I chose to update to Adobe's CC when I decided to use the quixel suite in my work. It works best in recent versions of 'shop but not so much on CS4, which is what I had before making the switch. I am not a fan of subscription services, I prefer owning the software outright but you do what you have to do to keep yourself relevant to potential employers and stay up on what's going on in the industry. Until quixel moves their suite to a standalone app, I'll probably maintain my subscription. The updater isn't as intrusive as some others, so I don't mind using it. I say go for it. If you can afford it, it's not the axis of evil people seem to think it is.