in case it tried to update. It worked. I didn't need any updates. I wish that program still existed for free. Someone needs to make an open source version. Refuse all updates unless there is no alternative. Keep everything offline.

[@jannikheidemann3805]

There is GIMP.

[@alexb.1320]

I remember a firewall program that let you explicity block everything and only allow specific programs access to the internet. Worked great. I may also have kept some ancient version of software going similarly. What Adobe wants to connect to the internet? Nope. Permanent block.

[@Dimondminer11]

@@jannikheidemann3805 Honestly GIMP is great. I've been using it for over 3 years now and I couldn't care less for photoshop as I learned PS on CS6 at school.

[@NoEgg4u]

Louis, considering the age of Final Draft 10, it does not require an isle of cabinets with Threadripper 7995wx systems, or IBM Z16 mainframes to handle a trickle of activation requests. A pair of sub $100 Intel Celeron N4020 computers, consuming 6 watts, each, would likely be overkill to respond to a rare activation request for such "advanced aged" software. Ergo, they do not need to discontinue activation for the perpetual licensed software that they are legally obligated to maintain licensing. The cost of keeping N4020 permission server boxes running for a year is probably $9.

[@rossmanngroup]

a patch that removes all requirements for server activation should be sent out for ANY piece of software no longer supported that requires an activation server

[@o-hogameplay185]

@@rossmanngroup considering the advanced age of that software, we can just pull the uno rewerse card and "pirate" it

[@ZeptoBST]

@@rossmanngroup Should be an obligation by law.

[@Basement-Science]

@@rossmanngroup realistically it's probably even cheaper for them to continue running the server for another 20 years, than it is for them to pay someone to make that patch. Yet they refuse to do either.

[@Digitalgems9000]

@@Basement-Science haha. funny story incoming. at my previous job they used an old billing suite software from 2001 that had a exe frontend for the web (can see it on my short videos), and it had a print all link functionality on the browser. the modern web browsers removed that functionality years ago, but they kept it running for over a decade on a old system just for that. was incredible lol

[@mwitters1]

I LOVE how sponser block skips it's own ad! lol. I love that they sponsor Louis lol, just perfect. One of my all time favorite youtubers. Keep the amazing work up my man!

[@imaginarymenageriemanager6303]

Not that it matters, but it's "its" and not "it's".

[@clouddweller]

I adore macOS but the fact that I don’t have to sign a EULA to use Linux is becoming increasingly tempting.

[@robertsmith2956]

I didn't like you had to give them the software so you can then down;load it to your iphone, and even on the mac it wants you to pay for the developer license before it will compile. Thought of a great little phone app to delve into it. Downloaded the emulator. and hit a wall, it will not emulate a camera. So much for a gun sight display 😮‍💨

[@screwtewb]

Once you taste the freedom of Linux, you'll never want to use that glorified tablet OS ever again. Free yourself from the iShackles. 😂 Seriously, Apple is such an ass company these days. I say this as a former Mac fanboy.

[@bsorofman]

To screenwriters: Fountain Script, as it is a format, it's totally free. You can set it up in Obsidian, VSCode, etc. It doesnt have everything that FD can do, and if you're hired by a studio to do AD or LP work then it may not be enough. However for all writing needs it's perfect.

[@Poorgeniu5]

I very appreciate that you uploaded this on Odysee simultaneously! The loss of their auto-upload feature made my Odysee subscription list pretty silent sadly.

[@kingdom001_]

The craziest thing about the Final Draft situation and I say this as someone that uses it all the time; is the fact that it’s just basically a Text Editor it’s a tiny lightweight program with not very much to it at all, especially version 10.

[@b1rds_arent_real]

How is it different from notepad++ and git then? What would writers need from an open source alternative?

[@GabrielSykes]

​@@b1rds_arent_realIt automatically handles correct screenplay formatting, which is pretty important in an industry where incorrect formatting is enough to make people not even consider reading your screenplays. There are open source alternatives, most notably Trelby.

[@PaulDriverPlus]

Sponser block sounds like a wonderful extension. And ublock origin is great and I've used it for years.

[@fast-yi9js]

sponsorblock blocking a sponsorblock sponsor is very funny tho

[@el0j]

doesnt work on chrome anymore for... security reasons

[@jannikheidemann3805]

@@el0j For security reasons you should avoid using Chrome.

[@PaulDriverPlus]

@@el0j more reason not to use chrome. The security reason to block ad blockers, is Google is an advertising company.

[@jonc4403]

@@el0j Chrome is not allowed on my systems for security reasons.

[@jimmyhuang7481]

Or they patch the old software so that it forces you into a subscription based license. My wife has an old offline computer that she uses Quicken95 on. The software was bought from the store with an installation disk and key back then. She connected to wifi one day and they patched the software in the background so a window asking for a subscription appears whenever she tried to use it rendering it unusable. Closing the window would close the software. It pissed me off so I went through the installation log to clean every file and scrubbed every single registry key before a new installation of the software would work. Companies should not be allowed to do this. It is intentional breaking of the software to force you into a new more profitable subscription based model.

[@marioaf27]

Absolutely love your sponsors, been using them for years

[@francescotomba1350]

Louis roasting shitty practices --> cute kitty moment --> back to roasting. I love this channel

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

A conspiracy is not necessary when interests align.

[@n1h0k4r5]

Final Draft, a screenwriting software - in the film industry, which is definitely not known for people using legacy software for as long as they can keep the hardware running. I continue to launch software from floppies for some things. This is not how you get people to upgrade, it's how you get people to find other software.

[@forrestegan]

I stopped using Adobe products when they went subscription…as a casual user I don’t need/want to pay monthly for software I may only use a few weeks out of the year. The whole software subscription model is just a huge money grab…as a software developer myself, I don’t agree with that model. If they want to upgrade they can…if they choose to remain on the older version, that’s their option. Thanks for all you do, really enjoy your videos.

[@24hourtourist]

I am glad you raised this issue again, Louis. To cancel a perpetual license retroactively will prove to be a dead end. Just plain stupid - out of laziness and greed. 🧐

[@TestECull]

If I buy something I will use it on my terms whether the manufacturer likes it or not.

[@sqeeye3102]

Wow, was that a wild ride of a video. Not the hero we deserve, but the one we need right now. I'll take it. Thank you Louis. You never stopped trying to help and no one can ever take that away from you.

[@Morncreek]

I still use Microsoft Office 2002 (including Publisher) on my primary computer. Now *that* is an _actual_ example of advanced age in computer software.

[@carly09et]

That is close to the 'best' version - I cannot see any user value in later versions. The 'extra' features are just noise. I hate how the interface NOW morphs every month with 'updates'.

[@mveldt]

Same here, using office 2003. Works great and is very fast.

[@onradioactivewaves]

I can thank office 2002 for making me start using Linux

[@hansdegroot652]

2005? Office 95

[@hansdegroot652]

Final writer and page stream

[@sirfragworthy]

I've dabbled in music production and Image Line, creators of FL Studio, need some praise in this regard in that I paid for a producer license around 10 years ago and have had access to every version of the software released since then. So far at least they still seem to believe that lifetime means lifetime. I just hope they don't follow the current trend any time soon.

[@GabrielSykes]

Image Line are great, their track record of not being arsewipes is one of the reasons I switched to FL from Ableton Live. Another thing I like about FL's buy once and update for free model is that when you do update, the old version isn't replaced (at least on Windows). Hasn't been massive for me yet, but I've got a friend who used FL 12 for like 8 years straight, updated to FL 21, and had some old projects with plugins that refused to work in 21 instead of 12, so still having 12 installed helped him out a fair bit.

[@alisonnatasha4616]

Sponsorblock blocked the sponsorblock sponsering I saw the yellow strip and was like wtf what is Louis sponsoring Amused me

[@MaltaMcMurchy]

I love you, Mr. Clinton! 🐈‍⬛💜

[@Asealiea]

Ah yup, MS 365 has started force upgrading people to a higher level (price of serves are increasing, but just moving up you a tier and not showing any way to downgrade) that has Co-pilot by default (can't remove it) and you have to call up support and spend awhile to get lowered down the the same plan as before and wow same price as before too! pretty skummy o.o

[@michael_c2]

Yeah and to my knowledge new subscribers do not have the option of opting out of the more expensive version. I'm not currently subscribed so I was just curious what would happen if I tried to sign up to the so-called classic version. Although in fairness I didn't actually call and push the issue. Because I was mostly just curious.

[@IndaloMan]

I got that email, pressed 'Cancel Subscription' then you get three options, one of which is signing up to the 'Classico' subscription which is same price as my current M365 subscription. This has the bonus of not allowing you access to Copilot 🤣🤣

[@TurinAlexander]

Hot take incoming. Anyone that is dumb enough to sign up for a subscription for their office software, deserves to get screwed over. There are easy to find, completely free office productivity software suites out there. Just take the time to install one of them. Sure, they aren't the MS product you've probably used your whole life, so there might be a learning curve for some of the features. A couple hours learning new software is a small price to pay to avoid a perpetual subscription with random price increases whenever MS decides they want more of your money.

[@MrHPlays]

​​@@TurinAlexanderAs Louis has covered plenty of times in his videos, comments like yours are a big part of the problem. Yes, people can and perhaps should consider alternatives, but it is not at all relevant to the discussion and in no way do they "deserve" to get screwed over.

[@auturgicflosculator2183]

@@TurinAlexander The advice is good. The "dumb enough" comment made 800 trillion Picard gifs stop what they were doing and facepalm all at once.

[@easttexan8168]

I've got a lifetime license to an app that I bought a few years ago, and they're ending support for it on Feb 1st, 2025. I think one of your previous videos also showcased a company that was ending lifetime licenses on that date. It seems strange that a bunch of separate companies would all choose the same date to end lifetime licenses

[@MrHPlays]

Add them to Louis's consumer action wiki.

[@perwestermark8920]

An important thing related to advertising. Consider a tool like Pi-hole on your incoming network connection. It helps cleaning up web browsers in computers, tablets etc that uses that network connection.

[@Splarkszter]

Requires an extra computer that people may not have.

[@stalincat2457]

​@@SplarkszterThe raspberry Pi *is* the computer? I got one set up and I am NOT tech-savvy🫶

[@ungenesis9]

​@@Splarkszterunfortunately true. At least the requirements are pretty light, I'm building mine out of some spare junk I had lying around.

[@Splarkszter]

@@ungenesis9 I personally just use a Laptop without a screen. 2c/4t Pentium with 4GB DDR3 at 15W For setup I connected it to my PC monitor, installed Yunohost and ir was ready to go. WebPortal and SSH. Works out of the box and it's OpenSource!

[@perwestermark8920]

​@@SplarkszterIt needs to run on a computer. But not necessarily an *extra* computer, because it will not take the full capacity of a computer. In my case, I can handle it directly in my firewall. But even a cheap Raspberry Pi can be used - and need not be the latest and most expensive model.

[@mahakleung6992]

Louis, I knew about ublock origin, but I didn't know it could get better than that. But I did not know about sponsor skip or dearrow. What an improvement!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[@mix3k818]

Any chance of them being sued over it or are the no protections against deception like that?

[@majesticspaceduck876]

I firmly believe that the calming influence of Clinton the Cat is the only thing stopping Louis from becoming a Netflix documentary.

[@motesquid]

sponserblock sponsership is some meta shit

[@nunyabusiness7602]

I should have taken the blue pill.

[@iRelevant.47.system.boycott]

So we can assume it is harvesting data.

[@ImmacHn]

"Perpetual", Companies keep using that word, I don't think it means what they think it means.

[@kitsunekaze93]

it means "as long as we can be bothered"

[@fatemehhamounpou1815]

At this point it is really hard to trust any company providing perpetual licenses, even if they have the best intentions.

[@larrybud]

No way I would buy one. I even have my own SaaS service and no way in the world I would even offer a perpetual license.

[@idcwahtever]

Perpetual licenses are nonsense. Never believe in them

[@jonc4403]

@@larrybud And that shit is part of why I support piracy.

[@Bluestreak589]

I was using WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (released in 1989) to write college term papers and the like well into the 2000s. It ran just as well - Including printing - In the 21st century as it did on an IBM PC XT or AT in the 1980s. I'd still be using it today (2025) if I needed to do any meaningful amount of writing. WPDOS had no activation BS - Get a new PC, copy a few megabytes worth of files to the new hard drive, done. Bonus - My primary PCs still use mid-1980s IBM Model M keyboards (1986 and 1987 manufacture dates, made in Lexington, Kentucky) - The same keyboards which were in use when WPDOS was brand new.

[@jarredbaigent185]

I look forward to sponsor block blocking the sponsor block ad

[@BryceByerley]

already did...

[@NichellePemberton]

Adaxum’s potential is massive, and I’m thrilled to be part of its journey. Locked in my tokens!

[@electronron1]

8 years old isn't that old. I still use Visual Basic 6.0 which came out in 1998. I use it to make a quick keyboard and display for Arduino projects.

[@gregaluise5727]

I realize this video is a year old, but I have to say I had an almost identical experience. I have the larger buddy heater (a newer revision that is black with cammo accents instead of the red theme). I used mine last year for a single overnight during an Amateur Radio Winter Field Day. Like you I carefully repacked the heater taking apart the filter and hose prior to packing away. I also stored it on a shelf in the climate controlled basement of my home. Fast forward to this past weekend I went to use the heater for this years winter field day and like you experienced I believe a slightly larger pilot flame. Also, my heater was struggling to stay ignited. After I got it up and running it ran for about 10-15min. Then all of a sudden the ceramic had a funny look: center no longer glowing with a very well defined outer glowing ring. Soon there after it went out completely. Not wanting to gas ourselves I moved the valve back to the pilot setting. As soon as I pressed the igniter I got a WHOMP of a flame (I initially chocked up to the gas running for a few seconds). After recovering from the startling I then noticed the heater was on fire internally and flames started to come out of the top as well as out of the control knob area. In a panic I ran over to the 20lb tank and turned off the valve. The terrifying realization I made: shutting the tank valve off really doesn't make you safe. The hose is a high pressure hose and probably has enough pressure to have liquid propane inside it. I made this realization when undoing the hose from the tank (12 feet away from the heater that was now on fire) and the residual propane started venting from the loosened connection. There was so much pressure still inside that 12' hose that I was seeing still liquid propane run down the side of the tank before transitioning back to a gas. The scariest realization I made: no matter how well you prepare and check everything if the heater has any kind of internal failure that causes a flame inside or anywhere outside of where a flame belongs you run the risk of said 12' hose being possibly compromised by said flame. If that high pressure hose then ruptures at 50-100 psi (depending on the ambient temperature in your environment) I believe one runs the risk of either a huge fireball and or an explosion). Even if you are paying attention, react accordingly, and shut off the gas at the tank I believe the pressurized hose still has enough propane to really cause a dangerous situation. I almost think one would need some kind of purge valve at the tank side to allow one to not only shut off the tank valve, but also quickly (almost instantaneously) purge the high pressure hose leaving only burning plastic at the failed heater. I haven't reached out to Mr Heater yet, but I am currently.

[@Snotnarok]

I have posted a few comments about it but I really wish you covered a similar thing with Clip Studio Paint. They call it a perpetual license, before you got 2 installs on 2 separate machines and it was fine. No log in BS or whatever. They made an upgrade to 2 which changed a lot. They now had a subscription model for desktop & your only option on mobile. They also had a the perpetual license, which removed the 2 machine install (even if you upgraded) and required a log in every 24 hours to use your software. Backlash was so big they changed the time you needed to log in- but you still are forced to log in or you can't use your 'perpetual license'. I don't even think they stated how long between log ins but it's insane they call it a perpetual license when you still need to log in.

[@neoasura]

Shit like this is why I always keep my old PC builds with all my old software hooked up in a spare room. Winamp and Microsoft Office 2003 on my XP build still do exactly what I need them to do many years later.

[@johngriffin618]

I started out a pirate because I couldn’t afford software. Now I make decent money as an engineer and I’m still a pirate (except in rare cases I mostly support open source work) because fuck these companies. You cannot trust them, as is proven over and over again.

[@Otakutaru]

Louis, I know this is the most obvious and that you are already backing up the wiki DAILY, not only the content, but every change commit. Doesn't hurt to tell you.

[@itwasmedionysus]

Yup. I edit wikipedia and bad actors exist everywhere. Like the frickin peep guy.....

[@c.augustin]

That's actually what Adobe has done with Creative Suite 6 - it continues to run, but the license is revoked on installation on a new machine. But without any prior warning.

[@definitelynotnick2454]

the activation servers have been shut down, it's not technically revoked as I have it on my adobe dashboard. But yes it's total bs that they can do that to a perpetual license.

[@Wes1262-x2k]

Louis, you should start a Web 3.0 movement. No javascript, static content that can be easily machine-processed/archived... no bloat ads. Basically go back to Web 1.0. It can be made compatible with a subset of the current web technologies.

[@robertsmith2956]

Ahh the good ol days. I cracked up the office once when I found a hilarious search result. "Dirty Pictures" got ONE hit. Grandma's Cookies. "This sight contains no dirty pictures." was on the page. LOL

[@jannikheidemann3805]

Have you heard of Gopher?

[@variancewithin]

That's something we need to make into a law, - Disable DRM once you deactivate the activation servers and or disable the ability to activate old software. - games that are online play should be ordered to update their game to let you paste in what servers you want to connect to, and have the ability to host your own online servers once the game reaches EOL

[@Overonator]

I would love to know how Final Draft 13 takes advantage of more stable and secure operating systems compared to Final Draft 10. I'm all ears.

[@alexb.1320]

Calling BS security concerns seems to be the new norm. As Louis said, leave the security on my end to me.

[@ElifUmit-k8h]

Just joined the Adaxum presale-this project has massive potential for long-term growth.

[@Abrasive-Heat]

If they just stopped supporting it and said “you’re on your own.” That’s fine. Taking away the ability to activate software they paid for is wrong. I can pull 20 year old windows xp disks off the shelf and install it using a key included in the box. Those keys work and will always work.

[@Finkelfunk]

Damn, I didn't know writing software was a critical system component and affected security. You learn something new everyday.

[@CCJ1998]

Crap like that worries me, using Clip Studio Paint's perpetual version. This thing is constantly calling home. They keep pushing their rental version, which is no better than the simple one they released 10 years ago.

[@nowherebrain]

Just installed sponsor block, for once, I am glad you had this sponsor spot :)

[@SammyInnit]

Another strong argument for why piracy is actually more beneficial.

[@butwhytharum]

these types of topics are why i subbed. HUGE kudos to this... ill for sure be checking out the cat forums.

[@donmateoSF]

Just pointing out that REI (and others) sold many high priced items with a "lifetime guarantee". The coop, honored that guarantee for many years. It didn't hurt to buy a high priced, full priced item you knew would last and was very well made. The board threw that out guarantee some years ago. This fraud of 'changing the rules after the fact' didn't just start with soft/hardware industry. You can't afford to sue for a jacket and they count on that. On the other hand, their business is no longer strong or even healthy since they lost their core clients and their credibility in exchange for cheap imports.

[@MichaelPohoreski]

*Companies in 2020s:* _"I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further."_ *Consumers:* _"I am shopping elsewhere. Stop with this enshittification already."_

[@eriksoderquist4218]

When the company I work for discontinued a product due to industry changes after the Snowden revelations that made that product obsolete, our approach was to put together a way for customers that had purchased a perpetual licenses to reinstall the product without any limits, including giving them additional components of the product they had not originally paid for, specifically to honor the perpetual aspect of those license purchases. This is how a perpetual license for a discontinued product should always be handled.

[@XxMsrSzprzxX]

I'm going to email the Navy command in Germany and tell them that I have software to sell them because the 8" floppies that they're still using are very old now and we've made such advancements in technology. How silly they must feel.

[@Cthulch]

I'm looking forward to start seeing larger law firms farming that wiki to look for low-effort easy winners lawsuits

[@fidelabc123]

An ad for an ad blocker

[@jimdelsol1941]

I applaud the people working on the wiki. Thank you very much !

[@psphacker57]

Watching this on 10x speed rn for optimal productivity

[@DarkForce2024]

How do you do that? I can only choose from 0.25x to 2.0x in 0.25x increments, but it tops out at 2x.

[@davidg3944]

I just mainline it instead, bypassing my eyeballs.

[@psphacker57]

@@DarkForce2024 was joking lol don't believe everything you read on the internet young grasshopper

[@DarkForce2024]

@ Oh, I got it now, joke landed a little late. I know there are extensions to boost the volume, bring back dislikes, so I thought maybe that was it at first. Now I get it, Louis talks FAST.

[@Tampsey]

I love that you help spread good plugins

[@robertsmith2956]

I'm looking forward to google AI asking why I am being difficult and not using their voice recorders....

[@Entity_1011]

Sponsorblock blocking their own shoutout is some A+ irony

[@harpoonlobotomy]

I mean it's not irony at all, it's good advertising. The comments are full of people proving how well the service works precisely because they blocked their own ad read. The only people who saw the ad read are people who don't use it yet.

[@jonchen4084]

I switched from Final Draft a long time ago over to Scrivener. Even back then Final Draft's registration/activation was very heavy handed and sometimes flawed. Scrivener has their licensing in plain simple english on their website and far better. No more juggling if you have multiple computers. Also Scrivener has better language support so if you need Chinese or even Cyrillic it has no problems, in Final Draft there's no unicode support so those languages just show up as squares.

[@fredleggett923]

Very few "perpetual" software licenses I've purchased over the years have actually been such. Almost all have either disappeared into the ether (Slysoft/RedFox) or been bought-out by competitors and their license agreements altered (Aldus/Adobe and, again, Slysoft/RedFox). I wouldn't put much stock in anything that purports to offer a lifetime license. It's just an advertisement blurb nowadays.