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Subscriptions With Automated Recurring Billing Come To Windows 10 (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the next-up dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: In yet another bid to woo developers to the platform, Microsoft is introducing subscription add-ons for Windows 10 Anniversary Edition, and later. Available to all UWP developers, the add-on subscriptions with automated recurring billing will allow creators to sell digital products directly in their apps. Subscription periods available include 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or 2 years, and it's possible for developers to offer a free trial period too.

80 comments

  1. Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Called this back when Windows 10 came out. Enjoy your subscription OS, Windows 10 suckers.

    1. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      you imbecile

      Read the article, comprehend that this is for third parties to sell subscription, then post

      read ->comprehend->post

      then get back to eating Cheetos in your moms basement while I am busy mailing her

    2. Re: Told you so. by gfxguy · · Score: 2

      Yeah.... I just read the summary and it's just the same model a lot of companies are already using for their products, but simplified for Windows developers (I guess if sold through the app store, MS gets a cut). It has NOTHING to do with the OS.

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
    3. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No shit, Sherlock. It's the same thing leading to the same shitty place, perpetually paying for software instead of being able to buy it once. And how long do you think it will be before Windows actually gets in on the action directly? This is just another step towards that inevitable future.

      Enjoy your subscription OS or your flood of ads delivered straight to your desktop and applications.

    4. Re: Told you so. by HornyBastard · · Score: 1

      Have you read the article?
      I get Only one in 10 employees is aware of IT security policies

      --
      Death has been proven to be 99% fatal in lab rats.
    5. Re: Told you so. by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Interesting
      PLEASE folks.....vote for this subscription BS with you wallets.

      Don't buy in....

      So far, I'm not going with Adobe's rental model, for example. I can do just fine with the CS6 suite for example I bought....and there are now competitors for many of those tools (Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, OnOne....etc)......

      Don't give into this bullshit of renting your software....vote with your wallet, keep it closed.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    6. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I switched from PhotoShop to PaintShop Pro. It's every bit as good, the pricing is VERY fair and no subscription bullshit. AfterShot and VideoStudio are good too. I bought my copy of PaintShop Pro as a bundled deal with VideoStudio a while back for less than $100.

    7. Re: Told you so. by geekmux · · Score: 5, Insightful

      PLEASE folks.....vote for this subscription BS with you wallets.

      Don't buy in....

      So far, I'm not going with Adobe's rental model, for example. I can do just fine with the CS6 suite for example I bought....and there are now competitors for many of those tools (Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, OnOne....etc)......

      Don't give into this bullshit of renting your software....vote with your wallet, keep it closed.

      I wish there were enough people that agreed with this stance to make a real difference, and change the course we're on.

      Unfortunately, you represent a mere fraction of consumer mentality out there, so SaaS infections will continue and be inevitable.

    8. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Stop mailing my mom!

    9. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      then get back to eating Cheetos in your moms basement while I am busy mailing her

      It would probably just be easier to text her.

    10. Re: Told you so. by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      you imbecile Read the article, comprehend that this is for third parties to sell subscription, then post read ->comprehend->post

      The article is (as of 2:33pm ET) about employees being unaware of their employer's security issues. Maybe you should RTFA before telling others to do so?

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    11. Re: Told you so. by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It has NOTHING to do with the OS.

      Yet.

      Microsoft is setting up a large recurring payments infrastructure. You don't have to be a genius to see what's coming after the "beta testers" are done with it.

      --
      No sig today...
    12. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      mailing her what?

    13. Re: Told you so. by cayenne8 · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately, you represent a mere fraction of consumer mentality out there, so SaaS infections will continue and be inevitable.

      True....

      But then again, it ain't over, till it's over, you know?

      Often, people don't know better, and every time you make a comment, well, someone might hear it and change their mind...and then change someone else's mind, etc.

      And, look at the case with Adobe....

      Sure, they are the monster winner now, BUT, there are a LOT of very viable alternatives springing up now. And I think some will really challenge Adobe, in that in many cases, like with Affinity Photo, they're creating from ground up, so there isn't all the legacy code underneath the covers, and they are faster and quicker....and I'm starting to see innovation on the new guys, as that with Adobe getting monthly payments, their incentive to really keep working for new breakthroughs really isn't as high as it might have been in past years.

      So, while it is a tough fight now...it is worth fighting, it takes time, but even Tsunamis start out as small waves....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    14. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just let them burn in their special hell created for them.

    15. Re: Told you so. by tepples · · Score: 1

      vote with your wallet

      What alternative to Adobe Animate would you recommend for people trying to replace a secondhand copy of Flash with something that can output HTML5?

    16. Re: Told you so. by omnichad · · Score: 1

      and they are faster and quicker

      And so is CS5.5. I tried a demo of Photoshop CC 2017 recently and it was painfully slow. The UI just dragged so badly. I have no reason to downgrade to CC.

    17. Re: Told you so. by chmod+a+x+mojo · · Score: 1

      Maybe this works for you, someone who is happy to use older versions that don't have any new improvements. There is nothing wrong with that, I've frozen versions before too, until I couldn't work with the old versions anymore due to lack of newer RAW support. But I like my life being made easier by improvements to content aware stuff, and all of the other improvements they have made over the years. I could do everything I do these days with PS7.0, but it would take me significantly more steps and longer. I like the software being smart enough to automate large chunks of the boring shit for me.

      That being said, I mostly kept up with upgrades on an every other release. I can also do the math - the renting is cheaper than upgrading every two years. $10.00 / month for two years = $240. Much cheaper than a license upgrade, AND I get Lightroom thrown in for "free" as well. Upgrades were $300-$400+.

      Not only is it cheaper over all, but I never have to worry about waiting a year or more to use new features from a major point release. I will always have them as they come out. If I wanted this on the old upgrade model it would cost me double the amount that I used to pay, which was already significantly more than the cost of subscription.

      --
      To err is human; effective mayhem requires the root password!
    18. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Saola Animate

      I personally use Synfig Studio, because it outputs as proper video files or animated images that can be viewed in many more places with less resource usage than HTML5 and it's open source.

    19. Re: Told you so. by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Maybe this works for you, someone who is happy to use older versions that don't have any new improvements. There is nothing wrong with that, I've frozen versions before too, until I couldn't work with the old versions anymore due to lack of newer RAW support. But I like my life being made easier by improvements to content aware stuff, and all of the other improvements they have made over the years. I could do everything I do these days with PS7.0, but it would take me significantly more steps and longer. I like the software being smart enough to automate large chunks of the boring shit for me.

      I see your point...up to a point.

      But with Adobe, and let's just take Photoshop as the example here....I look at today's PS CC, and honestly, while there are some updates and new things, there is nothing earthshaking with the current CC version that I can't really easily do in CS6....or with Affinity Photo.

      Sure, they have made some changes, and some improvements, but nothing done so far, is so groundbreaking or new, that is can't easily be done already or replicated with CS6 or other products. In fact, Affinity Photo in so many cases, does the same thing and FASTER due to a better and newer engine.

      I think my argument for things like PS is..the technology is largely mature and I don't there there are likely to be many things going forward that ARE earthshaking and will change anyones modern workflow.

      Right now, I still play with PS CS6 and LR5. I'm toying with going ahead and buying LR6 while I still can....and from here, I'm looking elsewhere.

      Right now I"m playing with On1 RAW as a LR replacement. Right now, I really love it except I do miss the cataloging and all from LR. A lot of people don't like the LR cataloging, but I do.

      But so far, On1 is working great as a LR substitute.

      I'd mentioned Affinity Photo...aside from a couple of things (I miss the ability to use the option key with a brush to quickly sample color in the work space)...I find it works great.

      I find that both of them work just as well when it comes to content aware functionality. I've not seen any amazing strides with content aware from CS6 to current CC. Again, nothing earth shaking.

      but hey, it works for some people and more power to them.

      But even with as many people that migrated to Adobe CC's rental model...more and more I'm hearing grumblings about it and folks are looking for an alternative.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    20. Re: Told you so. by gfxguy · · Score: 1

      I do the math... I don't see MS putting the OS on a subscription model, especially Windows 10 - they'd not only lose millions of customers, they'd be sued up the ass by every single government on the planet for the bait and switch tactic. If they did this for 11, then you'd be free to not upgrade.

      But I don't see it happening at all. I think of it like Angry Birds... when it came out, you could buy the full version, or play the ad supported version. Roxio soon discovered that they made more money on the ad supported versions... so their games remain free, but they make more money on ads and DLC. MS gets a cut of every window's store transaction.... they are doing this to encourage vendors to sell and update subscriptions through the windows store so they can get their cut. I'm not saying it's good - I liked actually being able to buy software (or permanent licenses). The best model is an inbetween one - I bought a library; I have "permanent" access to it (it will be outdated someday, of course), but I get free updates for the first year. I can keep using it for five, six... however many years are practical, and then buy the new version. However, I don't see anything dastardly in what MS is doing.

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
    21. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they'd not only lose millions of customers

      They are already losing millions of customers to Android and iOS. The ones that remain will stick around like battered housewives because they think they need Windows because they have invested too much into it.

      they'd be sued up the ass by every single government on the planet for the bait and switch tactic

      Wrong again. Microsoft's EULA allows them to make whatever changes they want at any time. In addition, they could offer alternatives to subscriptions, such as in-operating system or in-application advertising.

      However, I don't see anything dastardly in what MS is doing

      Then you are blind and/or naive beyond belief.

    22. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dick pics. I'm already busy nailing her.

    23. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GIMP is great!

    24. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope you enjoy your abandonware.

    25. Re: Told you so. by Calydor · · Score: 1

      in your moms basement while I am busy mailing her

      So you run a spamming service?

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    26. Re: Told you so. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You act like software has a shelf life. Contrary to what you little kids think these days, it's not necessary for software to have a dozen patches released every day. In fact, software that has many patches tends to be low quality and created by amateur developers, that's why it needs so much trial and error patching.

      I prefer software that is written by people who know what the fuck they are doing and are capable of producing a 1.0 version instead of being in perpetual beta like the shit software that you use.

      Now fuck off back to Facebook, junior.

    27. Re: Told you so. by rastos1 · · Score: 1

      The correct link is apparently here (linked from the page linked from TFA)

  2. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Kids are being brought up in a world where subscriptions and unlimited micropayments are normal.

  3. So... by sycodon · · Score: 2

    25 cents for 25 file copy operations is next eh?

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  4. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Don't worry Zuckerberg is in favour of a Universal Basic Income.

    The first stage is a UBI

    The second stage is that everything needs micropayment, cunningly priced so that the average person spends their whole UBI

    The final stage is that the UBI goes directly to Whole foods, Apple or Microsoft, Facebook etc.

    If you want a vision of the future imagine a vegan Birkenstock stamping on a human face forever

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  5. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by cayenne8 · · Score: 2

    Kids are being brought up in a world where subscriptions and unlimited micropayments are normal.

    As the OLD song goes...

    "...teach your children well....."

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  6. traffic shifting by Grand+Facade · · Score: 1

    Why is so much traffic being moved from slashdot to BetaNews?

    Can't even be bothered to check the link......

    Link from article https://betanews.com/2018/01/1...

    --
    Rick B.
  7. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was thinking more along the lines of WALL-E. People will become fat and lazy (similar to how Americans are now), totally dependent upon machines, the Earth will be a polluted mess, governments will disappear and one or two corporations (Microbook and Applebet) will run everything.

  8. You earned it. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you've stuck with Windows despite all the horrible shit that Microsoft has been doing to you, you've earned this. Seriously, you have put in a concerted effort bear all the spying, absurd UI changes and just all around malicious behavior, so this is your reward.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re: You earned it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you even read the article, or even the summary?

    2. Re: You earned it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, but there is no way you can spin this as good news. It's crap and anyone who goes along with it should throw away their computer and be forever ashamed.

    3. Re: You earned it. by subanark · · Score: 3, Informative

      I signed up for the trial subscription of HBO to watch game of thrones. HBO uses the google play subscription model, and as a result when I went to unsubscribe after my watching was done, all I needed to do was hit one button (and a confirmation) and I was unsubscribed.

      I've used other subscription models in the past, and many of the "First party" subscription are a massive pain to cancel (as in call their support line to cancel). With Microsoft managing the model, I find it much more likely they will make unsubscribing not too difficult, not to mention I trust Microsoft with my credit card info much more than 5 smaller businesses that could be located anywhere in the world.

    4. Re:You earned it. by coastwalker · · Score: 1

      I note that Classic Shell has now gone into suspended animation but if you use it on windows then you would not even know about the changes. All my open source and necessary commercial software lives in the programs grouping and I would not even know what lives under the "Apps" group. Of course I have to live with the fact that Cortana and other software is leaking my every move to Microsoft and presumably the NSA, I can run other operating systems if I need complete privacy. It would be a great shame if we were to abandon the millions of man hours of work that has gone into creating software like Libre office or the independent software like Whatsapp that runs on Window and leave it to become what we dislike and distrust because of snowflakeism.

      --
      Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
    5. Re:You earned it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean improving stability? Providing a better UI? Releasing nice hardware to use those on? Adding *nix shell support within windows? Giving free upgrades?

      But seriously, read the article? It's a subscription model for DEVELOPERS to use on the apps that the DEVELOPERS DEVELOP.

      Oh - one more to add to the list... Adding a subscription model for DEVELOPERS to use.

      Reading comprehension 101.

    6. Re:You earned it. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      so this is your reward.

      A developer feature in a notoriously underused and worthless app store that makes no difference to the general person? I'm not feeling regret over this. Actually I'm feeling nothing. Should I be feeling something?

    7. Re:You earned it. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Like most open applications, Libre Office was ported to Windows. Whatsapp is closed and owned by Facebook.

      Oh, so avoiding corporations that constantly disrespect you is "snowflakeism"? Wow, that's deeply cynical. Humanity can do better and already has done better and it's not Windows 10.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    8. Re:You earned it. by blahplusplus · · Score: 1

      If you've stuck with Windows despite all the horrible shit that Microsoft has been doing to you, you've earned this. Seriously, you have put in a concerted effort bear all the spying, absurd UI changes and just all around malicious behavior, so this is your reward.

      Our species is dumb, welcome to earth. Same reason mmo's, steam and f2p games are things. The average person on our planet is a fucking tech illiterate moron.

    9. Re:You earned it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no one in their right mind would use windows if you could GAME someplace else

      and notice i said GAME not game, minesweeper tier "games" dont count

    10. Re: You earned it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People can game in operating systems other than Windows. There are people who are unaware that this is possible, and I suggest, if you want to do anything about it, you discover why. Might have something to do with a lack of simple setup, maybe? Or maybe you've ignored flash games entirely as "who fucking plays flash games" when honestly, the past week I've been rediscovering fun games that did more than the games I felt they were calling back to. Road of the Dead, Parasite Strike, Mastermind World Conqueror, Abobo's Big Adventure and Fancy Pants Adventure are just the examples I can list of the top of my head. Maybe you've written off DosBox which handles tons of games on even Pi hardware and can get Windows 3.11 running for those 16 bit executables that simply won't run on modern Windows. Stuff like Castle of the Wind for example. More games run on Unity than ever before and unfortunately that's not to its credit, but they're easy enough to port.

  9. The most obvious requirement... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does it support Goat C?

  10. Ediitor: check TFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    /. headline: Subscriptions With Automated Recurring Billing Come To Windows 10
    link in TFS to Betanews: Only one in 10 employees is aware of IT security policies

    What does employee awareness of IT security policies have to do with Microsoft screwing Win10 users further with new recurring fees?

  11. Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy.

    1. Re:Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GP's post exists.. SO? Don't read.

    2. Re:Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy.

      Let me know how that works out for you when you eventually don't have a fucking choice other than SaaS.

    3. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is most people are already too invested in those technologies, it's the Oracle paradox again (people keep paying too much for their products because they have already paid too much).

      Leaving Adobe for some people can be possible, but others have to stick because they have paid large sums of cash in plugins, extensions and training; even some people have ammased a large amount of scripts to ease their workflows.
      For those people divesting Adobe will take some time.

    4. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      Somebody should invent Free / Open Source software!

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    5. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somebody should invent Free / Open Source software!

      A CEO's bowel movement has more impact on consumer opinion than the FOSS movement ever will. Linux has been around for decades, and the average consumer still doesn't give a shit about it, no matter the cost.

      FOSS will continue to command an insignificant portion of market share. The rest will continue to be controlled by greed.

    6. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, last I checked a free and open source operating system based on Linux was the most popular OS in the world and desktop PC usage was dwindling.

    7. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most widely used != most popular.

    8. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, yes, that's exactly what the word "popular" means in this context. If you had stayed in school, you might not be illiterate.

    9. Re:Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by The123king · · Score: 1

      I'll be trawling Pirate Bay then.

      --
      If you gave me a choice between a printer and a giraffe with explosive diarrhoea, i'll get my ladder and my raincoat
    10. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, last I checked a free and open source operating system based on Linux was the most popular OS in the world and desktop PC usage was dwindling.

      And how many devices are you free to install any open source software you want without voiding/violating the warranty, EULA, or ToS of the manufacturer or provider? Did you add the words "based on" after consulting with your lawyer to ensure what you were saying was technically true?

      Open software becomes rather closed without a license to use it as you wish on whatever hardware you want. It's kind of like being handed the keys to a sports car and being restricted to driving around in a parking lot.

    11. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how many devices are you free to install any open source software you want without voiding/violating the warranty, EULA, or ToS of the manufacturer or provider?

      Irrelevant. All Android versions run Linux. Linux and Android are open source.

      Did you add the words "based on" after consulting with your lawyer to ensure what you were saying was technically true?

      There is no OS called "Linux". You should understand the topic before commenting.

      Open software becomes rather closed without a license to use it as you wish on whatever hardware you want. It's kind of like being handed the keys to a sports car and being restricted to driving around in a parking lot.

      Nobody is restricted from doing anything. That's why so many custom Android builds exist.

    12. Re: Great Negging: SaaS exists.. SO? Don't buy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I guess if it's been around for decades and the average consumer doesn't care about it, we'd better figure out why and address these problems! Things like intuitive UI, compatibility, prompt bug fixes all make a difference to an average consumer.

  12. First reaction: "Umm... how?" by Opportunist · · Score: 1, Troll

    It took me a while to remember that Windows 10 actually came with some kind of app store...

    Seriously, is there someone left who did NOT disable that crap yet?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  13. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have to marvel at the genius of a fascist system (in the literal sense, not in the 'ZOMG Trump is fascist' hysteria sense) rolling in on the trojan horse of something that seems so the opposite.

  14. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

    It seems more feudal to be honest. Then again fascism has become a rather meaningless word. In fact Orwell pointed that out that was the case even in 1944

    http://orwell.ru/library/artic...

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  15. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, once the money goes straight to the corporations, they have no need to provide anything to the consumer. They already get the money anyway direct from government, and most people who need UBI by that point will be in a position where they couldn't do anything even if they tried. "Oh? You're going to complain that your life is crap? Well, we'll just send your next food shipment via the scenic route, and your terrafoam rental payment just went up due to extra maintenance costs, Unless you want to change your tune that is...." Eventually, given enough time, people would just start dying out due to poor living conditions. Problem solved for them.

    The end game is not pretty. Those caught up in it had better hope for change to occur soon.

  16. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You've personally apologized for greater fascism than micropayments you old fart Hal_Capo, don't pretend UBI is somehow worse than Trump's treason and obstruction and judge-stuffing.

  17. ~Re:Hell yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    fucking unicode troll again!

  18. Please pass the linux... by Zurkeyon3733 · · Score: 1

    and an extra helping of FULLY open source! :-P

  19. Just another reason NOT to use Microsoft Store. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yup

  20. Re: Woo developers, shoo users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'The second stage is that everything needs micropayment, cunningly priced so that the average person spends their whole UBI"

    Actually, it's the old Company Store Model, Compulsory Subscription.
    Your annual UBI is say 10000 Quatloos. But basic Living expenses, payable to UBI Inc, come to 11000 Quatloos a year. Once you are enrolled, you start out in debt. If you enroll when born, you start out in debt, and you remain in ever increasing debt until you die. Your Heirs, if any, get what's left of your Estate, if any, only when your debt to UBI Inc, your Death Duty, is paid off. Managed properly, they inherit your remaining debt. These are the basic Thermodynamic Laws:
    You can't win
    You can't break even
    You can't get out of the game

    This is not new; in fact it is quite old. During the 14th Century in Europe, Feudal Economies were transforming to Manorial Economies. In Theory, a Peasant, now no longer a Serf, could leave the Manor that they were born to and travel anywhere... only as long as their debt to the Manor is paid first. This too is quite old, dating back to when Roman Slaves could buy their Freedom. Few in practice ever could. Note that simply leaving was a Capital Crime. Debts must be paid.
    Only one unusual condition changed the unchangeable- The Black Death. It took a few epidemics, but eventually up to half of Europe went and died, Peasant and Manor Lords alike. Fear of Plague meant to hell with Manor Lords, people left anyway where plague threatened, ironically bringing the Plague with them. Well, Europe was overpopulated anyway; famines were routine.
    Those Villeins that remained were actually valuable; fields still had to be planted and harvested, and grudging concessions were made over time, including the abolishment of the Heriot- the Death Duty owed to a Lord for going and dying on him. (The Heriot wasn't actually abolished in England until 1922.) In two centuries, Europe's population recovered.

    Note that there are two opposing but united Philosophies regarding the UBI. One is a belief in very basic Human Rights and Dignities. The other is good old fashioned Greed. Those that get in early on the UBI schemes stand to make Fortunes; owners of Company Stores always do.
    But a new, good, refreshing Black Death could change everything once again, because a fundamental driver of the UBI is that there are just too many people to plant and harvest the fields, and memories of Revolting Peasants still rankle.

  21. Here's a link to the actual story by neile · · Score: 1

    Since apparently the mods don't bother clicking on the submitted links before posting. https://betanews.com/2018/01/1...

  22. Microsoft allow creators to sell digital products by najajomo · · Score: 1

    How much will Microsoft skim off the top.

  23. Librem 5 (open source phone) by erapert · · Score: 1

    I'll just leave this here...

  24. Since when does video have "less resource usage"? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Synfig Studio, because it outputs as proper video files or animated images that can be viewed in many more places with less resource usage than HTML5

    Last I checked, SWF was a lot smaller in bytes transmitted over the (potentially slow or capped) network than WebM or MP4. I had hoped that HTML+Canvas would be comparable in size to SWF.

  25. With feature added Windows 10 spying / data theft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Makes the perfect O/S! I'm glad our company is moving to Linux.