Indeed, Adobe's cloud suite delivers always-on access to 20-some apps for $20 to $52 per month - it was on sale through Friday, August 30 (the deal is still showing up on Adobe's page). All that, of course, is ancient history: Nowadays, nearly everything is cloud-based, meaning you always have access to the latest version and features, be they Office 365 or Adobe Creative Cloud.
Once upon a time, software and apps were a one-shot deal: You went to CompUSA, paid your $50 or $100 (or $500) and walked out with a shrinkwrapped box full of CDs or DVDs.