Whow long thread of wishes and sorry little knowledge of the development consequences.
For those on a Mac, remember the hoopla with the change from Intel to Apple silicon. Now add a completely different OS (does not matter both are called Unix).
Now we (theoretically) get Cubase on Linux (which?), what about the music hardware? The VST? and effect plugins?
The only feasible and affordable solution would be a virtualization/container approach for platform independence. Performance and esp. timing whining ahead
Whow long thread of wishes and sorry little knowledge of the development consequences.
I used to work in Audio Post, but currently I am software developer, so I know it can be a huge effort, but in my opinion a Linux port is a more far-sighted business decision than hopping on the bandwagon of “AI-powered speech to text technology” (new feature in Nuendo 14).
Now we (theoretically) get Cubase on Linux (which?), what about the music hardware? The VST? and effect plugins?
My RME card runs on Linux in class compliant mode with the same audio quality, I only use Windows on a virtual machine to update the firmware once in a while. The audio card itself internally runs linux. VST is a cross platform framework. JUCE is cross platform. MIDI and OpenSoundControl can be implemented even on a toaster. There are good hardware controllers that work fine on Linux. I don’t think it’s a matter of technical feasibility. Which Linux? It doesn’t matter much as long as it’s not Ubuntu
I don’t mean to say it’s an easy task, but Steinberg should consider that in the next 5 to 10 years there may be a huge amount of people that will switch from Mac or Windows because they are fed up of being treated as cows to milk in terms of money or privacy. I am one of them. It will never happen? I am naive? So be it.
As someone who is in the Linux world, I would agree with you there. Many of those on the linux platform are those wanting to highly customise and optimise their systems. Windows is bloated down by the kernel and the restrictions that come from the registry.
In no way am I saying you cannot build a powerful Music Production platform with it. But your ability to run the same app in different versions for testing, customise the whole system, install only what you require using packages/tools etc/automated system building for non-business users, is just not there for Windows.
That is what people are drawn to with Linux. Customisation and Optimisation.
And that is the main point why I am very skeptical about it. It would be an option (not saying a bad option) for a very small base of specialists. I’ve been in product development (and also MIDI) for several decades and I would ask: is it worth the trouble? Look into the problems popping up with Windows and Mac, and multiply it with the technical skills needed in the user base.
Would I trust any single developer on this planet to do something like that?
Never ever.
This is not about you personally. But after all these years as a responsible person for complex systems development I have seen too much… Sorry.
In October this year, Microsoft, for no good reason, will render an estimated 250 million PCs obsolete as far as Windows is concerned. Not all owners of these perfectly capable 250 million PCs will consign them to landfill, nor will all companies pay to have this hardware recycled.
I expect to see a major uptick in the numbers of people using Linux.
I wonder if Steinberg could focus only on one Linux distro, which is used also by other professional applications like BlackmagicDesign Da Vinci Resolve.
Overall , the whole music industry would need to follow suit. So that audiointerfaces, plugins, copyprotection ( also dongles) would be made compatible.
You will also see Microsoft communicating that many more of the “old” platforms are supported. You can forsee that if you read what their compatibility tool sais: “Not YET supported…”.
Or in other words: “Software plumbing”. It is what I always say - the OS for those people who used to fumble around with their motor bikes decades ago.
So you are absolutely right!
Sorry, but why are you defending Microsoft? There is absolutely no reason for e.g. Skylake Xeons to be rendered “unsupported”, while they continue to be supported on Windows 10. It is planned obsolescence in it’s most brutal and bare-faced form – worse, in fact, it is artificial obsolesence.
The only reason Microsoft might change their stance is because of stalling Windows 11 adoption.
The only thing I personally foresaw was that my non-Steinberg, day-to-day computing needed to be done on Linux, not Windows. Nobody can wait until October in the hope that their Windows PC might not be obsoleted.
Oh, you got me wrong. I dont defend Microsoft at all. I am just saying that there is market-pressure on them and we can already see it clearly.
The only aspect where I beg to differ is the “Linux on Desktop”-future. This remains to be seen. So far Linux on Desktops is not ready for non-IT users. I know, there are opposite opinions about that, so we have to agree to disagree.
What is remarkable to me is that Microsoft is so often being critiziced for things other Brands do all the time - with their eco-system and its ridiculous costs and need for backpacks full of adapters (Talking about Apple btw.). In the cellphone market consumers are ready to buy new gear in a ridiculous pace. Just saying.
Having said all that: I seriously hope MS will deliver solutions for “old” hardware in one way or the other. If not, they will suffer. Desktop-PCs are anyways not the future of computing as we all can clearly see. Fat local applications are an architecture that is already outdated. For an application like Cubase there are much more serious questions to be adressed concerning architecture than “run on linux”. But, well. I won’t convince anybody. Motorbikes also still exist and people are still fumbling around with them. Maybe a boomer-thing.
Fair enough, but it is clear that Microsoft’s direction changed radically when they decided to become a “service” rather than a vendor … in other words, they need us “consumers” to pay rent to use what you thought was your PC.
Another point we will agree to disagree on. It depends on the requirements of the applicaiton.
The word “fat” in this context only ever referred to the amount of code that runs on a device, relative to the amount of code that runs elsewhere (e.g. on a web server). The description of an application as a “fat” in this context does not imply that the architecture is outdated. I am happy that a realtime DAW such as Cubase is “fat” and runs on my local device, in the same way I am happy the the control system of an Airbus 320 is “fat”, and runs on the actual airplane.
But seriously, once again, I’m not anti-Microsoft, I’m not anti-Apple, I’m just pro-Linux, and if applicatons are already cross-platform, I’m just arguing that one more platform might be considered for inclusion.
Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate your constructive reaction.
I am well aware what “fat” means - and I honestly think that DAWs are on the long run not to be architectured as they are today. The comparision with the control system of an Airbus rather proves my point - we are not talking about a dedicated platform+system when talking about the “DAW of the future” imho.
And the “boomer” thing… I am a boomer myself, I must confess.
The “motorbike” thing comes to my mind because I dont see a future in becoming more and more a technician for being a musician. THings like Scripting to get a decent Remote Controller are already outdated and showing that the programmers just want to stick to the tools they have learned to use.
“programming” in the way we see it today will dissappear or in other words evolve in a completely different direction (we can already start to see this very, very clearly).
There is WAY to much technical fumbling to do when using DAWs - somehow like driving a car in the 1930ies - when you had to be a technician to do so.
I cannot see any way in which I would consider using Windows 11. “Recall” is clear indication in the way things are headed, so I would expect that anything done on Win11 workstation is not going to be ultimately up for grabs for AI training. Sure, you exact files may be secure, but Microsoft will be able to use files, workflows, actions, process etc. for “training” AI. Copyright laws do not yet know how to deal with any of this, so I think an alternative operating system is a must for anyone who wishes to truly have full ownership and protection of all their own media etc.
This is very good and pleasing but you cant use stubborn Adobe or Steinberg programs on Linux, which is a real killer for people who depend on these apps. MS sending millions of perfectly good computers to landfill is immoral. So much for saving the environment.
Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate your constructive reaction.
I am a boomer myself, I must confess.