So I just read this article about how Adobe is going to discontinue its Creative Suite in favor of a Creative Cloud model. The article had a fairly triumphal spin on this, and apparently the Creative Cloud model has thus far been a commercial success, but I for one am displeased by this. The basic issue for me boils down to the option of ownership (or more precisely, a perpetual license agreement).

Currently one has the option to pay a fee each month in order to gain a temporary license to the tools accessible on Creative Cloud. There are several advantages to this. First, one need not make a large investment up front to begin using industry standard tools. Second, one need not wait a year or two between releases in order to access the latest new tools. On the other hand, this model does not allow for a perpetual license to the tools, meaning that it requires a perpetual investment of resources. So there is a financial incentive for those who regularly work with CS to make the costly initial investment to purchase the tools and avoid this money leech. However soon this option will no longer be available, and that makes me rather cranky. I have been considering purchasing CS 6, and am thinking now that I may go ahead and do so while the option is still available.

What do the rest of you think about this?