this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2024

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Subscriptions Are Ruining Our Lives. Here's Why They're Everywhere Now. | You'll own nothing and you'll be happy! (www.youtube.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by trespasser69@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] rotten@lemm.ee 125 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

So don't sign up. Go without.

[–] KLISHDFSDF@lemmy.ml 84 points 2 weeks ago

and if you're technically capable, self host and share with friends/family. fuck corporate greed

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[+] Nytixus@kbin.melroy.org 108 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (8 children)

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[–] ThePantser@lemmy.world 36 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I think the subscription overload has to do with the whole 90s kids are the only ones who know how to build and fix computers. We know how to go out and find alternatives or roll our own services. Hell we invented digital piracy so we are comfortable with not subscribing.

I only subscribe to two services, Google storage so my family's mobile devices can auto backup and Spotify because I like the suggestion engine and it's easier for my kids to stream music. For everything else there's piracy.

So then there is this new generation that are clueless in tech so these companies can nickel and dime them because they don't know any better. I know I try to teach my kids how to use tech but they just don't have an interest like I did.

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 35 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Lol bruh, have some self reflection. People do it because it's easier. If you have the time to have all the hobbies that other people have and to roll your own home servers that's great, but that means you have an above average amount of free time. Otherwise, other people have hobbies that don't include server OS updates and choose to spend their time there and pay for someone else to manage their servers.

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[–] EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 9 points 2 weeks ago

IDK, a kid not knowing how to pirate is weird too, at least where I live. That would mean their parents actually buying them media, which, in my experience, is not that frequent of a sight. I had classmates who had subscriptions just to feel good about consciously paying for the content (they were also upper-middle-class). The rest didn't really think about ethics and just pirated, the information on how to do it spreads through kids' collectives pretty easily. It seems to me that many of them don't even know that what they and their families are doing is "piracy"...

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[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I have a bunch of smart devices - light bulbs, wall plugs, etc. They all connect to Home Assistant running on my own server and I don't need to pay any subscriptions.

IoT is not the problem, corporate greed is.

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[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 19 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Microsoft expects me to pay for Office 365? No, fuck you, I’ve got LibreOffice and your older Office software still works as good. Your word processing program, Word, hasn’t really changed that much since 2007 or even 2003. Hell, maybe not since 1997!

So I moved to foss probably about 20 years ago and have been going back and forth between libre office and open office.

A couple of years ago my wife wanted me office, so I got the subscription...and man it's so much better than either of those two, and to suggest that maybe it hasn't changed since 1997 is mindboggling.

I'm a big proponent of not signing up for these services, but this paragraph really misses the mark for me.

[–] Ohh@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Disagree. E.g. Word typography is not as advanced as LibreOffice. And words document master is buggy as hell.

But yes. Excel can handle big files now. Still sucks at im- and exporting different csv formats...

But... Because it's integrated so we'll with windows, is faster most of the time.

In reality: of course word should be a better program and it does get lots of loving from redmond. Only because: if no new features, no new sales. And since word is mostly a solved problem, redmond invented new problems...

Working with a LO user and a sub par program always beats working with a word user who can't use styles, review, and merge documents.

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[–] schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business 14 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Hell, maybe not since 1997!

Office 2000 was peak office: it had the definitive version of Clippit, and every actually useful feature you'll probably ever need to type and edit any sort of document.

...I will say, though, that Excel has improved for the weirdos that want 100,000 row spreadsheets since then, but I mean, that's a small group of people who need serious help.

This has nothing to do with anything, but whatever.

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[–] demesisx@infosec.pub 86 points 2 weeks ago (24 children)

Vote with your wallet. Boycott rent seeking companies that lock away their IP and charge money for access to it.

For example, FOR ADOBE TO DESERVE MY MONEY EVERY MONTH, 100% OF THEIR TECHNOLOGIES SHOULD BE OPEN SOURCE.

The only rent I happily pay for is a good VPN.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

jokes on them, i still use CS6.

wankers.

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[–] finestnothing@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I pay for music streaming on Tidal. I have a pretty big library of music from attempts to get away from streaming (and keep it up on Soulseek), but I use curated playlists too much to get away from streaming

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[–] RatzChatsubo@lemm.ee 70 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (33 children)

That's why I used Kodi, a Plex server, and modded youtube. Fuck ads and fuck subscriptions

[–] Steamymoomilk@sh.itjust.works 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (9 children)

I chatted with my uncle recently, and he told me about a movie from 2006. I asked where to watch it, he said you can watch it free on YouTube. Stop by my parents house, we decide to watch movie. It was 1 hour and 30 minutes, Runtime. There was 3 minute ads every 10 minutes. The movie was good, but heavily dampered by ADS. To the point you would start to get invested and zone into the movie. Then BAM ADS, the only other option was to buy the movie for $4 on prime or pay for a hulu subscription.

I know subscriptions are stupid and i agree, but its just so infuriating! Pay $7.89 for streaming service which may or may not have the thing you want to watch. For it to most likely to be on streaming service B. Or you go buy the DVD assuming you can. Which now you own a movie that may be CRAP.

You just cant ethically win :/

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 43 points 2 weeks ago

IMO: Pirate it guilt-free without a second thought. If you enjoy it, and deem it worthy of a rewatch - then buy the DVD/Blu-Ray.

Then rip a quality copy of it, and delete the previously downloaded one.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

How did you have the patience for that? Is immediately nope out

[–] bruhduh@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

Thing is, corporations twist ethics so when we obey we lose and when they fuck us over they win

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[–] sibachian@lemmy.ml 45 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

the biggest reason for subscriptions is. 1. consumer laws don't protect it. and 2. you can quit your job and don't have to be actually productive and work for a living because your users will just keep on "buying" the product every month indefinitely. and finally 3. subscription basically gives you monopoly in any given area you host it; because the user will usually not look or even have the means to look for options or alternatives once they have already tied a percentage of their monthly income to a company for the software or service they provide - as wallets got spread thinner and thinner until they, now, are entirely swallowed by subscriptions.

the only people arguing in favor of subscriptions are those who don't want to work for a living while still taking advantage of the capitalist system.

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[–] deadlyduplicate@lemmy.world 36 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Found this out when I wanted a decent journaling app for Android. All the most popular ones have subscription tiers that amount to hundreds of dollar over just a few years.... for a fucking journal app? what the hell!

[–] leadore@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not only that but they can train their AI's on all their subscribers' journal entries. Check F-Droid.org for some free, privacy respecting FLOSS journaling apps.

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[–] Chulk@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Definitely feel ya there. I highly recommend Obsidian or Joplin. Not sure what features you're looking for, but I've found Obsidian refreshingly simple. Aso nice knowing that it's just markdown files on my device that can't be sold as data.

[–] jmf@lemm.ee 10 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

if you are looking for an Foss alternative for obsidian, check out logseq. it isn't a 1 for 1 copy of obsidian and its feature set, but the way I use them they are identical, besides the source code availability!

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[–] Zementid@feddit.nl 11 points 2 weeks ago

F-Droid... An open source app store with exactly that: Apps without BS

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 30 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

only way i'll be happy with that is if no one owns anything. corporations, people, billionaires. Otherwise might as well burn it all down, why should care if i dont own anything.

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[–] GatoEscobar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Worst is, if you don't subscribe to specific services, people will call you the odd one out

[–] firepenny@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago

That's fine, I started doing my thing and stopped caring what the world thinks.

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago

Those people are dumb and weird.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 15 points 2 weeks ago

Yep. Those people aren't my friends.

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[–] TheBlue22@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's cool, I do not have a single subscription and will never, ever have one. If I can't buy your product, I'll sail the 7 seas

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[–] Mercuri@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago

"If buying isn't owning, pirating isn't stealing."

I heard this before and it is becoming more true each day.

[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Next up, (cell) phone plans.

(though fuck landlines phones too)

[–] uis@lemm.ee 10 points 2 weeks ago

You'll own nothing and you'll be happy!

Can we get communism already?

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