I've been watching this topic with great frustration. Mike seems to be bent on deflecting PSS's responsibility to it's customers. Now mind, I'm saying nothing about the circumstances that brought them and us to this pass. Past is past. However, it occurs to me that several facts remain true.1. The present PSS site's existence seems to indicate that either the original authors or their heirs are capable of posting to the internet.2. With fact one not in dispute, it then follows that they are then able to post a short note of explanation and apology. That would go far in restoring faith in their character if they really want to return to business.3. Also in regards to fact one, they should have made provisions for those who had purchased their software to be able to continue to use that software. Either remove all software protections or post a dedicated server so that we who own the software can activate our product. I believe we who purchased their products would appreciate this far more than their little "Back in Spring 2009" splash screen. Considering they have a current website then this should be job 1.4. As Mike said, backups are a good thing and I'm sure the vast majority of us did so. However, I at least suffered a hard drive casualty and so it became a moot point. Tough nuts for me and the rest? Not if the reincarnated PSS wants the good will and business of the flight sim community.5. Regardless of whatever circumstances caused them to go out of business, we are all due an explanation. It was a cowardly act to go out the way they did with no statement at all. It rather reminded me of Chicago's Mayor, Richard Daley, who in the middle of the night ripped up the runway at KCGX. No matter how dire their circumstances were, there is no excuse for not giving us an explanation even now. Nuff saidDarren

Regrettably it's not Nuff Said . . .“Mike seems to be bent on deflecting PSS's responsibility to it's customers.” . . . No, I’m not. I asked for forgiveness and a pardon, not that things be swept under the rug. But let me ask you this: How far into the future do you believe that obligations to customers run in situations like this? Forever? Seven years? One day?You folks are in the approximate position of unsecured creditors in a US bankruptcy. You have a claim, but in your case the claim has been partially - - no, substantially - - satisfied by the use of the product that you’ve had to date. And I’m asking that you view this use as good value for money and at least forget the past if you can’t forgive it.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx“… post a short note of explanation and apology.” . . . Joel Waterfield did exactly this, here on Avsim, in February or so of 2008 as I recall. (Joel is Graham’s son.)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx“… they should have made provisions for those who had purchased their software to be able to continue to use that software”. And I should be rich. It certainly would have been nice if Graham had been able to do this, but sometimes going out of business is like that - - as when the building burns and the destitute cobbler is unable to return to his customers shoes dropped off for repair. (And don’t fault the cobbler for having burned to death.)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx“It was a cowardly act to go out the way they did with no statement at all.” See above. And there was no cowardice involved, any more than the cobbler in my hypothetical would have been a coward.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx“However, I at least suffered a hard drive casualty …” . . . The point would not be moot if you had made proper backups, as I do. Read this http://forums.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?t=198886 and learn from it.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLook . . . Surely you all have better things to do in your lives than to dwell on this most unfortunate incident. I do too but I’m not going to walk away from the continued attacks on a friend no matter how justified the attacks may seem to others. (Yes. I'm asking you to simply accept my statements at face value, and then forgive and forget. If you're unable to do this, well, I'm glad I'm not you.)You have been inconvenienced by an accident, not cheated by a crook. I suggest that you do as the Royal Navy recommends: Take an even strain. If you need help getting calmed down, take the following pill http://www.flightsim.com/main/op-ed/ed421.htm.

Folks, I want to clarify my remarks ...I'm not saying that Graham Waterfield did everything right. In a perfect world, and if he were a perfect person, he would have done the Right Thing. Rather, I'm asking everyone to forgive him for the wrong that happened. If you can't, so be it.

I forgive him Mike, and I'm not going to hold the wrong doings of Graham against Joel/others. That's coming from someone who has a couple of FS9 PSS products that are of zero use now, and one that I never even got to try. Of course I'm on to FSX now so I don't really care anymore. I just hope that the new PSS, assuming it ever comes to fruition, will do something about that dreadful customer service I dealt with in the past. I never really understood why they folded anyway. I saw the notice blaming personal and financial difficulties, which went on to blame pirates for stealing there products and clogging up the forums requesting tech support. I've got to believe the "personal" difficulties must have played a significant role, whatever they were. Anyway, my best wishes to PSS if they do return, but I think I'll be one of the many enthusiasts waiting to hear user reviews of the new operation before I dive back in. Look forward to seeing them back in Spring 20??.

I forgive him Mike, and I'm not going to hold the wrong doings of Graham against Joel/others. That's coming from someone who has a couple of FS9 PSS products that are of zero use now, and one that I never even got to try. Of course I'm on to FSX now so I don't really care anymore. I just hope that the new PSS, assuming it ever comes to fruition, will do something about that dreadful customer service I dealt with in the past. I never really understood why they folded anyway. I saw the notice blaming personal and financial difficulties, which went on to blame pirates for stealing there products and clogging up the forums requesting tech support. I've got to believe the "personal" difficulties must have played a significant role, whatever they were. Anyway, my best wishes to PSS if they do return, but I think I'll be one of the many enthusiasts waiting to hear user reviews of the new operation before I dive back in. Look forward to seeing them back in Spring 20??.

Thank you, rightseater.Fortunately for the rest of us, Graham Waterfield is/was an artist. Unfortunately for the rest of us he is not a businessman. I'm hoping that son Joel will be able to put together a viable business that supplements Graham's very great talents as a developer with the support you would want, and with the right kind of protection scheme. (Like the Flight1 Wrapper, which is a very good compromise between the needs of users and the needs of developers.)But in the end this may not happen, and if it does it may not matter. The world is moving to FSX and anyway there are plenty of other developers out there who, as teams, are capable of meeting and perhaps even surpassing Graham's level of work even if he were interested in supporting FSX.My point to the FS community is that Graham showed the way and pioneered the high fidelity payware aircraft business. Were it not for him, the payware aircraft market would have been much slower to develop. That's why I give Graham a pass where I might not give anyone else a pass. Graham gave his entire life to the business and he has paid the price in many different ways.As the old saying goes regarding entrepreneurs, you can easily identify the pioneer -- he's the one with the arrows in his back.

Hi MikeMuch as I may disagree with some of your views, I must also state how much I both admire, and appriciate your obvious loyalty to a friend. There seems to be precious bloody little of those kind of values left in this world.Quite refreshing.

Regrettably it's not Nuff Said . . .

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Thank you, Dougal, I couldn't agree more.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDarren, you perfect human being, you did everything right. And I'm glad that you grasped the point of my article on backups and offsite backups. Indeed you've gone beyond it to a whole new concept. I keep saying that when it comes to backups and data loses, would'a, could'a, should'a will not help. Clearly I was wrong because you have shown that excuses do in fact help. They make you feel better, and they reassure you that you need not change your ways as I foolishly believed that I had to. In particular ...It's not your fault that you didn't record the CDs in duplicate on separate CD drives. After all, they're supposed to work. And anyway it takes a lot of time and effort to prove them by rebooting the computer(s) in question (to flush buffers) and then reading them back in. Only a fool would bother to do that, much less do it on another computer.It's not your fault that no duplicate removable hard drives are attached to you computer. They don't exactly grown on trees, you know. In fact, it's foolish to even suggest them. After all, the CD drive was bought and paid for and it was sufficient. It's only because of CD drive track calibration drift that the CDs weren't readable. If it hadn't been for that, everything would have worked as it should. (And please tell the engineers to stop recalibrating the positioner every time the drive powers up. It's not necessary, and anyway these things are supposed to work.)And when fire happens, it won't be your fault that you had been too busy to take a set of CDs offsite. After all, how important can this be given that fires aren't supposed to happen? Indeed if anybody deserves to have been given a pass by Mother Nature, it's you -- because you did everything right, unlike me, who foolishly spends far more on infrastructure than on WhizBang computers.It certainly won't be your fault that you haven't taken out a subscription to Carbonite or an equivalent service -- they're expensive.And last but not least, don't even think about setting up your own FTP site with a major hosting service. This is a lot of work.No, Darren, it's much better to do everything right, as you did. That way you avoid a lot of unncessary expense and a lot of unnecessary work. Only fools think that they can't see into the future. Only fools fail to see that if they wish hard enough, their disaster preparations will be adequate -- or at least will have deserved to have been adequate. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDarn it all, there I go again. His post opened in a perfectly friendly, even-handed way, with "Frankly, Old Boy". Now I've probably made an enemy. This is most unfortunate since. as Disraeli observed, a gentleman never insults unintentionally.

Where's the apology in that? The last paragraph is interesting. In the UK recently there have been complaints about so-called phoenix companies which become bankrupt and then are bought out by the former owners and miraculously appear as a new company having, neatly, avoided paying their just debts. I t may be legal but it's immoral.No it isn't inevitiable if you are responsible. There is such a thing as insurance. Anyway the Waterfields weren't burnt to death - they are alive and well and apparently thinking about starting a new company.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxHi, Gerry! Always nice to hear from you!

. as Disraeli observed, a gentleman never insults unintentionally.

O believe Oscar Wilde said that.

O believe Oscar Wilde said that.

Hi, Gerry! O believe that it's always nice to hear from you!EDIT: No. I didn't handle that properly. I should have written "O stand corrected".

O believe Oscar Wilde said that.

Oscar Wilde is often cited as the source, truly.Who said "He is a self-made man and worships his creator?"That describes more than a few of my acquaintances, eh?My favorite quote from Wilde is: "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." :(

Oscar Wilde is often cited as the source, truly.Who said "He is a self-made man and worships his creator?"That describes more than a few of my acquaintances, eh?My favorite quote from Wilde is: "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." :(

The self-made man remark sounds like Winston Churchill, who also said regarding two political opponents ..."He is a sheep in sheep's clothing.""He is a modest man -- with much to be modest about."

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator" is generally attributed to John Bright - a Victorian British MP.

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator" is generally attributed to John Bright - a Victorian British MP.

After the famous but colorless WW2 general was elected President of the United States, people used to say "Things would be different if Eisenhower were alive."