paulo
That said, I will be a very unhappy bunny if something as basic as the undo function no longer working correctly isn't fixed before or when then new version is released without an additional cost to me.

 
Could you be more specific about what problems you encounter with undo? The only one I'm aware of is the listed history being out of sync.
 

You have often pointed out that despite the change of ownership, CW remains autonomous and does it's own thing, so it shouldn't be too much to expect that any bug fixes in a new version that fix a problem from an earlier version should remain free of charge to those still using that version.

That would seem to make complete sense, however I've learned that one of the major issues with bug fixes is QC. A good example is when Cakewalk fixed a bug that was actually inherent in POD Farm, but it seemed like a simple fix would solve it. However, although it solved the POD Farm problem, it introduced problems with other plug-ins that were coded properly and the fix had to be "undone."
 
New versions of software can be quite different internally compared to older versions, even if the look and feel remain the same. For example, if there's a change in the audio engine, then a bug fix that relates to the audio engine in, say, X3 has to be QCed in X2 with pretty much anything that touches the audio engine. The same procedure would have to happen with X1 if you wanted to add the fix to that. Again, it comes down to resources. There simply aren't enough people to do extensive testing with previous versions of programs, especially when that universe is constantly shrinking. 
 
One of the things I like about Microsoft is they continue giving updates to older operating systems for a period of time after a new one appears. Of course Microsoft has vast resources and a much larger installed base compared to Cakewalk, but even then, past a certain point they say that a program has reached end of life and cut off support.
 
One of the advantages of Adobe's particular subscription model is that all Adobe users are always on the current version of the program, so any bug fix applies automatically to whatever people are using -- they can't use a previous version. But of course, that has its own set of pros and cons.

Anderton

paulo
That said, I will be a very unhappy bunny if something as basic as the undo function no longer working correctly isn't fixed before or when then new version is released without an additional cost to me.

 
Could you be more specific about what problems you encounter with undo? The only one I'm aware of is the listed history being out of sync.
 

 
That sounds like the one....press undo and the thing it says it's undoing isn't the thing you just did. I believe this was confirmed as a bug quite early on and subsequent patches have not addressed it. It might seem trivial to some and yes it doesn't prevent me from recording music, but as a mere user it would seem that it shouldn't be too difficult to put right given that it used to work just fine. If the only way of fixing a function that buying X3 broke was to buy X4 you can surely see how that would get a few backs up ?
 
I take some of your other points on board and understand that there has to be a cut off point eventually, but given your flag-waving links to the company saying that CW would probably like people to ditch older versions just to make their lives much easier was possibly not the wisest way of phrasing  that ? Kind of comes across like anyone who doesn't have the latest version is viewed as a bit of PITA, when maybe one very good reason they don't have the latest version is because they lost faith because the last one didn't fully work.If one of my customers told me that I'd not finished something off properly and my response was to tell them..."hey, I'm not microsoft you know, just a little one man band here, trying to make a living in a difficult world and to be honest it's a bit inconvenient for me to put that right, so I'll come back next year and bill you for having another go, alright?" ....I doubt they would call me again.
 
Oh, and don't even get me started on the subscription thing....... If CW goes that way, I would just stick with what I have as the biggest single obstacle to my recording greatness is and always will be the idiot sitting in front of the computer.

paulo
I take some of your other points on board and understand that there has to be a cut off point eventually, but given your flag-waving links to the company saying that CW would probably like people to ditch older versions just to make their lives much easier was possibly not the wisest way of phrasing  that ? 

That misquotes what I said. I said IF NOTHING ELSE, that would make tech support's job easier. And as subsequently clarified in case my point wasn't clear, that would allow extending the ideal of free tech support for as long as possible. Everything I said was customer-centric - better support, a better user experience, and I also believe the price is such that it provides an incentive to upgrade with minimum financial discomfort.
 
Furthermore, making tech support's life easier benefits the customer. Tech support is going to spend the same amount of time on the phone every day no matter what. But if they can solve a problem in 2 minutes instead of 4, they can solve twice as many issues.
 

Anderton
 
 
Furthermore, making tech support's life easier benefits the customer
 

One could argue that fixing all of the known faults in your product before moving on would be the biggest benefit to the customer and would in turn make the lives of tech support very easy indeed
 
Clearly we're not going to agree, so shut up and give me a beer will ya barkeep ?

paulo
If one of my customers told me that I'd not finished something off properly and my response was to tell them..."hey, I'm not microsoft you know, just a little one man band here, trying to make a living in a difficult world and to be honest it's a bit inconvenient for me to put that right, so I'll come back next year and bill you for having another go, alright?" ....I doubt they would call me again.

I think a more accurate analog would be if you said "Look, even though your widget is two years old and is functional, I realize it needs a few tweaks. Unfortunately, it's not being made any more but since you were a good customer and bought the widget, you can get a new widget that's improved in a zillion different ways, with tons of free accessories, at over 50% off." 
 
I think the bottom line is this. You can't please everybody, but if you polled the Cakewalk community as to whether they'd like to see Cakewalk devote their resources to improving the existing program, adding new features, creating more content, and providing really good upgrade deals or diverting a significant portion of those resources to fixing and QCing bugs in a two-year-old version of the program, I think most, but of course not all, people would choose the former.
 
Ale, pilsner, or stout? On the house.
 

Well, kind of a bummer the thread got pretty much derailed.
 
To recap the thread I started:
 
1.  Sale prices were posted on main Cakewalk page, and posted here for anyone who missed that.
2.  If someone wishes to upgrade to Sonar X3, they will be getting a really stable and solid version.
3.  If someone chooses not to upgrade, that is fine too.
4.  I wish to convey the best of all life has to offer to all here, and anywhere else, for that matter.
5.  Please post elsewhere, if there are points you wish to convey that do not line up with the above 1-4.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 

robert_e_bone
Well, kind of a bummer the thread got pretty much derailed.
 
To recap the thread I started:
 
1.  Sale prices were posted on main Cakewalk page, and posted here for anyone who missed that.
2.  If someone wishes to upgrade to Sonar X3, they will be getting a really stable and solid version.
3.  If someone chooses not to upgrade, that is fine too.
4.  I wish to convey the best of all life has to offer to all here, and anywhere else, for that matter.
5.  Please post elsewhere, if there are points you wish to convey that do not line up with the above 1-4.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 

Sorry Sir, Mr Bob Bone Sir, Mr Forum Host, Sir. I didn't realise that it was forbidden to respond to posts in your thread without your permission.

Anderton
 
Ale, pilsner, or stout? On the house.
 

If it's free, I'll take whatever is going ! Easily pleased y'see !
 

Its still the same price on the store that its always been £119 here in the uk for producer.

I got X1 LE with a mixer I purchased a year ago. I just upgraded to X3 for $25.00. I'm a happy camper. When i learn to use what I have I will upgrade again.
 
As a software developer of 25 years, I fully understand life cycle and revision/release methods. In the scheme of things, CW has pretty dang good one.