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Ask Slashdot: Your Favorite Subscription Services?

Posted by msmash on from the let's-get-going dept.

An anonymous reader writes: What are some subscriptions services that you are paying for and love to pay? Please include music/movie services, news outlets, software, and courses.

36 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. amazon prime by maliqua · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Amazon prime is like 'fast china' you can buy something for $4 you pay $4 and $4 only then it shows up at your door

    1. Re:amazon prime by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      Maybe it's just the UK version, but I find Amazon Prime isn't really worth it. Often the stuff you want is not available with Prime, or it is but costs more than the version without so you are effectively paying for fast shipping on it anyway.

      If the range was better or Prime was about 1/4th the price it might be worth it.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. Piratebay by aglider · · Score: 2

    Of course!

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
    1. Re:Piratebay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      My UseNet and NZB Indexer Subscriptions save me from all the HBO piracy threats, and costs a fraction of what a CableTV subscription costs..

  3. Linux Weekly News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    LWN is an invaluable resource for keeping track of Linux kernel development.

    https://lwn.net/

  4. none. by rogoshen1 · · Score: 2

    I don't particularly 'love' giving money to anyone. The particularly shitty thing with these subscription based streaming services is that you're just renting content. You never 'own' any of it; and at the end you have fuck-all to show for your expense.

    Tis the same approach used to keep people poor forever -- (this is of course a minor case, but illustrative.) And sadly the direction our society seems to be heading on a few fronts.
    Don't buy a house, just rent.
    Don't buy a car, lease it.
    Software as a service
    Interest only loans etc.

    From a cost/benefit perspective; spotify and netflix are 'worth it', but that's about it. (For now; they love playing hanky with what content is available, not to mention arbitrary geoblocking bullshit.)

    1. Re:none. by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2

      The particularly shitty thing with these subscription based streaming services is that you're just renting content. You never 'own' any of it; and at the end you have fuck-all to show for your expense.

      I don't have a problem with that in itself, as long as the deal is clear. I used to rent tapes or discs from bricks and mortar rental stores too, and I paid a lot less for something I was only interested in watching once that way than I would have if I'd had to buy everything as a permanent copy. That experience and hopefully enjoyment is what I had to show for my expense afterwards.

      Where I think things get hazy is when something walks like a purchase and quacks like a purchase (and is priced like a purchase) but in fact is just some general licence-to-use thing when you read the small print that no-one reads. This is a particular evil with software, in my experience.

      I'm also a bit concerned that in time we might move to rental being the only way to get access content even if you'd prefer to have a permanent copy and be willing to pay a fair price for it. However, so far, I see little evidence that this is likely to happen any time soon; there's a big enough market for buy-to-own that the content producers even run big money ad campaigns about it, while simultaneously also releasing it through other channels. Again, software is a notable exception, but the pros and cons of SaaS models also seem to be reliably opening gaps in the market for providers willing to supply their software on a more traditional, permanent basis, so I think the jury's still out on this one too.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    2. Re:none. by bws111 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why does it matter if 'at the end' you have nothing to show for it? Have you never eaten a meal that provided flavor or nutrition above mere sustenance? Have you never attended a concert or gone to a movie? Have you never taken a vacation? All of those things leave you with 'nothing at the end to show for your expense'.

      A more sane approach would be 'how much value do you get from owning vs renting'? For me, and I suspect a lot of other people, the value of an entertainment dollar comes from how much enjoyment you get from it. I can spend $10/month on a subscription movie service and watch a different movie every weekend. Or, I can spend the $10 buying a copy of a movie, watching it one weekend and spending the other three weekends diving into my collection of movies like Scrooge McDuck saying 'look how much I own!'. I would get much more enjoyment, thus value, out of the first.

      As another poster said, people used to rent movies from brick-and-mortar stores. That business started dying off when the price to own a movie came down low enough. But the reason owning was seen as preferable wasn't so much 'look at all the stuff I own' as it was simple convenience. If you wanted to rent a movie you had to go to the store, hope they had a movie you wanted to see, go home and watch it, then return it to the store. By purchasing it you could watch it when you wanted, even if it was only once, and not have to deal with that hassle. That was worth money. When Netflix came out with DVD rentals that provided convenience at an even lower price than owning. Then when streaming came out it was even easier and cheaper to watch movies.

    3. Re: none. by Albanach · · Score: 3, Informative

      You don't own anything. If the government decides they want your house because it sits on land you can never own, they'll take it. If the government decides your car is unsafe, they take it.

      THis comment appears scattered throughout this topic. Are you proposing something different? A return to the state of nature, where anyone else with a bigger club, or faster legs could take your stuff?

      The only way to own something is if there's a community that respects your ownership. That requires some form of government which requires some sort of funding. The alternative, as Hobbes tells us, is nasty, brutish and short.

  5. Magazines - NY'er by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been getting the New Yorker (not to be confused with New York) for about 15 years and it's among the best money I've spent. The long-form journalism is unbeatable- you get great detail about a wide variety of subjects. I'm a fan of the print issue so you can have it around anytime and anywhere (plus the long articles are hard to read on devices).

    It's also fun to pair it with magazines like Harper's and the Atlantic- you start to realize that some subjects will just make the rounds, and if you see it in two of three it'll definitely be on NPR.

  6. MAGA Weekly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's only available in a Russian language version, though

  7. Quite a few by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I am paying for Pandora for no ads, Netflix (streaming + DVDs), Prime for shipping and TV, and HideMyIP for VPN services. I feel like all of them are an ok value. Then I donate to my local NPR station and subscribe to the Washington Post, because someone needs to keep actual journalists employed.

  8. ACM Digital Library by Jonathan+C.+Patschke · · Score: 2

    The Digital Library is an add-on to a normal ACM Membership that gives access to journals and publications going back decades, as well as access to a selection of modern textbooks and technical books.

    It doubles the cost of the annual ACM membership, but I can think of a few times where a few hours spent reading old journals has saved me a week of hacking around because someone had previously proved a solution to a problem I was trying to solve.

    --
    Pining for the days when The Glorious MEEPT!!! graced SlapDash with his wisdom.
  9. Audible is my jam by Coldeagle · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Audible is my favorite service, I've been an audible customer for over a dozen years and have over 800 books in my audible library. They're the ones I can't do without.

    I also subscribe to Hulu, Netflix, Playstation Vue (cable replacement), HBO Now, and Amazon Prime (also use it for add free music, their free version of music has a pretty wide selection, you don't have to pay extra).

  10. I spend 5x the effort of paying for subscriptions by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I probably spend about 5x the effort of paying for subscriptions finding ways around them. The intellectual reward is worth the extra time - it's like a real-world puzzle. With the glut of entertainment available today, the thrill of unlocking a [game]/[show] /[book] seems to make it worth consuming.

  11. Private Eye by coastwalker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the UK Private Eye is not just entertaining but it holds to account our masters.

    --
    Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
  12. For 20+ years... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

  13. Don't forget content creators by kav2k · · Score: 2

    GitHub for private repos.
    Adobe CC photography bundle (PS + LR).
    Dropbox for convenient cloud storage.
    Spotify for my music needs (and if I do buy music, I tend to only do so through Bandcamp).
    The Old Reader to help me drown in the hundreds of feeds I follow.

    One VPS provider for random small needs + domain fees.
    One VPN provider for peace of mind in some situations.

    And many donations to content creators. Mostly with Patreon. I'd consider that subscriptions.

    I wish YouTube Red as available in my country; I would pay it just for the ad-free experience where I know content creators are still compensated.

  14. GitHub by darkain · · Score: 3, Informative

    We're all techies here, right? Seriously, GitHub. The $7/mo or whatever it is has served me a hell of a lot better than my previous setup using a free GitLab deployment locally.

    1. Re:GitHub by Luthair · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or you could just use BitBucket for free.

  15. Civilization by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Police, Fire Dept., Roads, etc. I admit, I can't live without it.

  16. Huh? by aquabat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Loving a service is one thing, but if you love paying the bill, there's something seriously wrong with you. (No offence).

    --
    A republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
  17. Re:Does the Internet connection subscription count by tsa · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That, and I pay for having a domain with email and websites. I like having that.

    --

    -- Cheers!

  18. Everyone rents their house by Weaselmancer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Property tax.

    You have to pay it every year, and if you don't the government will throw you out of your house and sell it to pay off your tax debt. They can call it a tax all they want, but it's rent. The dynamic is exactly the same. Pay a recurring sum without end or be evicted. Rent.

    Everyone in the US is renting their home from the government.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
    1. Re:Everyone rents their house by Junta · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you rent your house, you are funding the upkeep and property tax for the owner, plus the owner gets profit.

      If you 'own' your house, sure you are still paying property tax, but you are not funding the landlord.

      For example, when I rented, I spent about 12k/year to use half of one bedroom of a two bedroom townhouse.

      Now I pay about 2k/year in taxes for full use of a three bedroom house in the same area (having long paid off the mortgage).

      The issue is that so many people view car loans and mortgages as eternal things, and compare rent or lease payment to those loan payments and think 'well it costs the same'. I've seen this to the extreme of someone getting a new car every two years because 'well, it's not like it's any more expensive, the monthly payment is the same, why should I pay the same to drive a two year old card as a brand new car?'

      --
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    2. Re:Everyone rents their house by 31415926535897 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You totally missed the point of the GP. This is not about quantity at all. It doesn't matter if the government wants $2 or $2 million. If you don't pay it, they take your property and kick you out just like a landlord would. It's a perfectly appropriate analogy.

      Personally, I'm not inherently opposed to property tax, though I would much rather see services paid for a different way if possible. They really NEED to codify a hard cap for property tax percentage. The part about property tax that bothers me is that they are willing to ratchet up the percentage to laughable levels. When I was a child, it would take 100+ years to pay in property taxes what the value of the property was (1%). Now we're at a level of about 30-35 years (~3%). Nobody cared when home values were rising exponentially. But now that prices have stabilized in most places, it seems absurd that the government can take an increasingly large slice of your assets, and they need to precisely because home values aren't going up, yet they need more and more revenue. At some point, owning a property becomes a liability (what if the government taxed at 10%, or 25%?). My math says we're really close to that tipping point (approximately 3.5%), where the value taken by taxes harms the value of the home more than the services they're paying for.

      We need to pay for schools and roads and parks and libraries, but paying for those through property taxes makes us serfs of the state. Even though yours is $2k/year, you are still under serfdom, it's just a lighter load.

    3. Re:Everyone rents their house by kanwisch · · Score: 3, Interesting

      And having lived 10 years in IN, my experience is that the quality of schools shows it. A top-level private education turned out to be roughly equivalent to public schools in IA. The roads outside Indy were atrocious, too, and it was the first state in which I observed paved roads being rolled back to gravel.

      You do get what you pay for, IMHO.

  19. Costco membership by WaffleMonster · · Score: 2

    Can't stand much in the way of local grocery stores.. everything they sell is so tiny I sometimes wonder if their customers are 1ft high miniature people.

    Packaging to actual product surface area is outright ridiculous.

  20. JetBrains and Safari by Average · · Score: 3

    Two things that make me more productive... and sadly my workplace is too nickel-and-dime to actually buy for me.

    The JetBrains IDE all-access pass. I didn't like IDEs until JetBrains. Eclipse... still not friends with. All the extendable code editors (Sublime, Atom, whatever)... meh. IDEA, RubyMine, PyCharm, PHPStorm? F. Ing. Brilliant. When I see people stumbling through without code completion and good breakpoint debuggers (and that's very common in scripting-language web development to this day)... it's like I'm on cheat mode.

    And I debate it but keep up my subscription to O'Reilly (and partners) Safari Books Online, because I have it locked in from a special at $199/yr. At double that (the normal rate), I'm not sure it'd be worth it, but I use it just enough that having virtually every IT book I need available is worth $0.75 a day to me.

  21. Crunchyroll by smallmj · · Score: 4, Informative

    Crunchyroll, for the huge library of subtitled Anime.

    --
    ------- Mark
  22. IRS by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 3, Funny

    Unfortunately I still don't know how to unsubscribe.

  23. Re:Amateur Radio License by Strider- · · Score: 2

    I've been licensed since 1978, and have watched the ebb and flow of the hobby during my time - it's still a great pastime, at least for those of us who just like to BS with our fellow geeks/nerds/techies...

    For some of us, we're in a new golden era of the hobby (and I use that word deliberately). The advent of modern computing hardware and sound cards has led to a lot of really fascinating work done on the margins of what is practical over the air. Things like WSPR that can send data (really slowly, and only with synchronized clocks, which is kinda cheating I guess) at levels that are 27dB below the noise floor is truly impressive. Other things like Olivia and the various other digital modes, is the new realm of amateur experimentation.

    Yes, in the modern era, for the most part amateurs aren't building their own radios any more, but there's a new growth in all sorts of unique modes and techniques, and people are experimenting once again. Same thing with some of the SDR work being done... Now that it's possible to directly synthesize and/or digitize things at amateur frequencies, there's a whole new world of experimentation to be done.

    --
    ...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
  24. My VPN service by johanw · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So I can get easily to the Pirate Bay and don't pay for anythging else.

  25. NHL.TV, MLB.TV, and AFL Live Pass by AF_Cheddar_Head · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Get my sports fix without having to pay the cable or satellite providers.

  26. Since you asked... by Karlt1 · · Score: 2

    I'm a non cable subscriber- not a "cord cutter" since my tv viewing still comes via a cord at home...

    1.Hulu
    2.Netflix
    3.CBS All Access
    4.Sling TV
    5.Amazon Prime
    6. AT&T Gigapower.

    For software/computer related stuff
    1. BackBlaze
    2. Resharper
    3. Pluralsight

    And because I don't do manual labor....

    1. A lawn service.

  27. Re:Does the Internet connection subscription count by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 2

    Free domain hosting: https://freedns.afraid.org/

    Free email hosting (can use your domain): https://www.zoho.com/

    I'd like to find a place that has free web hosting with your own pages (not WordPress.com or anything like that).