Going to miss you Mike...

[Bonkster 1]

>trees that do not bend with the wind, tend to break.>Well put, Mike! :-)

[gary_canuck 0]

I hope that small majority who seem to have contributed little or nothing to flight simming except criticism toward talented freeware developers will enjoy your short victory. You seem to forget that these generous contributors are human. Constructive criticism is productive but mean spirited and rude remarks from that small group will just result in driving these good folks away from our hobby.I wish Mike the very best in whatever the future holds for him and thank him for making my simming that much more rewarding.Gary :-beerchug

[Clutch Cargo 384]

They say bad news comes in three's...Eric CantuBill Lyons and nowMike StoneAll talented modelers who've for whatever reason have had thier belly full.ClutchProject 9Dragons

[Guest Camsdad]

>Hey guys,>>As one of Mike's mates - let me clear one or two things up.>>The fact is, he does not care what people think of his work.>As it says on his site, if you like them, fly them with his>blessings - if not, go away.>>He was getting dozens of emails per day from ungrateful>simmers saying crap like "the engines are too big" or "plz>make me a plane". I'm sure that would cause anyone here to>give it up.>>He's been making planes for years now and it was time for him>to start pursuing another of his hobbies.>>Camsdad said: "I really lose respect when I see the "I'm>taking my ball and going home" tantrums.">>It is clear that you have no knowledge or understanding of>what it takes to be a developer. He didn't throw a tantrum, as>I said, he was tired of people's BS and gave it up to pursue>another hobby. You are yet another one of the many simmers who>are ungrateful and disrespectful to those who try to make our>hobby better."ungrateful simmers saying crap like "the engines are too big" or "plz make me a plane" is a very egotistical statement if you ask me. Now I could see if a simmer comes on AVSIM and says the work sucks or something to that extent but to send him an email asking for a plane then have a reply such as your calling them ungrateful is wrong.You might want to think again about me not having any knowledge or understanding of what it takes to be a developer. Since FS98 I have had numerous files posted to FS sites. I stopped in FS2004 due to real life commitments such as my wife dying and becoming a single parent for my preteen children. During the time I did contribute time I helped get one of the largest VA's started and provided the original fleet for that airline. I have beta tested a number of products and I have also been on these forums for a number of years but don't post very frequently. I stand behind my comment. If you are going to quit then quit. Why make a public service announcement about it if your just not looking for attention?

[Guest Trans_601]

Again, I'll highlight an important point.It isn't a matter of Mike getting an email from someone telling him "the nose is a bit too long" then having a dummy spit. Imagine if you opened your inbox and it was full of emails saying fix this, fix that. Mike (or any freeware developer) is under no obligation to fix any bugs.Why would anyone want to continue contributing to the community when a lot of the people he does the work for are being like they are?People in this thread seem to have the false idea that just because Mike got a few "constructive" criticism emails he quit. In his original post at the Transload forum, he said he was tired of all the disrespectful (that is NOT constructive) people and moved onto another hobby.Like I said in my earlier post. Mike created planes for HIMSELF. He created them to his likings and preferences, and was kind enough to share them. People do not pay for it. So, take it or leave it, if you don't like it, you delete it. He wasn't out to please people, only to please himself. Mike T, Mike's history with the community has no relevance to this topic. You obviously do not know the full details regarding Mike and AVSIM a few years ago, as they were never made public. Please do not make him out to be the "bad guy" if you do not know the circumstances.

[Mike T 208]

Excuse you???? Actualy I DO know the FULL DETAILS regarding Mike Stone and Avsim as I was part of the Avsim staff at that time and have been on and off since 1998, so in that, please speak about that which you know.Second, my post was NOT making him out to be a bad guy if that is what you are reading into my post. I think that Mike Stone is a great guy who is sick and tired....just like I am. I personally have seen the personal attacks against Mike when all he did was SHARE his personal work with this community.Over the years, I've watched this forum degerate into what it has become today: Refugees from the Doom 3 forums making smart alek remarks and attacks at the drop at a hat.And you know what? I think that following the myriad of the colorful and wonderful characters who have left the forums and stopped contributing anything else to this community is probably a wise thing also.Add my name to the list who won't be posting here any more. (And no I won't let the door hit me in the @$$ on the way out).

[bkeske 0]

mods: Is there really any reason this thread isn't locked yet?.....I was gonna stay out of this, but Mike has been around this hobby providing freeware ever since I can remember (mid-90's). There is no excuse for cheap shots to anyone who does the same for this 'community'. Sufice to say, this isn't like those old days anymore, when freeware providers were held to high esteem, and thanked continuously.I'll leave it at that.

[Guest Trans_601]

I'm not going to get into an argument with you, so I'm glad we can come to that agreement.Your post led me to the impression you didn't know the full story - and if you say you do then I believe you. I'll leave it there.I'm not trying to develop this thread into a big argument, I just want to back Mike Stone up as it seems people are under false beliefs and do not know Mike as a person etc.

[Guest BrianFletcher]

I'm very sorry for your loss. As for Mike Stone, I know very little of him aside from his Flight Sim contributions, but he did help me out a great deal when I was first learning GMax and FSDS. I'm sure that there is more to his retirement than just constructive criticism. Perhaps, even though I do believe that it is essential for the flight sim community to offer input, maybe it is time for some people to re-think how they go about it. Name calling and poorly worded comments are simply unnecesary and offer nothing to our hobby, which is what I think Mike endured. All of the "are you kidding me" comments just make the author look foolish and derive him of any credibility...that is what I see a lot of here in the forums.

[Guest Camsdad]

I want to say that I am thankful for Mikes contributions. Staffan, I loved your work too. I just disagree with posting about quitting when things get out of hand. I shouldn't have said the word tantrum. I have read Mike T's posts for some time over the years. I respect him a lot. He says what he means. He took no shots at Mike Stone. He is correct at the level of these forums have become. If you come on a forum and say Mike Stones 727 sucks then I'd be mad if I was Mike. But in a personal email showing the differences in the tail of his 727 and offering assistance one should not expect a reply of thats the way it is and too bad. That creates hostility then we have the I'm leaving the hobby because nobody is grateful posts or this is my last post at AVSIM. Losing a contributor is not a good thing remember Project Freeware. Their forum here was one of the most popular on AVSIM. If you are going to critique someones work be respectful and empathetic. If you are a developer put yourself in that persons shoes and be respectful of them as well.When its said and done this is just a game folks.

[LAdamson 240]

>Add my name to the list who won't be posting here any more.>(And no I won't let the door hit me in the @$$ on the way>out).I called it "quits" for at least six days. Want to go for seven? :-hah L.Adamson

[Trans_27 Pilot Chase 59]

haha... :) We're glad you didnt leave us. :)

[virtualstuff 750]

Yep to make freeware isn't real fun anymore ;-)Andr

[N400QW 205]

The man wants to quite, then he should quite.Folks want to over analyse, then they should quit.:-)

[Holger 0]

Hi guys,wow, didn't realize there was a competition for the most dramatic exit - where do I apply? ;-)As far as I'm concerned, making freeware remains as much fun as it has on the first day I started a bunch of years ago. In fact, it's more fun now because the challenges and possibilities increase with every new version of the sim.A hobby's primary purpose is to have fun, individually or as a community. If the fun is gone, for whatever reason, it's time to find a new hobby. Saying good-bye is a nice thing to do but I hope, when the day comes for me (hopefully not too soon!), it'll be with a bow and thank-you to all the great companionship I've experienced.I'm always enjoying the contact with users of my projects; it's entertaining and inspiring and through it I've established a network of FS friends that I get to visit when I travel or that visit me. The (very) few "unreasonable" people that have tried to get under my skin have been dealt with as they should: off to the compost heap! Here's to hoping that those who feel compelled to move on do so remembering the good times they've had!Cheers, HolgerP.S.: For freeware developers that are concerned about the kind of response they might receive from the community I suggest running pre-release Beta tests with a team of your choice. It's a great way to get constructive feedback before you send your baby out to the wolves.