Bob,Your sig is making me dizzy! :-lolIain Spowart,Scotland.Webmaster and photographer,Scottish Claymores 2002Cheerleaders Fan Sitehttp://avsim.iainspowart.com/2002-s.jpghttp://www.claymorescheerleaders.com

Importantly...Microsoft has positioned itself, and this "game" (used loosely), for large quantities of new business over time.The handwriting is clearly on the wall that Microsoft FS Products will someday be the major aviation industry training standard, very much akin to what Autocad did to the "high priced" world of drafting. Commercial, Corporate, and Govermental business alone will be staggering.Third partie developers will, at the very least, be equally responsible for this phenomenon.This MS Business Unit is a cash cow that's going to do very well for a long time. That's why we have the wonderful sim that we have.God, I only wish I had of thought of AVSIM..................First !!!Bob (Lecanto, Fl)AMD, Athlon XP, 2200+XP, Home Edition Sound Blaster, Audigy MP3+CH Prod, VPP Yoke - Sound CardCH Prod, Pedals - Sound Card

;-) did you know that MSFS started life as SubLogic Flight Simulator?

Peter:Don't forget beautiful flight attendants, your choices of 'cheeken' or 'beef' and the smell of the lavatories on a full flight after 6 hours wafting though the air (I guess they will have to include scratch n' sniff tabs)! :-lol I want it all packed in the next version of FS2004 or else I am going to start a revolt! :-rollMike T.

Interesting stuff about M$ on front page of:http://www.gamersdepot.com/Seems the MS R&D budget for next year will grow to $5.2 Billion, they are hiring 5,000 new employees next year, sales of WinXP is 46 million copies the first 9 months since release, and despite the recession XP sales rate is 160% stronger than the first 9 months of Win98.Or maybe they just hired funky accountants that stretch the truth :)I wonder what their total budget will be, not just R&D? And how many total copies Windows XP will eventually sell? Or for that matter all versions of Windows? Then there's Office, and the various "Business Solutions"? Bottom line: FS is maybe small potatoes to M$ ? :-eek== WHK ==

As the Senator from Illinois said many many years ago, "a million here, a million there, a ......., pretty soon we are talking about some real money."A lot of small potatoes are one of the key ingredients to making a big potatoes soup that will make it through the thick an thin years. Sure don't want to have all the potatoes of the same hybrid, heaven help if a potatoe blight should happen.Great margins and excellent ROI keeps FS in the MS family.Bob

Whatever the figure it's -1 on my count, I won mine..!George

Your sig makes me "dizzy", Ian! LOL!Don

Your numbers are way off dude. :) Americas army had a budget of 7 Million and most developers Cried because it blows thiers away and its a free game. :)MS makes money off FS2002. If it didnt they wouldnt do it. So you can bet your Five Bucks they make a profit.