SteveStrummerUK
 
Speculation seems rife and theories abound.
 
But nobody really knows apart from the powers that be at Gibwalk.
 
The vast majority of views seem to fall into the Cakewalk=Saints/Gibson=Evil category.
 
But we won't know that for sure until the dust has settled and those that really know are allowed to spill the beans.
 
For all we know, Cakewalk may have been dead in the water when Roland decided to let them go, and Gibson may have effectively bought us a few years of continued support?
 
 

Yes, wise words Steven.

I find it funny that many of the "long time" customers have less than a dozen posts under their belts while claiming to have been with the company since the DOS days. I guess all the pirates are nervous that their knowledge base may be drying up. 

ampfixer
I find it funny that many of the "long time" customers have less than a dozen posts under their belts while claiming to have been with the company since the DOS days. I guess all the pirates are nervous that their knowledge base may be drying up. 

Haha! Maybe

SteveStrummerUK
 
For all we know, Cakewalk may have been dead in the water when Roland decided to let them go, and Gibson may have effectively bought us a few years of continued support?
 

Meaning lifetime updates were: A. never based in reality B. deceptive and unethical to market.  It's entirely possible.
 
Also likely:  Gibson bought Cakewalk thought may continue development; is now shutting down the brand cause the business just isn't viable anymore, but is not interested in unloading the brand as the intellectual property still has value.
 
My guess?   A little bit of both
 

ampfixer
I find it funny that many of the "long time" customers have less than a dozen posts under their belts while claiming to have been with the company since the DOS days. I guess all the pirates are nervous that their knowledge base may be drying up. 

Arrr!
 
(BTW - I actually helped Greg debug Cakewalk v1.0 30 years ago, then got every update, plus all the add-on stuff, right up until the Credit Crunch wiped me out leaving me at SONAR Producer v4.  Then Cakewalk dies and, at the finish line, I get Platinum - go figure!)

ampfixer
I find it funny that many of the "long time" customers have less than a dozen posts under their belts while claiming to have been with the company since the DOS days. I guess all the pirates are nervous that their knowledge base may be drying up. 

I can show my floppies! 
 
 
 
(Not quite DOS but the first incarnation of Cakewalk for Windows)
 
 

craigb
I actually helped Greg debug Cakewalk v1.0 30 years ago

In which case, I salute you, Craig B
 
I remember where I was working at the time I got my hands on Cakewalk. So it was somewhere around 1993 ~ 1994, and it was the version that worked on Windows 3. It came bundled with one of the more expensive Sound Blaster cards. I can't remember the one... Too long ago, but I do remember that the SB card came with a daughter board which utilised a chip by E-mu systems...
 
I was pretty damn pleased with it to be honest... I had been using Cubasis Lite before that and it was bloomin' awful, especially for editing MIDI once recorded. So Cakewalk was a breath of fresh air. I used that program for quite a while...

Unfortunately, when I started with Cakewalk v1.0, I don't think SoundBlasters were around (or, at least, they didn't have General MIDI and sound generation back then).  I had to buy a stupidly expensive (for the time) Turtle Beach sound card.
 
Remember that screaming man icon that was the Panic Button you hit when a MIDI note got stuck on?
 
Yeah...
 
Good times!
 
:-)

craigb
 
Remember that screaming man icon that was the Panic Button you hit when a MIDI note got stuck on?
 

Oh yes haha
 

Karyn
I'm trying to consolidate the "special cross grade offer" threads which will clear the forum a little, but I'm even get grief for doing that....
 
Can't win.