And by the way, this still IS the software market I participate in, because there’s a lot of great indie software still adhering to it. It’s still possible. I have weeded out almost all unnecessary SaaS. I do actually have Fastmail and 1Password, which is funny since those were mentioned here a lot.

A few recent example purchases (macOS): BBEdit, Base, A Better Finder Renamer, Nitro (that’s lifetime, though I actually prefer “until the next major version”).

it's an economic problem, not a technical one, imo.

unfortunately, we no longer live in an economic environment that supports being able to run a stable business that way. if cost of living were still relatively stable/affordable/predictable? sure.

i would love to see everyone go back to this model, but sadly i don't see that happening unless the person offering it is independently wealthy/comfortable by other means.