Maybe Gibson should sell the Cakewalk line to AVID, they could merge their ProTools with all the advantages of Sonar etc. In fact, it seems to me that some basics between Sonar and PT seem to be quite close when being compared.

raisindot
Here's a fantasy suggestion just to keep the lights on for existing users who don't want to switch. 
 
What if a bunch of us existing users offered to "buy out" maintenance of all legacy Cakewalk products and pay the server rental fees (assuming that everything is kept on rented servers). 
 
While there would be no future updates, keeping the servers up and loaded would at least guarantee that we'd have access to everything we bought (including online activattion codes) in case we needed to download it again. 
 
If for some godawful reason a future Windows update harmed Sonar functionality, some of the money contributed might be used to hire a legacy Sonar developer to fix the problem (if possible). 
 
I'd gladly contribute a reasonable amount of money (say $100) to this type of cause if it allowed me to continue to use my Sonar indefinitely. 

Brilliant idea. I am in with my $$

BobF
After thinking about this for a few days, I don't see how Cakewalk can go unsold.  Lenders don't take kindly to borrowers throwing away assets that could be used to pay back debt.  Even if only pennies on the dollar.
 
Push comes to shove, Gibson will have to get what they can for whatever holdings they have in order to pay back as much of what they owe as they can.
 
I wouldn't be surprised in the least to learn later that Cake was legally "frozen" by lenders to prevent further losses until Gibson pays up.
 
Just sayin'

I wish it would happen.  My guess (and it's only a guess) is that Gibson has tried to sell CW already. 

jude77

BobF
After thinking about this for a few days, I don't see how Cakewalk can go unsold.  Lenders don't take kindly to borrowers throwing away assets that could be used to pay back debt.  Even if only pennies on the dollar.
 
Push comes to shove, Gibson will have to get what they can for whatever holdings they have in order to pay back as much of what they owe as they can.
 
I wouldn't be surprised in the least to learn later that Cake was legally "frozen" by lenders to prevent further losses until Gibson pays up.
 
Just sayin'

I wish it would happen.  My guess (and it's only a guess) is that Gibson has tried to sell CW already. 

If there is any value at all in Cakewalk's IP/code base, it would be absolute insanity to throw it in the trash.  I say this with zero knowledge about contractual obligations that have been tied to it all along the way.
 
Right now if you're a buyer of such things, why not wait to see just how desperate things get?  If Henry pulls Gibson back from the brink, then he may be able to do better than whatever the current best offer is (if any).  If Gibson ends up in receivership, the bargains will be even steeper to potential buyers.
 
By now we've all seen the data.  Cake has been losing money for a long time.  Any potential buyer is going to want to get some ROI ... risk/rewards.
 
The problem for those of us that want our Cake NOW is that all of this will take time to play out.  It's a real pain for us, mainly the not knowing part because SONAR still works fine, but the game we're waiting for the completion of is played with pieces that have a lot of zeroes behind them, BEFORE the decimal point.  And to make matters worse, you can bet pretty safely that there is more than one lawyer involved.
 
So we wait.
 
Keep using SONAR (and other Cake goodies), but if you're livelihood is dependent on your proficiency, it would be a good idea to be prepared with a contingency if MS screws up your world.
 
I feel for these guys.  The job loss is bad enough, but some of these guys have put a couple of decades of their souls into this thing.  Watching the plug get pulled on something you're personally heavily invested in isn't easy.
 
So, we can petition, ****, throw fits, make threats, etc., and as Alex has pointed out probably feel better, but the game won't change.  The timeline won't compress.  When it gets to this point there are compulsory steps to be taken that no amount of desire can get around.

Maybe it will revert to something like this
 
(that was how I was first introduced to Cakewalk - I needed a MIDI cable to hook my Yamaha DX-7 to my Pentium I computer)
 

The IP to Cakewalk is surely worth something and eventually Gibson will get their pennies on the dollar for that IP. Gibson is privately held, so it's difficult to check their value, but Moody's rates the corporate loan/investment value at 2 steps above the worst - "Caa - Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk" - in other words, Gibson is deep in dept and Moody's doesn't think anyone should give them loans. That doesn't mean Gibson will go bankrupt - but they will need to work very hard to clear debt and make operating improvements and that means divesting themselves of under performing assets - like Cakewalk.
 
Meanwhile, it is vanishingly unlikely that anyone will resurrect Cakewalk and take over SONAR - there is a difference between the product and the IP. The IP can be used in bits and pieces in new products, but the existing code base will likely not be use in its current form ever again.
 

If I were Steinberg/Yamaha I would buy the IP in order to incorporate some of the advanced features into Cubase, but mostly just to shut it down and prevent the rise of another competing DAW.
 
Shhhhhhh...

If that Reddit Q&A is legit, Sonar was losing millions, so why would a company buy it?

chuckebaby

denverdrummer
There's a good chance the IP will be sold off in bankrupcy for Gibson,

I don't think Gibson is filing  bankruptcy. I believe Cakewalk will probably auction off items such as PC, Desks, tables, exc. Im sure the code is worth something. But Cakewalk is just a company being closed, not a bankrupt in process.
 

I will pay $1,000,000.01 for Noel's coffee cup if it's actioned off.

igiwigi
Do you think someone will take Sonar Daw's on at some point as everything is In place.??
 
All the best
John

 
No.