Time for my yearly soapbox rant.
When I started using computers, we really didn't even have the internet. Well, maybe some colleges and military bases, DARPA, but that was it. You buy your little Apple II or Commodore C=64, and that was it, you were done. Some games were free, some weren't, but again, you paid $10-20, and that's it, you're done. Pay once, play forever.
A few years later x86 systems and Microsoft joined the game. Things didn't change a lot, but everything got more expensive. My OS wasn't even free anymore. I have to pay for DOS, I have to pay for Windows, I have to pay for Office. What cost me $50 the year before, now cost me $300. But OK, I play the game. I buy it all and I'm done right? After all Windows 3.1, and 640k ought to be enough for anyone right?
Nope. But Microsoft had a business model to maintain. Every few years: new Windows, new Office, conveniently incompatible with previous versions. Oh, now there are 64bit CPUs, I have to upgrade my hardware, my OS, my productivity software.. and now I'm paying over $1,000, but hey, I buy it and I'm done right?
Nope. How many versions of Windows since Windows 3.1? How many versions of Office? How many versions of Photoshop or whatever other software you use, not to mention games. I used to be a big StarCraft fan, back in the day. But again, you buy it once and you're done right?
Well then we play the hardware game: faster CPU, a discrete GPU, bigger hard drive, more RAM, faster network, etc... Why? Mostly so I can be competitive playing games. But OK, I do this and I'm done right? (Why do we keep lying to ourselves?)
Enter The Cloud (and The Lie)
..and wouldn't you know it, along comes the cloud, it'll solve all my problems right? Except, it doesn't - it makes it worse.
We subscribe to the cloud services to "save us money" right? It's only $30 a month right? Anybody can afford that right?
Well, except it's not just $30/month. It's Office 365 ($10), Adobe Creative Cloud ($55), cloud storage ($10), Spotify ($11), game subscriptions ($15), streaming services ($50+). Suddenly I'm paying $150+/month - $1,800/year - for the privilege of accessing my own stuff and using basic tools I used to own outright.
Oh, but you're saving money.. we'll manage it all for you, no more updating software... except they lied. I still have to update Windows, I still have to pay for updated tiers (Office Home, vs Office Pro, vs Office 365). And when they decide to sunset a product or "migrate" me to a new platform? My files, my workflow, my problem.
The Real Cost
And here's the kicker: when you stop paying the subscription, you lose access to everything. Your documents in Office 365? Read-only or gone. Your Adobe projects? Locked. Your music library? Vanished. Your saved games? Goodbye. You didn't buy access to tools and content - you rented the illusion of ownership.
Do you know why companies like to give bonuses instead of raises? They give $5,000 once, they're done... woohoo. They give you a $5,000 a year raise, and they have to keep paying it forever, until you leave. Companies hate raises for the same reason they LOVE subscriptions - permanent recurring costs that never end.
And now everything that used to be "pay once" costs me every month. If I want to play games, I don't own those anymore.. it's all cloud subscriptions. There are people who pay thousands of dollars per year to "save money". Uhh, yeah.. right.
There's Another Way
I use Linux - truly free, forever. I use LibreOffice - truly free, forever. I store my pictures, music, and documents locally - truly free, forever.
They're open formats. They can't be revoked. They can't be held hostage. They're mine.
I refuse to play the rent-forever-and-never-own-it game.
Own It
When I was young I couldn't afford a house, very few of us have a good credit history when we are 21. So we rented an apartment for years.. but we never owned it. The rent went up (same apartment, no upgrades). But eventually I could afford a house. My credit was good enough the bank would loan me money. ..and poof.. 30 years later it's all mine. No more rent... some states have property taxes after it's paid off, some don't. But either way... I'm not paying someone else rent just to exist in my own space.
Why would I do that with my digital life?
I already paid for my computer. Why am I renting the right to use it?
-----
The Irony
The irony? I make my living managing cloud systems for enterprise clients. I'm managing AWS and Azure VMs across multiple subscriptions and tenants. I built them from scratch. I know exactly how the cloud works, what it costs, and what value it actually provides.
For businesses with fluctuating workloads, geographic distribution, and teams that need centralized access? The cloud makes sense. Pay for what you use, scale on demand, let someone else handle the physical infrastructure.
For you, sitting at home, editing documents and storing family photos? It's a scam.
I get paid well to help companies use the cloud effectively. And every month, I go home and don't pay a dime for any of it myself.
Make of that what you will.
When I started using computers, we really didn't even have the internet. Well, maybe some colleges and military bases, DARPA, but that was it. You buy your little Apple II or Commodore C=64, and that was it, you were done. Some games were free, some weren't, but again, you paid $10-20, and that's it, you're done. Pay once, play forever.
A few years later x86 systems and Microsoft joined the game. Things didn't change a lot, but everything got more expensive. My OS wasn't even free anymore. I have to pay for DOS, I have to pay for Windows, I have to pay for Office. What cost me $50 the year before, now cost me $300. But OK, I play the game. I buy it all and I'm done right? After all Windows 3.1, and 640k ought to be enough for anyone right?
Nope. But Microsoft had a business model to maintain. Every few years: new Windows, new Office, conveniently incompatible with previous versions. Oh, now there are 64bit CPUs, I have to upgrade my hardware, my OS, my productivity software.. and now I'm paying over $1,000, but hey, I buy it and I'm done right?
Nope. How many versions of Windows since Windows 3.1? How many versions of Office? How many versions of Photoshop or whatever other software you use, not to mention games. I used to be a big StarCraft fan, back in the day. But again, you buy it once and you're done right?
Well then we play the hardware game: faster CPU, a discrete GPU, bigger hard drive, more RAM, faster network, etc... Why? Mostly so I can be competitive playing games. But OK, I do this and I'm done right? (Why do we keep lying to ourselves?)
Enter The Cloud (and The Lie)
..and wouldn't you know it, along comes the cloud, it'll solve all my problems right? Except, it doesn't - it makes it worse.
We subscribe to the cloud services to "save us money" right? It's only $30 a month right? Anybody can afford that right?
Well, except it's not just $30/month. It's Office 365 ($10), Adobe Creative Cloud ($55), cloud storage ($10), Spotify ($11), game subscriptions ($15), streaming services ($50+). Suddenly I'm paying $150+/month - $1,800/year - for the privilege of accessing my own stuff and using basic tools I used to own outright.
Oh, but you're saving money.. we'll manage it all for you, no more updating software... except they lied. I still have to update Windows, I still have to pay for updated tiers (Office Home, vs Office Pro, vs Office 365). And when they decide to sunset a product or "migrate" me to a new platform? My files, my workflow, my problem.
The Real Cost
And here's the kicker: when you stop paying the subscription, you lose access to everything. Your documents in Office 365? Read-only or gone. Your Adobe projects? Locked. Your music library? Vanished. Your saved games? Goodbye. You didn't buy access to tools and content - you rented the illusion of ownership.
Do you know why companies like to give bonuses instead of raises? They give $5,000 once, they're done... woohoo. They give you a $5,000 a year raise, and they have to keep paying it forever, until you leave. Companies hate raises for the same reason they LOVE subscriptions - permanent recurring costs that never end.
And now everything that used to be "pay once" costs me every month. If I want to play games, I don't own those anymore.. it's all cloud subscriptions. There are people who pay thousands of dollars per year to "save money". Uhh, yeah.. right.
There's Another Way
I use Linux - truly free, forever. I use LibreOffice - truly free, forever. I store my pictures, music, and documents locally - truly free, forever.
They're open formats. They can't be revoked. They can't be held hostage. They're mine.
I refuse to play the rent-forever-and-never-own-it game.
Own It
When I was young I couldn't afford a house, very few of us have a good credit history when we are 21. So we rented an apartment for years.. but we never owned it. The rent went up (same apartment, no upgrades). But eventually I could afford a house. My credit was good enough the bank would loan me money. ..and poof.. 30 years later it's all mine. No more rent... some states have property taxes after it's paid off, some don't. But either way... I'm not paying someone else rent just to exist in my own space.
Why would I do that with my digital life?
I already paid for my computer. Why am I renting the right to use it?
-----
The Irony
The irony? I make my living managing cloud systems for enterprise clients. I'm managing AWS and Azure VMs across multiple subscriptions and tenants. I built them from scratch. I know exactly how the cloud works, what it costs, and what value it actually provides.
For businesses with fluctuating workloads, geographic distribution, and teams that need centralized access? The cloud makes sense. Pay for what you use, scale on demand, let someone else handle the physical infrastructure.
For you, sitting at home, editing documents and storing family photos? It's a scam.
I get paid well to help companies use the cloud effectively. And every month, I go home and don't pay a dime for any of it myself.
Make of that what you will.
