Exactly. Adobe, like most software today, requires a license that is restricted to a particular machine at the time of installation. To use it on another machine, you have to deactivate the license for one machine, and reactive the license for a different machine.
Mac App Store works quite differently. There is no license. Software is not associated with any particular machine. The software a user purchases is associated with that user. The user can then install that software on any number of machines. There is no license to deactivate on one machine and then reactive for a different machine. Simply install it on as many machines as you like.
There are also no CDs/DVDs. Everything installs online. But if a user prefers the old-fashioned way, software can still be installed that way.
Well, you still have to authenticate yourself to the store in order to gain access to your software download. Whether that's done via a license key, username/password or some other piece of personal information is really not much of an issue. In any case, you still have to tell the store you are the owner of the software.
I really don't see how this is any sort of "game changer", since software portability isn't really a new concept.
Surely you are not implying that Photoshop, through Apple’s App store, will now have unlimited licenses, or not need licences for every computer it is installed on? Nor Windows Office for Apple?
As a Droid phone owner, I know the power of apps, but I don’t think the big software vendors will suddenly give up all the profit that individual licenses provide them. Yeah, little apps that do some small specific thing, but the big complex code suites? Those guys want to get paid.
Perhaps someday someone will develop a BETTER and CHEAPER app than the big vendor programs, one that will go head-to-head with them with the same functionality, but then they may get into all kinds of copyright problems if they code for that vendor’s file type, specifications, etc. For example, look at Open Office. It’s free, but Microsoft still sells the vast majority of desktop application suite software.
I am certainly opposed to piracy. Anyone who downloads for pay code for free from some hacker site is violating the law. I thought Free Republic was a conservative web site? How can a FReeper advocate software piracy?