Which developers are a safe bet for longevity.

[Ploki]

Fwiw drumspillage (via rosetta) still works on my M1 and its been updated in 2014 lol.
Now that’s a healthy codebase

[alberto_balsalm]

From a slightly different perspective, VST2 x64 is likely to stick around for a long time, and VST3 isn't going anywhere either. As long as the plugin has a 64-bit version and has at least some kind of scaling, you should be able to use it for a really long time.

The two biggest problems we've encountered were the 32-bit to 64-bit transition, and the drop of 32-bit support (though it's still supported natively in some DAWs, and also jBridge can still be used, afaik), and the rise of monitor resolution. So anything 32-bit only and/or with UI hardcoded for a 1024x768 resolution (give or take) is problematic or unusable nowadays, and it's unlikely to get better unless someone comes up with a really clever and stable wrapper that will also scale the plugins' UI. There's also Apple with their M1, but that's just Apple being Apple, you shouldn't be surprised by this, their walled garden approach to their products is well known.

As far as safe bet for continued updates? Just look at the company's history. u-he has stellar long term support, for example. NI, like some other companies, sells giant bundles with 34534663465 plugins, samples, and everything imaginable, but in practice half or more of all that is old or downright ancient stuff. Plus it depends on the product as well. Valhalla plugins, for instance, have a dead simple, foolproof UI, and the plugins themselves are just simple FX plugins. Probably not much need for constant support/updates. On the other hand, complex synths or samplers with tons of bells and whistles? Just the opposite.

[Cinebient]

Since half of the people in this thread are on my ignore list I lost track anyway.
I regret all my comments here and simply stay to my first one:
None.

[Jorgeelalto]

Hardware?

Edit: Or just build a machine specifically for audio, do not ever update. With easy to find components, so you can repair it in the future. The software you put there will stay there for as long as you can keep the computer running.

[uOpt]

Edit: Or just build a machine specifically for audio, do not ever update. With easy to find components, so you can repair it in the future. The software you put there will stay there for as long as you can keep the computer running.

That works for your old plugins, but what do you do if you want to mix it with new plugins requiring a new OS or whatever?

[FapFilter]

Most old stuff still works. At least on Windows. Biggest problem is tiny interfaces on high resolution screens.
Oh and online registration methods, should the developer vanish

[vurt]

Edit: Or just build a machine specifically for audio, do not ever update. With easy to find components, so you can repair it in the future. The software you put there will stay there for as long as you can keep the computer running.

That works for your old plugins, but what do you do if you want to mix it with new plugins requiring a new OS or whatever?

use old rig as a standalone hw synth, record audio to new rig.

it's an option.

[thecontrolcentre]

"It is the business of the future to be dangerous"

[bmanic]

Edit: Or just build a machine specifically for audio, do not ever update. With easy to find components, so you can repair it in the future. The software you put there will stay there for as long as you can keep the computer running.

That works for your old plugins, but what do you do if you want to mix it with new plugins requiring a new OS or whatever?

Then you build a new computer with the new OS and simply use the old computer as any other hardware synth, an external device.

[vurt]

"It is the business of the future to be dangerous"

it's just the spirit of the age.

[thecontrolcentre]

"It is the business of the future to be dangerous"

it's just the spirit of the age.

it makes me feel greater

[chk071]

What Cinebient and Chapelle said.

Yep.

[rz70]

For me:
u-he
Spectrasonics

[ReleaseCandidate]

None. With a sufficiently big value of 'long'.
VST2 is 20 years now, how many of the really old devs still exist? And how many are a one man show?
Who would have thought that Netscape, Yahoo, Geocities,... aren't the big guys today?

[mladi]

I don't care that much about their longevity as the only longevity which really matters in the end will be my own.