Just wondering what folks think about having “rolling updates” for Cubase like those provided by Cakewalk for Sonar: Cakewalk - Announcement
Please God no. Updates are a p.i.t.a…I have enough already between various plug-ins & other programs. Have no idea why some Sonarites support updates they way they do (seeing as how bugs are now introduced on a monthly, rather than yearly, basis) but it should be noted that they are part of a cult.
I’m only sort of kidding
I hear you, but the logic is that smaller more frequent updates will actually minimize the number of new bugs because it involves changing less code.
Right. But we know what actually happens in the software world, eh? Plus - I sorta think that rolling updates let developers off the hook to a certain extent, by removing the implied deadline of a fixed update to correct bugs vs “well, we’ll fix it when we fix it, which is, uh, like whenever”. Perhaps this would not be ideal for Cubase and it’s users at this time.
That’s a valid perspective. But consider that because each individual rolling update is smaller than a major annual/semi-annual update, you can devote an entire one to just bug fixes. Although this has been called for by some folks on the forum, from Steinberg’s (business) perspective, it’s a non-starter when you release just one/two major update(s) a year.
Except what I read in the link, I am not sure what the specifics of Sonar’s “rolling updates” are specifically providing but, I was hoping for more frequent smaller maintenance releases from Steinberg. That’s what I thought they were going to do when they adopted the version x.xx.xx naming convention a few years ago.
More often, smaller updates to fix bugs introduced in the large version release is where it is at as far as world class customer support goes. Those who are skeptical about installing frequent updates can wait and see what the feedback on our forum is before downloading and pushing the install button.
The “Lifetime” thingy sounds interesting too. 
Regards. 
I experienced the “rolling updates” before switching to Cubase and, I have to say, they are the only thing that I miss about Sonar. If you visit the Sonar forum you’ll see that what Cakewalk is doing is to preview the new features they’re working on a few months in advance and then announce them when they’re ready for download via their updater program. Most of the releases include bug fixes as well. They install quickly and are easy to assimilate given that you knew about the features in advance. And they are extremely well-received by Sonar users – I’ve never seen so much praise.
As you’d expect, if the update includes major enhancements, you get little else. In contrast if the updates are smaller, you get more of them.
The reason I started this post is that I find it strange that (IMO) Cubase is so much better than Sonar yet its users are, by comparison, so much less satisfied.
Everything is well-received by Sonar users on that forum - apart from criticism of their beloved, fault-free DAW.
I guess you weren’t around when X2 and X3 rolled out – lots of folks were fairly angry. The situation led to something of an exodus. I noticed that many of the names in the forum changed during that time. And I suspect that’s why Cakewalk is doing what they are now doing (not to mention bringing in Craig Anderton to calm things down).
Bottom line, management was afraid of losing their customer base.
The rolling updates thing works for Sonar because it’s far behind most other DAWs, so there’s plenty of stuff to add. Cubase is the most feature rich DAW around, so there’s very little left to be added. It would also not speed up the current bug fixing/testing process at all. If they wanted to keep these rolling updates usable in professional settings the updates would have to be released at roughly the same frequency as the current .10/.20/.30 updates.
I would like to see an official Steinberg blog where they explain certain design decisions, give some tips and tease new features for Cubase and their VST plugins shortly before release, but rolling updates can only possibly make things worse.
As for lifetime updates, keep in mind that Sonar is a sinking ship that’s attracting barely any new users, so they’re desperately trying to do anything that may possibly boost its popularity, even if by only a little bit. Steinberg doesn’t need to do that.
Is it so? And how would you know that?
Actually - that’s when I left 
…the deranged cheerleader vibe has been steadily nurtured since then by those who remained, including Anderton, who was always there - although he wasn’t, ahem, a VP of Gibson Brands at the time.
LOL I think the appellation “deranged cheerleader” describes Anderton perfectly. It got to the point that you couldn’t say anything on the forum without him chiming in and extolling the many virtues of Sonar. And if you disagreed with him he’d remind you of his pedigree, the troops would rally behind him, and the argument was over. Ironically his pervasive presence and aggressive marketing drove me away from the forum and ultimately from Sonar. In retrospect, it was for the best.