The methods used to distribute software programs to the masses have changed quite a bit over the years.

Back in the early days of personal computing, software was usually distributed in one of three ways:

1 – We could buy a program outright and use it for as long as we wanted to without having to make any further payments.

Eventually the software companies figured out that most of us would be willing to shell out our hard-earned dollars on a regular basis to buy “upgraded” versions of our software.

That’s why many folks pay out the nose once a year or so for the privilege of installing the “new and improved” versions of their favorite programs. [Read more…]