That's a real $80 right now and it removes a substantial barrier to entry. Once you have the base, you're free to but as much or as little of the other stuff as you choose. It's a bargain, nothing complicated or mysterious about it. Like it or not, the "stream" is one many people wish to partake of Through judicious use of free items and sales, you can spend relatively little or you can go whole hog--you can sip or you can guzzle. People make decisions every day that tie them into a particular brand or company. I don't see Daz as being any worse than the others. I don't think anyone here is blind to the fact that if you want to you can spend a small fortune on something that is a mini-world unto itself and will certainly be "superseded" by the next big thing. That's the mainstream and it's where most folks are at. Sure, you can morph and model your way to "independence" but when you add up the hours at any reasonable $/hour rate, you end up spending much more for maybe an equivalent result. Yes, you've gained invaluable skills but again, that's not where most people want to invest their time. The stream isn't the river Styx, it's the Mississippi. It and it's assorted 3rd party tributaries are the lifeblood of Poser. Feel free to go against the current and carve out your own channel, just don't expect a lot of barge traffic. OK, no more riverine metaphors :-)

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken