It seems like a fairly reasonable compromise that addresses the concerns of both parties -- JetBrains needs a recurring revenue stream to support updates (fixes to version at time of purchase/subscription) and upgrades (new versions), while the customer needs the right to continue to use the software they purchased.
Yes, the customer doesn't get to keep the latest version if they stop their subscription, but JetBrains needs some reasonable hook to cover support costs, and quite frankly, their software is relatively cheap in the commercial market and generally works as expected.
It also addresses the concerns of those who claim "they'd be willing to pay more". If you decide to stop your update subscription, you have the option of getting a perpetual license for the latest version at that point by simply buying a year's worth of updates.
If there's a better option that keeps JetBrains in business and customers happy, I'm sure many would like to hear it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no guarantee that the version you'd be downgraded to would be able to read project files from the current version, right? So if JetBrains decides to up the subscription price by a huge amount, you'd potentially still have to pay for a year at the new, extortionate price in order to be able to continue to build your existing code - and worse, they could remove the option to actually buy the version you're using altogether before you get the chance to do so.
The better option would be to simply disable further updates at the end of the year instead of forcing a downgrade.
People who wanted future improvements would still be incentivized to pay for them, Jetbrains would be incentivized to continue improving the software so that people would want to keep purchasing, and nobody's current working setup would be held hostage at the end of the year!
As I said, this seems like a reasonable compromise; JetBrains needs some sort of hook to support the development of newer versions.
Otherwise, JetBrains incurs the cost of producing a new version, but then has no revenue stream to support it.
In addition, if you keep upgrading every year, they give you a lower price than you would have gotten before. However, if you don't stay current, then yes, you'll pay more than you used to.
JetBrains hasn't really raised their prices in five years and meanwhile the cost of living has gone up. Things can't be completely in favour of either party; there has to be a meeting in the middle.
For what it's worth, I have no affiliation and I had let my license to IntelliJ lapse so was one of the aggrieved parties when they first announced the new pricing. This announcement however satisfied me enough that I decided to renew.
Yes, the customer doesn't get to keep the latest version if they stop their subscription, but JetBrains needs some reasonable hook to cover support costs, and quite frankly, their software is relatively cheap in the commercial market and generally works as expected.
It also addresses the concerns of those who claim "they'd be willing to pay more". If you decide to stop your update subscription, you have the option of getting a perpetual license for the latest version at that point by simply buying a year's worth of updates.
If there's a better option that keeps JetBrains in business and customers happy, I'm sure many would like to hear it.