Please refrain from getting too carried away with this train of thought. This forum is public record and such discussions are outside the TOS (as well as a bit more than simply unethical).

and just for balance, starbucks wifi has been using your connected machine to mine bitcoins - now that's malware!
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42338754
 

chuckebaby

pwalpwal


just be sure to check everything with an av, obv but of course, if you have some data to back up your claim...?

So how does that work, using your AV to check something like a key logger (that produces a serial for the software) isn't that bound to set off your Anti virus anyway ?
 
I agree with you, not everything has Malware in it, but its a dangerous game.
Not to mention unethical.
 

It is not unethical to crack software if the company that supplies it to you goes belly up and you no longer have the means to install it because they took down the servers that are used to authenticate it.

mettelus
Please refrain from getting too carried away with this train of thought. This forum is public record and such discussions are outside the TOS (as well as a bit more than simply unethical).

To repeat, this is NOT unethical!  Cakewalk has ceased to exist.  Gibson has said they will support us, by saying they will keep the authentication servers up, and when they plan to retire them, they will give users some offline means to reinstall software.  As long as they keep their word, I am not suggesting using cracked software.  I for one am not doing anything at the moment, as there is no reason to doubt they will "do the right thing" for their customers.  (although it is uncertain that Gibson, in its current incarnation, will even last through 2018...)
 
All I am saying is that IF they fail to support us going forward to be able to use the software I have "lifetime" updates for, I for one will crack their authentication scheme.  This is not unethical whatsoever.
 
Additionally, this conversation is very valid as it should give some solace to those concerned about not being able to use something they purchased.

frankbaker
I too am stranded by this and have hundreds of recordings mixed and mastered in Sonar. Converting to something else is quite overwhelming (not to mention very expensive in terms of time and learning curve).  Any thoughts?  (I have no particular love for Pro Tools can't see that it offers any improvements and its $600.
 
Anybody tried Presonus Studio One?

 
Quite a few opting for S1, including myself.  Very tempting offer on at the moment, and a dedicated forum thread to help Sonar refugees.  PreSonus also seem a bit more, you might say, 'professionally' managed outfit which gives me some confidence in the longevity. So far I'm very impressed, and don't plan on using Sonar other than for projects still in the oven.  This is a trickier question for pro studios of course, who won't be able to move as fast and need to be very certain any replacement will offer them full capability.

pwalpwal
 but of course, if you have some data to back up your claim...?

I could find lots of specific examples online, here's an infected crack of Adobe Photoshop for Mac for example:
https://www.wired.com/2009/01/mac-attack-anot/ 
You can find other examples for PC programs as well.  Cracked Angry birds seems to be popular for malware.
 
AVG claims 90% of cracked games are infected, though maybe you take what the anti-malware manufacturers say with a grain of salt.  
 
Unless you want to slog through the code yourself though how do you tell? I wouldn't take the risk personally.

CoteRotie

pwalpwal
 but of course, if you have some data to back up your claim...?

I could find lots of specific examples online, here's an infected crack of Adobe Photoshop for Mac for example:
https://www.wired.com/2009/01/mac-attack-anot/ 
You can find other examples for PC programs as well.  Cracked Angry birds seems to be popular for malware.
 
AVG claims 90% of cracked games are infected, though maybe you take what the anti-malware manufacturers say with a grain of salt.  
 
Unless you want to slog through the code yourself though how do you tell? I wouldn't take the risk personally.

fair enough

Tried Mixbus4.... not even close to Sonar. I couldn't get it to work at all. Not at all intuitive in my opinion. 
 
I have Studio One, but never really used it. Will give it another try, I guess. My next choice will be Reaper. Great, I have to buy and learn a new tool. I definitely won't sink anymore big bucks into it, that's for sure.
 
PS: I'd like to add that I am pissed that Gibson made this decision. This may have been jobs to you, but it was a big part of my life. I spent a lot of money and time to use your top of the line product and you pull the plug on it. You can't sell it to another company? It had no intrinsic market value? Really sucks guys. Glad I never bought one of your overpriced guitars. Guess no one else wants to pay those prices either. Soon they'll be made in China or India. 
 
Sorry, but I had to vent. 
 

anydmusic
 
However, I would expect Gibson to find some way of recouping something from this

They did, they have. That was the lifetime subscriptions.
 
It should be clear to even the most generous of you by now that when lifetime subscriptions were offered Gibson stood to receive the maximum possible short term revenue that this product could offer them, at the expense of further revenue. Why would they do that?
 
It was an "exit strategy". When a large business has a product that is reaching the end of it's lifetime, they work out a way to maximise the revenue from it as it dies.
 
Gibson went for a particularly cold blooded exit strategy, but I seem to remember a lot of people at the time smelled a rat, and really we all got over 12 months of updates so I guess it wasn't as cynical as it could have been.
 
But yeah, if you are expecting some kind of last minute save for Sonar, I would have to say that is pretty naive. I also think those of you counting on the authentication servers staying live indefinitely are taking a big risk. It's probably safe for a while but they could pull the plug on it suddenly and without notice, particularly if a business unit goes belly up. You are certainly not being offered any guarantees they won't.

My heart is broken over this.
 
I dedicate this song that I did with my homie Rico Belled all in SONAR. Keep on Dreaming.
 
https://soundcloud.com/la...mp;utm_medium=facebook