I do not see anyone discussing the first thing I thought when I read that announcement:I will get FSUIPC and not pay a penny.Wha?! I know that is what you are saying. Read the announcement again again, especially the part where it says 'what you get if you don't pay.' It lists (IMHO) the single biggest time consuming offering that FSUIPC offers, the memory offsets for panels. Holy smokes batman! Sure, I don't get 'control spike elimination', or those nifty weather settings. But I don't need them so much(nice, not necessary though) What I really need FSUIPC is for the 3rd party addons, and it appears I will have no problems.Now, seriously, did I miss something? I don't think so, but the utter lack of comment on that important(to me anyway) part of the announcement is making me wonder...

You didn't miss anything. It's like that.Jos

>Now, seriously, did I miss something? I don't think so, but>the utter lack of comment on that important(to me anyway) part>of the announcement is making me wonder...No Fred, you didn't miss anything. Imagine that, a developer who is critisised for going payware giving something away for nothing! unbelievable.And even better, as Pete put in his press release:- <<* Free registration of either FSUIPC or WideFS to those who donated $10 or more>>Well that covers me then as well. I gave him quite a bit more than that via Simmarket some time ago!RegardsTim http://www.cambridgeflyingclub.com/images/timavatar2.jpg

In fact you *are* missing something. What you'll get in the free version is a locked version of the variable interface. It waits for your utility to proof that the maker of the utility did the paying for you, or at least got a free key from Pete. Until your utility has done this, there will be no interfacing!

What you'll get in the free version is a locked version of the variable interface. It waits for your utility to proof that the maker of the utility did the paying for you, or at least got a free key from Pete. Until your utility has done this, there will be no interfacing!So what?Pete stated clearly that truly freeware products will get an access key. Rest assured that payware products that rely on FSUIPC have to be "accredited", otherwise they become useless.In fact you *are* missing somethingCan it be that is is you who is missing something? -:)Stamatis

No, I'm not missing anything. The original poster implied that the free FSUIPC version contains the fully functional variable interface minus the extra utilities. I just show the differences.

Ditto above.Payware producers will have no problem in paying for accreditation but then this may/probably will put their prices up slightly - unless of course they decide to develop their own IPC handler.You also have the issue of older packages - do they abandon upgrading them to FS2004 since they would also have to incorporate the new FSUIPC controls.Your existing payware aircraft that rely on FSUIPC will not work in FS2004 unless you pay for a licence key or the developer does - freeware would need to be re-released.Correct me if I'm wrong.You'll probably find that as a direct result of this, licence keys will start to float around p2p sites and such.Why hasn't MS either bought FSUIPC or developed/integrated their own code for FS2004?

Your existing payware aircraft that rely on FSUIPC will not work in FS2004 unless you pay for a licence key or the developer doesIf the developer does not buy a key, then his product, thus business, becomes history. As I read it in the various fora, most if not all well known developers have already announced that they will buy a key and support FSUIPC, so why do you keep worrying?freeware would need to be re-released."freware" what? Aircraft? No, FS2002 aircraft work fine in FS2004, so why re-release them?Any truly freeware developer whose product(s) required FSUIPC to work has been promised an access key by Peter, so where is the problem guys?Why do I get the impression that we like to worry about fictional problems?Stamatis

I had no problem obtaining a key for my freeware TCAS gauge. It has been tested with a beta payware version, and it successfully can access TCAS data through FSUIPC. I think people are freaking out for no good reason. Give Pete a break.Lee Hetherington (KBED)

Amen to that!

So I have 100+ freeware panels on my HD that may require FSUIPC. What do I do? Should I mail the 100+ authors and ask them to apply for the key, activate the new FSUIPC interface and then upload the new "accredited" freeware? Never mind the added work load for the original freeware authors. What about the 700+ hours of dialup connection I have to go through all over again to get the same 100+ "keyed" freeware panels? Nope, It just doesn't work for me. Smells worse every minute...Mauricio

If you really have 100+ panels(!!) that require FSUIPC, maybe you are better off staying with FS2002?Nobody ever guarnteed to you that your "100+ panels" will keep functioning with any future version of FS, regardless of FSUIPC or not.Stamatis

You are in fact completely missing the point, just like so many others who complain and complained that Pete was forced to go commercial: you fail to appreciate the work Pete's been doing on behalf of the community for so long at high cost to himself and without any payment in whatever form at all!It's attitudes like that that caused the donation program to fail so misserably that some people tried to donate negative amounts...

What would be really useful is a reference in the file library that stated whether each 2002 file will work in 2004 or whether an individual/block key is required to be obtained by the downloader. Is this possible?

>You are in fact completely missing the point, just like so>many others who complain and complained that Pete was forced>to go commercial: you fail to appreciate the work Pete's been>doing on behalf of the community for so long at high cost to>himself and without any payment in whatever form at all!Directed toward whom, me?>It's attitudes like that that caused the donation program to>fail so misserably that some people tried to donate negative>amounts...I suppose. I fully intend to buy FSUIPC, but right now I have no money with which to do so. I am a 17 year old kid living at home with my parents. FS2k4 is my next 'major' purchase, if my parents will lend me the money(yea yea, I need a job ;-)) So, unfortunetly I do not have the means to go do what PD rightfully can/should ask. I am greateful that PD apparently considered people like me. I find that one more reason to (eventually) buy FSUIPC.