I was initially opposed to subscription software, but I think people aren't so opposed to it anymore. But, it is nice to have options. So long as the subscription isn't priced way more (and the only option), as long as development continues, I'm happy. (ie: some products went subscription, but cost far more and didn't seem to speed up updates.... while for others, the end-price is similar and developers speak of better cashflow, etc.)
The nice thing about it being an option, is that a person who does 3D all day long is in quite a different place than someone who does a project now and then. The daily person would buy it outright or pay the subscription as it is easily worth it. But, the person doing an occasional project does better paying for a month here or there... but might not buy at all if the price for the whole thing is too high. It also lowers the entry level, as you don't have to buy one huge purchase to get started.
re: dongle - I don't really like them. I lost mine, for example, in a move. :( Now I have to factor that, too, into an update/repurchase. We'd also probably end up with a USB-A device that needs to hang off an adapter, which is kind of a pain for laptops, etc. Some kind of floating license would be great (ie: software can be installed on any number of machine, but the license only enables x number of them to be used... so long as it has the capability to work off-line for some reasonable time-frame so an internet outage doesn't keep one from working.