"What sort of development are you doing that isn't worth $30 for the single tool that allows you to do it?"
I do light programming, mostly web stuff. Sublime certainly isn't the only tool that allows me to edit code, I used Notepad++ for years, and I'm sure there's a dozen other options. I also just use it as a regular old notepad.
I suppose what I'm saying is my expectation was that for a premium tool, I would be supported with updates and bug fixes for a longer period of time. I probably will buy the upgrade, but I would hope for a longer period of support with version 3. If this turns into a recurring payment model I may need to switch back to strictly free and open source tools.
It's not uncommon; Visual Studio's release cycle is around every two years.
To work out the math a bit, say the developer is looking to make 70k a year (which is quite low IMO, especially if you are self employed). If his release cycle is every two years, he needs to make 140k over one version. At $59 for S2, thats around 2400 sold copies over two years. Not a small number for a product that is tailored to such a niche market. Also considering that there comes a point where the purchases trail off, so the developer needs to find a way to sustain an income. Upgrades seem like a very reasonable way to do that.
With S3, if the developer wanted to offer a reasonable way to allow S2 owners to upgrade at a discount, it comes at a loss of income for the next two years. Given that the amount of people who would buy the editor have already bought S2, so the pool of possible purchasers decreases. So it seems like a reasonable balance to allow that discounted upgrade, while increasing the full price to make up for the loss of new purchasers.
I suppose what I'm saying is my expectation was that for a premium tool, I would be supported with updates and bug fixes for a longer period of time. I probably will buy the upgrade, but I would hope for a longer period of support with version 3. If this turns into a recurring payment model I may need to switch back to strictly free and open source tools.