It looks like Nik Software is going to start marketing stand-alone products for the consumer-grade photographer to provide the same functionality as their popular plug-ins but without the need to own Photoshop.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/software/2010-08-04-nik04_ST_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/software/2010-08-04-nik04_ST_N.htm
