In my time as a PC user I approached the whole thing as an ongoing process instead of a once and done event. In working with a medium that can be and is constantly modified I tend to try and incorporate improvements where necessary and affordable. In buying into the idea of something that is never going to be completed we don't need to stop using what we have if it still works but understanding that the day will come when we will need to make what we have fit into the new normal. 
 
 There is absolutely nothing wrong with my present setup. Even so, I am looking at what needs to be done in the future to keep it all talking and current,mainly because of the very real chance of hardware failure at any time. I save back ups but this isn't a perfect long term strategy if you want to work  in the future  on  different systems. No one wants to rebuild all of their hard earned work and software from scratch. I can't imagine how long it would take for me to round up all my software and serial numbers and reload it all( if I can find it all), and then hope that all of it loads and sees the right files in the right places.
 
 Looking ahead keeps it simple for me. I don't remember ever having any software that was so bad it didn't communicate or load. I wouldn't say it has always been a smooth ride but usually it was a simple process of working through something and it never kept me from getting what I had set out to do accomplished. Maybe a factory patch or a memory upgrade, an audio driver.Nothing that ever threatened to stop the show. Mac users have it too. The OS is constantly changing . Same with the hardware, always changes over time. I don't think it's a platform issue I think it's part of being a computer owner who uses software over years.
 
 

gswitz
Back when cars were new, having pro divers and mechanics was common. Now, I only go online to figure out how to replace a headlight bulb.

Right. Still in the 60's(-70's) you had to take the car to garage every 5000 kilometers, and a few extra visits on top of that were regarded normal. And car was nearly hundred years old invention at that time. In less  than 50 years the computer world will reach similar reliability as cars have today, when we talk about basic stuff, not the cutting edge.
There's nothing in an average household that comes even close to computers/software in complexity.
If we were happy with the features a PC/a software had 20 years ago, modern machines were rock solid.
But were not. Manufacturers have to go to the limits to keep us happy, and when you go to the limits, at least one wheel is off road all the time.
 
I'm not saying selling unfinished products is acceptable, but making a finished product with all the gadgets we want, is next to impossible. Tablet computers, OTOH, are a good example of excellent performance and simplicity. Then again, they have so much less bells and whistles than a full DAW machine.
 
 

FWIW, we recently received notification from Jeep about a software glitch that could stop airbags and seatbelts from working in a crash. This will obviously be fixed free of charge. But still, so much for the good old days.

Didn't the "good 'ol days" include a bumper sticker that you put upside-down on your Jeep that said "If you can read this, turn me back over?"

ppppfft. They both work well here...so there.

spacey
I read it all has bugs. Does that mean it just can't be done right?

 
Industry Standard Procedure!
 
Cars were invented over a hundred years ago and you still have to take your $50,000 American Made Wonder to the shop for warranty work.
There's absolutely no reason for that!... Or for the $50,000 price tag.
 
The very first computing devices were invented several millenia ago, so coding is still in the development stage.
Give 'em another 1,000,000 yrs... they'll get it right.
 

spacey
Can you name me something else in your house that you have purchased that you spend time on a forum that is there for people to sort out what's wrong and they can fix it?
 
I can name one thing in my house that I joined a forum to help me resolve issues and that was in 2004 and today I'm still here and people are dealing with the same issues.
 
Just one Mesh?

Seriously, this will likely, eventually, get on the lists of companies and things that have to get removed off the market ... I'm getting tired of Microsoft not helping, but they make money ... I get tired of people thinking Apple is cool, and they have, for 30 years stiffled competition and software makers, more than anyone else!
 
In the end, all it takes is a state, add a statute that buggy software can not be sold in that state and the company will face fines, if they do not support their software ... and if they do NOT, then, they can not sell it in that state ... and pretty soon it will be 50 states! Hopefully!
 
On that day, Sonar will stop having issues, and IKT will regret not helping Mosh!