Note that this response is my own. I'm not an employee of JBMC, the publishers of DirectAdmin, and I write my own thoughts.
Simple answer: you're not buying the software. You're buying a license to use it.
More complex answer: almost all commecial software is covered by a license; even most free-of-cost software, including all open-source software.
It's the license that gives you permission to use the software. Companies, including DirectAdmin, license the software to protect their intellectual property and to maintain an income stream so they may be rewarded for their work.
The lifetime license costs less than a year's worth of payments on a monthly license; I don't think most of us consider that a lot.
The lifetime license gives you the right to use one copy of the DirectAdmin software on one server (which requires at least one public IP#), forever. It includes updates to the current version of the software (version 1.x) forever, as long as they become available. If DirectAdmin should ever create a new version of the software that would not be coverred under the same license unless JBMC would extend the license at that time. It also includes one free installation (if you move the license to a different server, you'll have to install it yourself or pay someone to do it for you).
The lifetime license does NOT includes unlimited technical support only for the first ninety days, whereas monthly, quarterly and annual licenses (which can be more expensive if you use DirectAdmin for a long period of time) do.
Jeff
