I don't know what's going on in the other piracy-related threads. True to my word I haven't been reading them. But I have been thinking about everything that's been said previously, recently here and further in the past in so many different threads and on so many different sites.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMy solution to the piracy problem is along the lines that N400QW indicates that some people are considering. It's very simple -- tonight I feel that I'm not going to release AirBoss at all. No product, no piracy, no support headaches. What could be simpler?What will I do instead? Well, for one thing I'll continue to work on AirBoss because I wrote it mainly for my own purposes anyway. Will I release it as freeware? No. I haven't been in this for fame and glory -- I'm a mercenary and I want to keep my options open.After that?After that I'll be trying to get a book published, and I don't mean an e-book. Print books don't crash, they don't require support, and unless they're runaway best sellers nobody ever tries to pirate them -- not the print versions. I began writing the book yesterday. Portions of it in raw diary form will appear at The Other Site under the title "The Colorado Railroad Museum", a thread that has already been opened with some background information.I think that the customers of the pirates are doing themselves a great disservice. Unless they're satisfied with the current state of the hobby and would be willing to see it remain the way it is indifinitely, they are shooting themselves in the foot by killing the geese who lay the golden eggs.So ... The question I'll put to the readership is this: Do you suppose there are other developers who are simply walking away?

Well Mike,That's an interesting solution... if that's what you want to call it. You say "No product, no piracy, no support headaches", but how about no income either if you were planning to do this semi-professionally? If it wasn't meant to be a commercial release, then I feel we are losing some of the community spirit of sharing that I think is the foundation of this great hobby and what it has to offer. I think if all simmers took that point of view this thing we call flightsim would dry up pretty fast. But I also understand where you are coming from. I am quietly working on a new version of an airport but haven't even thought of how to attack this issue when I get near to release. For "freeware" stuff I have done in the past it hasn't bothered me as much as I truly felt I was giving a little back and saying thank you to all the other developers who have let me experience their hard work on my PC.And don't think your hard-cover book can't be duplicated. Probably easier today than ever before. But again, I would hate to think of you never taking a pen to paper in fear of piracy. Think of all the great music, literature, and inventions that would be lost if we all kept it to ourselves.Just a few thoughts your thread inspired me to comment. I wish I had a solution but better minds than mind can't seem to stem the flow of piracy. I do like the fact you stated "tonight I feel that I'm not going to release AirBoss at all", with TONIGHT being the key word here. That's means maybe tomorrow night you will change your mind. ;)

Regarding income... who says we make enough off of the sales to make it all worthwhile? LOL

No offence Mike, but you've been going on about this Airboss for around 2 years now. Whilst it seems a useful utility that is close to your heart, why must you continualy inform the community that you're not going to release it? I remember you telling us around 6 to 12 months ago that you weren't going to release it, and the community survived then.Maybe your Airboss forum can be closed on AVSIM now...Cheers, SLuggyps - just joking Mike, but you DO seem to like to draw attention to this Airboss thingy...

No offence Mike, but you've been going on about this Airboss for around 2 years now. Whilst it seems a useful utility that is close to your heart, why must you continualy inform the community that you're not going to release it? I remember you telling us around 6 to 12 months ago that you weren't going to release it, and the community survived then.Maybe your Airboss forum can be closed on AVSIM now...Cheers, SLuggyps - just joking Mike, but you DO seem to like to draw attention to this Airboss thingy...

Hi Sluggy, long time no hear.I've actually been going on about this AirBoss thing for five years now. Yes, the community has gotten along just fine without it. And yes, i DO like to draw attention to the AirBoss thing -- I'm very good at generating free publicity and, as I said, I want to keep my options open.If the railroad museum book project hadn't reared its pretty little head I would not have made the post that I made. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that a book such as I've started would have increased reward accompanied by reduced risk -- and the AirBoss option will remain open while I'm having fun at the museum.As WarpD has indicated, the returns in the FS payware business are not all that great. Trust me, nobody is getting rich. (Well, I can think of one person who might be, but he's one of a couple of hundred.) The best few are able to support themselves, but nobody is getting rich, and I suspect that by now everybody is getting frazzled to a greater or lesser extent.But those are just guesses. I can really speak only for me.

Is there a problem with using my name? The one that's in my signature, in every post??? :(

Is there a problem with using my name? The one that's in my signature, in every post??? :(

If I had to take a guess it's because signature bars don't show up in the reply window.But I could be wrong. wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.If you don't believe me (we ain't even gotta garage) you can call home and ask my wife.Joe

Is there a problem with using my name? The one that's in my signature, in every post??? :(

No, Ed, there isn't. However, since I was replying to somebody else's post it would not have been immediately clear who Ed is. So okay, should I return to an old naming convention of mine in which you would have been referred to as Ed/WarpD?