Brando
The problem is that I also have every expectation that Gibson will limit their solution to whatever is mandated/necessary under the law or by creditor agreement etc. These are the same people who simply walked away. If they can simply "walk away" again from their "obligation" to keep the servers running, I would bet that is what they would/will do.

Gibson are staring bankruptcy in the face.

US bankruptcy law differs from that in the UK so I don’t know if the same thing holds true, but if a UK company is in serious difficulties then becomes bankrupt and has been giving away potentially valuable assets - like the code or activation keys for saleable software - while knowing bankruptcy might be coming, there are all kinds of unpleasant legal implications for the company and directors. They might be regarded as having denied their creditors the value of whatever that product might have fetched when the receivers sell off the company assets. Among other things, such as being banned from holding a directorship again, the protections normally awarded to a limited company might be revoked and/or the directors held personally liable for some or all of the debt.

Gibson aren’t in a financial position to choose what they’d like to do, whatever that may be. They need $520,000,000 to hand to their creditors by July or find a way to re-schedule that debt and maybe more. Gibson Brand’s credit rating is in the “junk” category, so re-financing is not very likely and if it happened would almost certainly require big changes at Gibson from whoever put the money up.

Cakewalk as a brand hasn’t made money for years. It survived as long as it did by being bought by Roland who then sold it to GIbson when Roland were in financial difficulties. My guess is both Roland and Gibson thought either Cake could be turned round and make money or provide a “value adding” asset to their stable of brands. Not an asset that directly makes money itself, but helps the other companies in the group make money.

Unfortunately once the bankruptcy court appears over the horizon companies start shedding anything and everything that doesn’t make money right now, this instant. Because if it isn’t making money, it’s costing them money they don’t have.

We don't want the code or assets.  We simply want an unlocking key for the software we already paid for and -OWN. - If Dodge or Chevrolet goes out of business, I still expect my car to start and take me to the liquor store.
 
What we all expect is that SOMEONE/ANYONE can come up with a solution, they need to SHARE IT BEFORE THIS FORUM DIES.  I personally do not care what that solution is, even if it requires slaughtering a chicken and sprinkling blood on my motherboard.   Since I have a number of Gibson guitars, I'd hope that solution would come from them.

own

 (ōn)
adj.Of or belonging to oneself or itself: She makes her own clothes.

n.That which belongs to one

v. owned, own·ing, owns
v.tr.1. a. To have or possess as property
b. To have control over

2. To admit as being in accordance with fact, truth, or a claim

GregGraves
We don't want the code or assets.  We simply want an unlocking key for the software we already paid for and -OWN.

Read the Sonar licence agreement and you will find you do not OWN Sonar. You have a licence to use it. If you OWNED Sonar that would, in some jurisdictions, grant you the legal right to make copies of it and sell them. Which is why software companies sell you a licence to use their software, not the software itself.

Please note I am not defending Gibson or anyone else; just pointing out how the world is, not how it ought to be.

tlw

GregGraves
We don't want the code or assets.  We simply want an unlocking key for the software we already paid for and -OWN.

Read the Sonar licence agreement and you will find you do not OWN Sonar. You have a licence to use it. If you OWNED Sonar that would, in some jurisdictions, grant you the legal right to make copies of it and sell them. Which is why software companies sell you a licence to use their software, not the software itself.

Please note I am not defending Gibson or anyone else; just pointing out how the world is, not how it ought to be.

I don't think he is being too unreasonable. I understand where you are coming form and you are indeed correct about the ownership. So....
 
Fixed:
 
" We don't want the code or assets.  We simply want an unlocking key for the software we already paid for. "
 
That's better right

I don’t believe that the remaining Cakewalk crew are working on a fix for authorisation. In the time since development has stopped theyve successfully managed to switch off products going into demo mode for those who were paying monthly. They were all fixed on line with no user intervention other than to use CCC.
It wouldn’t take much Code to proved a second stage of authorisation being a registration number issued to us on the next occassion we use the CCC.
Connect to CCC upload a small patch to change the authorisation mode and simultaneously issue a new registration number.

They have the lines of code sitting in X3. Is it really such a big job.

I haven’t heard them say in anything they they are working on it, only if the servers are going to go down they will provide what’s required. I hope they don’t miscalculate. Years of losing money doesn’t fill me with the confidence in Cakewalks ability to get this one last thing right.

I simply wish we knew one way or the other.

GregGraves

2.  As regards "bugs" and "bug fixes" - Windows Media Player and IExplorer are crap.  Expectations for software that never crashes and never scr*ws up are unrealistic.

Happy New Year everyone and lets hope there's a happy ending for the users even if it's not been possible to save anything from Cakewalk, which I sincerely hope is NOT the case.

Greg, as the Op who originally created this post, I feel obliged to answer because if you read what I originally stated, I don't believe my expectations were unrealistic.

Of course it goes without saying about it's an impossibility to have 100% bug-free software but have you ever working in software engineering?

In software, there are things called known bugs which once identified are allocated an ID.  These are often relating to (not always) functions which should work but don't!  So it was these bugs which I was referring to, should get fixed or any other known bugs which cause fundamental issues, maybe they endeavour a commitment to fixing them, not trawl through their code to make it 100% bug free.

I'm also using this as an opportunity to bumping this thread up the forum because it's the new year and it would be good to have some sort of update from Cakewalk this week if there is anything to report.  Perhaps an update even if there's nothing to report but I'd sure like to know how the transition is going as I'm sure you all would.

Cheers to 2018, Cakewalk and Sonar!  :-)

I would not expect to hear anything to soon. It's the holidays, they have no reason to hurry. when they are done they probably get layed off anyways, so ya, lets just relax and as said in the FAX they expect by Spring to have fixed the autorization issue. I'm not expecting anything for a few months. 

Cactus Music
and as said in the FAX they expect by Spring to have fixed the autorization issue.

Hey John, where did it say that?  What FAX?  Did I miss something?
Cheers.

mudgel
I don’t believe that the remaining Cakewalk crew are working on a fix for authorisation. In the time since development has stopped theyve successfully managed to switch off products going into demo mode for those who were paying monthly. They were all fixed on line with no user intervention other than to use CCC.
It wouldn’t take much Code to proved a second stage of authorisation being a registration number issued to us on the next occassion we use the CCC.
Connect to CCC upload a small patch to change the authorisation mode and simultaneously issue a new registration number.

Well, when it comes to Sonar stopping working caused by missing online authorisation it as simple as resorting to use a crack.
Not an ideal solution but if it is the only one available I wouldn't even hesistate the slightest.