Which developers are a safe bet for longevity.

[Ploki]

Why does everything need to turn into a mac vs PC thread

[SHall1000]

Well there are lots of reasons to choose between Mac and PC but it is at least relevant here as the thread is about software longevity and it can be argued that Windows does better in this regard. My question was meant to prompt the arguments for and against worrying about the issue in the first place.

[atya]

I have two SSD clones of my working system ... enough stuff (reaper/Bitwig, synths, FX, libraries, samples, ...) to keep me busy for a couple lifetimes ... that's my safest bet, even if some few plugins would stop working at some point in the future.

[Ploki]

It's just silly to do a VS. there's obvious pros and cons to backwards compatibility and always been.
Pros:
- compatibility
Cons:
- optimisation

and vice versa

I can do the same on a passively cooled MBA running logic that i can do on a 125W desktop chip running windows/pro tools.


i can't remember what i wrote last time i was here re: thread topic but i generally don't care about it. I try to minimize my software footprint and use stuff from devs with a good track record, which means 100% of what i own is M1 ready or at least M1 Beta, and one plugin that i thought i'd need to leave behind the dev just replied that i probably won't need to

[excuse me please]

Reaper. I think the name says enough.

[excuse me please]

PS even if they gave me money, I would not use a DAW which creates strong associations with boomer guys dressed up as the hippest teens of 1984.

[Ploki]

which one is that

[FapFilter]

It's just silly to do a VS. there's obvious pros and cons to backwards compatibility and always been.
Pros:
- compatibility
Cons:
- optimisation

and vice versa

Haven't read all posts, but i don't think it generally has to be a a “vs“ thing if someone mentions that stuff “just works“ on Windows. It's not because they are some Windows lovers, but because it just does (in pretty much close to 100% of the cases. Your biggest fear of not being able to run your old software is mostly because of too little GUIs that are post stamp size on modern screens, not because of code incompatibilities)

And while i agree that optimization is good, now that i personally own a Mac too, i can't say i really see too many benefits of it, as i still think that Windows, while still carrying “all that legacy crap“ actually seems to manage be the more efficient system, workflow wise: stuff boots and loads faster, memory management seems better, windows handling is way way better (in my book), etc.
Plus you can't even be sure that stuff that worked on the OS that came out last year, will still run flawlessly on the one from this year.
Don't get me wrong, i also like my Macbook, but it's mostly about the ARM hardware: speed for a laptop, quietness and little power consumption. The OS is of course good too (if it runs your stuff), but in my personal experience the often cited “superiority“ of MacOS is to a large part just based on personal bias, sometimes even just misinformation solely based on “believes“

[Markus Krause]

Tone2 imo (I thought he has problems and just has temporarily high).

No. I don't have any problems. Our company is also doing well.

Please do also note that we released many free updates with new features an enhacements even for products that are more than ten years old.
Proof: https://www.tone2.com/download.html

---

Lifetime license
Our licenses are not time-limited. We regularly release free updates with enhancements and many new features.

No risk of data loss
We offer an optional, physical shipment on a backup-DVD. If something should go wrong, we will take care of you and redeliver the products for free.

Free personal support
If you need assistance or have a question we offer free and personal support. We usually answer within some hours.

Secure ordering
Every single Tone2 customer received the delivery in the past. You can expect the highest possible security in ordering and receiving your products.

Instant Delivery
We offer a 24/7 instant delivery-service. If you use fast electronic payment methods like a credit card, you will receive your delivery within minutes.

What happens, if my download gets lost because of a computer crash?
We offer an optional, physical shipment of the software on a CD. It's also very easy to create your own backups on an USB stick or a CD. If you forgot to create a backup or lost your backup CD we personally take care of you and resubmit the software to you for free.

Can I still use my software if Tone2 should discontinue the business?
Our company is doing well. We do not plan to discontinue our business. Since the software does not require a dongle or an online activation, it will continue to work, no matter what should happen to our company.

Can I trust Tone2?
Tone2 is a serious and well-known European company which has been developing software for more than 20 years. We have many satisfied returning customers and are proud of our reputation. Many well-known artists and companies use our products.
Every single Tone2 customer received the delivery in the past. You can expect the highest possible security in ordering and receiving your products.
We certified developers for Apple and Microsoft platforms. Our software is notarized by Apple and Sectigo.
Tone2 never did, and will never distribute or sell any private data from the user.

How do I receive updates?
You can download the latest versions in the download section of our website. Furthermore, you will be notified automatically by e-mail when an update is available.

Do the licenses expire?
We only offer 'lifetime licenses'. This does mean that they never expire. We regularly release free updates with enhancements and many new features.

Do you also ship your products on a DVD?
The online download system drastically speeds up the product delivery, eliminates packaging costs and saves the environment. Furthermore, we offer an optional, physical shipment of the software on a DVD.

What happens if there are technical problems?
We do excessive beta tests before we release a new product. That's the secret why our software is very reliable and usually works as expected from the scratch. Furthermore, we regularly release new and free updates. If you need help our friendly support will give you personal assistance.

[Tj Shredder]

If you want to invest, look out for open source projects. The more professionals get paid to develop for open source the better it will be… paying for open source is never a lost investment… Paying for closed source has exactly that risk. The amount of trust you need to have in the programmers would be the same btw…
There are some devs which open sourced previous projects, like Claes did with Surge. Those devs might be an option even if they still market proprietary applications. I have good hope for Bitwig because of that…

[wagtunes]

None.

15 largest companies that went bankrupt.

Refco - $33.33 billion in assets
American Savings And Load - $33.86 billion in assets
Texaco - $34.9 billion in assets
Pacific Gas & Electric (twice) - $36.1 billion in assets
Thornburg Mortgage - $36.5 billion in assets
Chrysler - $39.3 billion in assets
MF Global - $41 billion in assets
Conseco Inc - $61.3 billion in assets
Enron Corp - $65.5 billion in assets
CIT Group - $71 billion in assets
General Motors - $82.3 billion in assets
Worldcom - $103.9 billion in assets
Washington Mutual - $327.9 billion in assets
Lehman Brothers - $691.1 billion in assets

[excuse me please]

Microsoft and Apple. I think that's a safe bet for a while.

[SHall1000]

The death of FXpansion Geist 2 has caused me to bump this thread. I still suffer anxiety over where to invest my money for the long term (rightly or wrongly).

So today I am bumping the thread because I just found out IZotope have dropped support for R4 and Nimbus which I bought recently and Iris which I have enjoyed for a long time. More anxiety!

[atya]

The death of FXpansion Geist 2 has caused me to bump this thread. I still suffer anxiety over where to invest my money for the long term (rightly or wrongly).

So today I am bumping the thread because I just found out IZotope have dropped support for R4 and Nimbus which I bought recently and Iris which I have enjoyed for a long time. More anxiety!

AFAIR iznohope released the last update to Iris2 back in 2015, didn't seem to care a bit about the remaining bugs, abandonded it and that was it.

If you want to invest some money I'd strongly suggest to set up a backup system and maybe some additional SSDs clones* with the latest updates of your OS and all your licenses (where needed) activated, take it offline and store it away in a safe place ... just in case. My main music maschine is offline most of the time and with dog knows how many licenses I have aboard the only issues that I had lately was with Waves plugins and their Central. Everything else just works fine and I guess will continue to work as long as the hardware lasts and with everything backed up on a second system I don't lose a second of sleep.

* some plugins take note of changed hardware, motherboards, SSDs, but then many allow activations on more than one computer ... good to know which (don't).

[briefcasemanx]

Small developers can be flaky too, of course. I wouldn't rely on a certain vocal Italian developer (who claims to have departed KVR) to deliver announced improvements on a predictable timescale.

This describes like 3 seperate developers.