I am not the only one seeing what is going on comments from a friend
there are some software you can not even save your work on YOUR computer you have to upload it to a cloud.
many software will not run unless you are connected to the internet. No connection no use of the software
I have had continuing problems with computers crashing, and taking my software with them.
I am having that problem right now with my last copy of Solidworks (they allow you to load it twice, and one computer has died already).
The trend is for software manufacturers to force you to use programs on the cloud.
I still use a 2D CAD program with a perpetual license that allows the owner to load it without having to connect to the internet, and I have had to reload it multiple times over the years as computers fail.
Reloading Solidworks is going to require connecting to the internet, they will not allow me to reload it, since I have loaded it twice.
I paid my money (lots of it), and I need to be able to use my software.
In the last few years I have been storing all my data on SanDisk flash drives, and have not stored anything on any hard drive.
A hard drive failure does not affect me other than the software problem I mention above, and I always have a spare computer standing by and ready to use for 2D CAD work.
I guess the hardware/software industry is migrating towards the cloud.
I have been buying used computers that run Windows 7, and I don't plan on using any computers beyond that version.
I only connect one machine to the net, and that is for email.
I assume that any computer connected to the net will get hacked at some point by someone, and so I don't store anything on that computer.
When my email computer starts to have problems, I restore it to the original factory settings, and wipe out any problems/viruses/spyware.
big brother appears to have gotten involved in some extremely nefarious stuff (shades of 1984),
Social justice warriors seem to have infected many large companies, especially the tech companies, like a cancer.
It didn't use to be that way.
I can remember a time when people did the right thing because that was the right thing to do.
The internet has been weaponized these days, and is used to censor what we read, throw elections, and in general allow big tech companies act as giant out-of-control social engineering firms that they control