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The Soulmen announced yesterday that they were switching to a subscription only model for one of my favourite apps: Ulysses.

From what I've seen the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Subscriptions are de rigueur for services but I have been largely dubious about them for software.

Max Seelemen wrote a very thorough and thought-provoking piece on Medium giving a good background into the decision for them to make the switch. He puts forward a very compelling argument.

He writes that the notion of a one-time purchase is a hangover from the days when you bought software in a box; he's right!

The way software is developed, distributed and updated has changed dramatically and the business models attached to it need to adapt to those changes.

Having previously bought the app for iOS (and struggling with that decision) I never felt that I could justify the significantly higher cost to re-purchase it on the Mac, based on my usage.

A low monthly cost (covering all my Apple devices in one subscription) removes that initial barrier and makes the app far more affordable.

So, last night, I made the switch, downloaded the new version from the App Store (on both the iPhone and MacBook) and immediately set up my subscription.

Comments

# It's sad to already see one star reviews for Ulysses on the App Store after the switch to subscription. It's not for everyone but there's no need for people to be spiteful.

# Today's Google doodle celebrates the very beginnings of what became hip hop - 44 years ago today!

It took a bit longer to grow into what we really recognise as hip hop today, but It's crazy to think that's where it all started. 1973!

It's almost as old as me. Almost.