Um, I'm not sure what you're talking about.  First off, Windows RT for all intents and purposes is dead.  This is mainly because Intel finally got around to creating decent low voltage processors that could compete well with the ARM processors.  The new generation of Intel Atom processors have done very well in terms of performance and battery life, and can run the x86/x64 code.
 
Just because of the newer API doesn't mean their getting rid of the desktop.  Quite the contrary infact the first version of office for RT ran on the desktop not in metro.  The idea for the newer API is so that there is a common code source so they can offer apps that will run on a tablet or desktop or whatever.
 
The Surface Pro 3 was the hottest selling device of 2014, with an update due out in 2015, and it was the first Surface devce to really take a chunk out of the iPad and Mac Book air market.  It's a full i5 or i7 device, and the bakers have been testing Sonar with it.  That doesn't mean that it's not going to work with your desktop/workstation computer, it's simply that the market is changing.  Think of the Surface Pro 3 as a Toyota Prius, where the standard Desktop is a Toyota Tundra.  They are both designed to move people and things to one pace or another, but if you need to put on a tow hitch, you're not going to do that on the Prius.
 
developers are going to look at the Windows store, because it's simple advertisement.  How much work did Sonar have to do in their past to advertise their product, going to a webpage, and manage google search.  Now someone with a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or desktop can go search for DAW or recording software, and they will see a link to Sonar.  Right now it just has a link to the Cakewalk page, but if CW can offer the download direct from MS and it's a win.  Why do you think the bakers went to so much trouble getting Sonar on Steam?
 
This is the new marketing model for computer software, like it or not.

 
Sounds like we may end up going back to the days of unix on Sun workstations and the like.  We needed them then because windows was a toy, and we'll need them again now that windows is going back to being a toy.
 

SilkTone

rontarrant

SilkTone
Right now it is impossible to get low latency on WinRT (aka "modern"/Metro/toy apps)

This likely won't be an issue for most. Besides, those using W-RT won't be able to upgrade for free anyway, sorry to say.

 
Just to come back to WinRT for a sec... Note that the latency issues I'm talking about is for all platforms supporting the new WinRT API. So this would be Windows Phone, Windows tablets as well as desktops running a WinRT app (from the Windows Store). So no matter how fast or expensive your hardware is, your are SOL when running a WinRT app. MS even removed the ability to adjust thread priorities, something absolutely required when writing a low latency audio app (and probably why they needed to remove exclusive mode from WASAPI under WinRT).
 
Of course, this doesn't affect real apps, just "modern"/metro/toy apps, but it might be worth keeping in mind if anyone was waiting for some music app to be ported.

I had a meeting with the MS audio team at NAMM. From what I understand there may still be more more to come for WinRT so it might not be blocked for low latency apps. I will check back on this issue however.
We are not immediately concerned with WinRT since SONAR is a desktop app but it would be good to know for the future. Other than that there are some potentially interesting developments and I'm hoping the Media foundation limitations/bugs are resolved.
 
 

twoifbysea
... and you can quote me on that. I may be wrong but you may still quote me.

Thanks, had a good laugh this morning here in Florida.
 
Oh, yes you can quote me if you like and why would you I don’t’
care but you can however don’t forget the quotation marks.

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

SilkTone

rontarrant

SilkTone
Right now it is impossible to get low latency on WinRT (aka "modern"/Metro/toy apps)

This likely won't be an issue for most. Besides, those using W-RT won't be able to upgrade for free anyway, sorry to say.

 
Just to come back to WinRT for a sec... Note that the latency issues I'm talking about is for all platforms supporting the new WinRT API. So this would be Windows Phone, Windows tablets as well as desktops running a WinRT app (from the Windows Store). So no matter how fast or expensive your hardware is, your are SOL when running a WinRT app. MS even removed the ability to adjust thread priorities, something absolutely required when writing a low latency audio app (and probably why they needed to remove exclusive mode from WASAPI under WinRT).
 
Of course, this doesn't affect real apps, just "modern"/metro/toy apps, but it might be worth keeping in mind if anyone was waiting for some music app to be ported.

I had a meeting with the MS audio team at NAMM. From what I understand there may still be more more to come for WinRT so it might not be blocked for low latency apps. I will check back on this issue however.
We are not immediately concerned with WinRT since SONAR is a desktop app but it would be good to know for the future. Other than that there are some potentially interesting developments and I'm hoping the Media foundation limitations/bugs are resolved.
 
 

Interesting, I had assumed RT was dead, because most of the vendors including Microsoft didn't release 3rd generation ARM versions of windows tablets.  Seems like most everything is using Intel Atom.

When I said WinRT I was referring to the API for building "modern" windows apps, aka windows store apps. It doesn't mean that these apps have to run on ARM.

OK, yes that API is still valid, and that's going to be the future of windows 10, having what they call "tablet mode" and "desktop mode" to make it more cohesive than Windows 8 when it was first introduced.
 
Windows RT was the distribution of Windows 8 that was specifically written and compiled for ARM processors like the Surface 1 and Surface 2 (the ones that had the NVidia Tegra processors), there were a few others as well from ASUS and Dell.  I believe all of the other vendors have dropped Windows RT and have gone to regular Windows with Intel processors.  When Microsoft released the Surface Pro 3, but no third generation Windows RT tablet, the trades were saying it was the biggest indication of the death of WindowsRT as a released product. .  

Question: Are multi-touch features the same in Desktop as they are in Metro?

The answer is mixed.  10 point touch is universal to desktop and metro, but there are specific guesture API to metro that's not on desktop.  For example a swipe down from the top of the screen will close the whole desktop, or an individual metro app, but will not close individual desktop apps.  Also a quick right to left swipe on the left hand portion of the touch screen will show available apps but shows all apps running in desktop as one entity.
 
You can still use Alt+Tab to cycle through all running applications, but that is a legacy function.  Desktop apps would have to write to the new API to utilize those gestures.
 

The swipe down to close apps is universal now in Windows 10, swiping inn from the left enters "app switch?" mode. You get all programs and apps up like alt tab. So desktop programs act as apps now.