From: V@nguard.LH   
      
   Allan Higdon  wrote:   
      
   > The download link for their Freeware version is the "Cakewalk Installer"   
   button on the Home Page.   
   > The setup file does have to download all the files before installation.   
   >   
   > The License Agreement displayed before installation does confirm that it is   
   Freeware.   
   > "6.1. The Product is made available to you free of charge."   
   >   
   > The program does require activation.   
   > https://help.cakewalk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900006746466-Activation-FAQ   
      
   The program also requires re-validation every 6 months, or less.   
      
   "After [installation], the license must be validated at least once every   
   six months through an Internet connection or it will revert to ´demo   
   mode¡ and project saving will be disabled until it can be validated   
   again."   
      
   So, every 6 months, or less, you have to re-validate the license.  You   
   need to create an account to get it.  They want to track your usage.   
      
   Since Cakewalk [no suffix] was discontinued, I suspect the re-validation   
   will eventually fail.  Since what you install is a web installer, that   
   will likely cease when old Cakewalk gets dropped.  Sometime after the   
   introduction of Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next (both already   
   available), the old Cakewalk stops getting supported.  Current users of   
   old Cakewalk are concerned the web install ceases to function whenever   
   BandLab drops old Cakewalk.  There has been no announcement when old   
   Cakewalk gets dropped, or how long old Cakewalk will be supported after   
   the release of Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next.   
      
   https://discuss.cakewalk.com/topic/69725-future-re-install-of-ca   
   ewalk-after-sonar-is-available/   
      
     Will Cakewalk by BandLab be discontinued?   
      
     Yes, eventually. We will continue providing community support and   
     maintenance for Cakewalk by BandLab until Cakewalk Sonar becomes   
     publicly available. At some point after the release of Sonar, Cakewalk   
     by BandLab will no longer be supported.   
      
   Cakewalk Sonar was released in September 2024.  Development on old   
   Cakewalk (now free) ceased when Sonar got released in August 2024.   
      
   https://discuss.cakewalk.com/topic/80860-sonar-202408/   
      
   Since Sonar has been released, support for old Cakewalk ceases.  Since   
   all you get is a web installer, the question is how long before BandLab   
   yanks the downloads retrieved by the web installer.  Could be a few   
   month, or a few years.  Meanwhile you have to re-validate its license   
   every 6 months, or less.   
      
   If old Cakewalk is something with which you are familiar with prior use,   
   having it free means you can get up to speed quickly.  If you are new to   
   [old] Cakewalk by BandLab, it could take you longer to learn the program   
   than when re-validation eventually fails.   
      
   Per the FAQ page you cited:   
      
     Does Activation Expire?   
      
     Yes, but if you are signed in to BandLab and your system is online, no   
     intervention will be required, and Cakewalk by BandLab will stay   
     permanently activated. If your system is offline, however, activation   
     will last for up to 6 months. Activation may also be required if you   
     make major changes to your system like installing a new OS, changing   
     the motherboard, etc. You will see an Activation message before it   
     expires, but we recommend keeping the program up to date, which will   
     also reactivate it automatically.   
      
   If you keep running BandLab Assistant, you get automatically   
   re-validated.  Else, activation expires in 6 months.  Besides the   
   concern they yank their licensing server support for old Cakewalk, their   
   web installer might fail when they drop old Cakewalk, and you need to   
   reinstall it.   
      
   To me, the repeated re-validation smacks of a means for them to yank the   
   "free" licenses sometime after Sonar and Next got released.  It's free   
   until they decided to pull the plug whereupon its users have become   
   dependent on it, so they manage to gets a percentage of the freeloaders   
   to upgrade to the Sonar or Next payware.  Time will tell when they yank   
   support, including using the web installer for [re]installs and when   
   licensing no longer re-activates, for whether this "free" version is   
   actually lureware.   
      
   BandLab announce in June 2023 that old Cakewalk would be discontinued,   
   and replaced with payware.  Although you might get a "free" web   
   installer for now, and [re]licensing of old Cakewalk works for now,   
   doesn't look promising.   
      
   https://www.makingascene.org/bandlab-discontinues-free-version-o   
   -cakewalk-by-bandlab-daw/   
      
   BandLab kept old Cakewalk free despite they announced to drop it.  The   
   free version may very continue to function -- while you can reactivate   
   its license.   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)