FSUIPC -- Todays announcement Observation

[Guest FS_freak]

Me? Fail to appreciate? I am the first to praise Pete's work. FSUIPC is first class, just like a bunch of other freeware out there despite the tendency of this whole thing to go payware. My point is: tell me Pete had built a fabulous freeware aircraft and then decided to sell it. Good for him. It is my choice to buy it or not. If I don't I'll miss a single piece of payware, probably a great piece of payware if it comes from Pete, but it is still only one piece of payware. I have no problem with that. But.... tell me Pete built an interface and got most payware and a lot of freeware to depend on it. Once everybody is hooked it goes payware, the cards are dealed and everybody gets nailed. Freeware developers who thought their software would make it deep into FS9 and beyond, are faced with the hassle of having to apply for a key and re-release their software. And even if they do, it won't be their software anymore because it depends on the all-mighty FSUIPC module to work. Pete's signature has to be engraved in its loins. This I have a problem with.As for the payware addons, who do you think will end up paying for FSUIPC? The end user of course! Prices will soar, take my word for it.Gotta go. Stench is killing me.....Mauricio

[greggerm 312]

Ok... then isn't it worth $20 for all that time and effort? If you purchase the product outright, you don't have to wait for the freeware authors to obtain keys - YOUR key will blanket it all. Or, continue using the freeware within FS2002. Never forget that FSUIPC is still a completely free item within FS2002. Just the fact that 100 panels of yours may rely on FSUIPC should be evendence enought that it's a worthwhile program to invest in! Just a thought...-Greg

[Azapata87 173]

hi,Mauricio I agree. While I do appreciate what Pete has done for the hobby. What bothers me is even if I do buy fsuipc, Payware developers will end up passing the cost of licencing fsuipc to the end user. So it will be like paying for fsuipc everytime you buy a payware addon even though you already bought the module for 22 bucks from Pete. You probably will start seeing $40 bucks per plane as the norm for an addon utilizing the fsuipc module. (Ex. Pmdg, they licenced fsuipc and their product is $40 bucks).Andrew

[Guest cast1010]

OK guys, I think some of you need a very detailed explanation. Let me see if I can provide the explanation or I'm the one needing one. If you have a FREEWARE panel or any other FREEWARE add-on that works in FS2002 needing FSUIPC, and then you want to use it in FS2004, you will have to: 1) Download from the major sites (AVSIM and others), the NEW FSUIPC 3.0 FREEWARE VERSION (the same procedure that you did before to get the latest FSUIPC for FS2002). 2) Wait until the developer of the FREEWARE add-on has received from Pete Dowson a FREE KEY, so the developer can use the new interface and create an update for his FS2002 add-on so it can work in FS2004 (then he will release a patch for his product). The developer will not incur in any kind of economical transaction. So his product can still be FREE, and you will enjoy it as you did in FS2002. EXAMPLE (speculating): Oleksy Folov and his GREAT Dash 8-300Q requires FSUIPC in FS2002 to work. We then have to wait until Oleksy talks with Pete Dowson and then he gets the FREE KEY to access the limited required interface of the new FSUIPC 3.0. Oleksy then will create a patch for his Dash 8 and he will release it as a FREE PATCH. Voila! You have now this great Dash 8 working in FS2004 for FREE!.If you are wondering if your 100+ FREEWARE panels that you have now will work with the new FSUIPC 3.0 then you have to ask the developers if they still plan to create a patch. This is the only risk you assume with FREEWARE products, the developers can keep it up-to-date or not. They are now in the necessity to upgrade their old product to work with the NEW FS2004 and its NEW interface, FSUIPC 3.0. Now, if you ask me why Pete changed from freeware to payware now? I think that now is the best (and only) moment to do it, why?, because is now when a NEW interface (FSUIPC) was needed to be developed. It is now, when a NEW simulator (FS2004) is coming and is NOW when this new sim needs a NEW interface.For how long and how many PAYWARE products has used Pete's work for its own economical benefits? I think it's time for Pete to get the slice of the cake he deserves. But the best thing is that Pete cares about FREEWARE and he still developed a FREEWARE FSUIPC THAT WILL KEEP FREEWARE PRODUCTS WORKING AS PREVIOUS VERSIONS.That is something to respect and applaud, not something to attack. Thanks Pete, you have my sympathy and respect, keep up the great job.Carlos.

[Guest ba747heavy]

Well said Carlos. Sure, it is a pain to have to wait until freeware developers get the free(you have got to love that word) key, but all in all I think Peter has been more than fair, allowing freeware developers the opportunity to use his module without paying.So, in the end, you don't pay a thing if you don't want to. Seems like a right good deal to me.

[Guest]

Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------"...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!"--------------------------------------------------------------------Just curious, how much did it really cost Pete? I am not complaining about the fee. However, it is a pain and not very cost effective for the addon developers to have to re-release a particular piece of software. Can the software be patched? And if so at what cost to the developer?

[Guest Stamatis]

What bothers me is even if I do buy fsuipc, Payware developers will end up passing the cost of licencing fsuipc to the end user.First of all, nobody forces you to buy FSUIPC. You can still use the "freeware" version for nothing.As to the developers ending up passing the cost to the end user, wouldn't they be doing the same if they had developed the interface themselves?And trust me, in that case it would cost them a lot more because the development costs would have to be ammortized over the sales of only their product.We are definitely spoilt in this community!Stamatis

[Guest]

If the developers had developed the interface, there would have been no extra cost for the interface. Do the developer have to buy a license for each piece of software, or is one license good for all a companies software? Is the cost for a developer the same as the cost for Joe Average? As for being spoiled, no we are not. People fly for the love of the game. Freeware developers release for the love of the game. Payware developers are companies, its all about the bottom line. I will purchase Pete's product. I feel that the in all the complaints, individuals only care about themselves. So I ask what of the developers? How will this impact them and future develpements? Just playing Devil' Advocate.

[Guest Bigshot]

From a post above:_____________________________________________Should I mail the 100+ authors and ask them to apply for the key, activate the new FSUIPC interface ..._____________________________________________Absolutely not. Don't ask! DEMAND! If they don't like it they can take it up with Pete.Now, this is not my personal opinion; but I can see this happening over and over again and these great "Freeware" providers getting hassled again and again and for what? Some kind of pyramid payment scheme being perpetrated on the community. I for one, have a lot of FSUIPC required panels. I'm just gonna wait on my FS2004 purchase for a little while. Maybe Microsoft can save us all a lot of pain.

[Guest FS_freak]

BINGO!There you go, that's what I wanted to hear. How many people are gonna do just like you and put FS9 on hold until all this smoke clears off? Hey Gates! Are you listening? You better go after Pete or come up with an FSUIPC of your own if you really want to sell the new sim! I think Pete just killed 40% of your short term sales perspective. Geez I guess Billy's wife is gonna have to get rid of the Benz after all...Mauricio

[chumley 0]

Content of this post deleted due to offensive language. A word of warning. We will NOT tolerate ANY form of vulgarity in the forums.... NO EXCEPTIONS. Enough said AidiForum Admin

[Guest ba747heavy]

>BINGO!>>There you go, that's what I wanted to hear. How many people>are gonna do just like you and put FS9 on hold until all this>smoke clears off? Hey Gates! Are you listening? You better go>after Pete or come up with an FSUIPC of your own if you really>want to sell the new sim! I think Pete just killed 40% of your>short term sales perspective. Geez I guess Billy's wife is>gonna have to get rid of the Benz after all...>>MauricioI hightly doubt many people will hold back and wait ;-)

[1mikel151 71]

"BINGO!There you go, that's what I wanted to hear. How many peopleare gonna do just like you and put FS9 on hold until all thissmoke clears off? Hey Gates! Are you listening? You better goafter Pete or come up with an FSUIPC of your own if you reallywant to sell the new sim! I think Pete just killed 40% of yourshort term sales perspective. Geez I guess Billy's wife isgonna have to get rid of the Benz after all...Mauricio"You are missing the point, look at the big picture, NO ONE forced the payware guys to depend on this module, it was their choice, so no, Pete did not hold a gun to their heads and say 'use this module or else!". Your analogy is off as well, say you spend a ton of time on an invention with many uses, you release it, several people find that this invention of yours helps them with their Inventions, so they start to use it, the uses grow as well as the users. You start to get a ton of emails from people saying how they wish it would do this, do that, you invest more time to make them happy, and still more time, finally your time starts to become very critical and the only way you can keep up the development and pay the bills is to devote your enegy full time to it's development, of course you have to charge for it's use since you are putting in the extra time to make it work for everyone, WELL now everyone is all POed they have to pay and rather than invent a new invention to help run their products, the criticize you the whole time they use your invention, that they now have to pay for!!! Sound familar?? It should!!As stated earlier, if you don't want to use it, DON'T, stay with FS2002 or be like the vast majority of FS users and use a product fresh out of the box with no addons that require an addon to work, "WE" are a minority.Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com

[Guest ba747heavy]

>Quote:>--------------------------------------------------------------------"...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!">-------------------------------------------------------------------->>Just curious, how much did it really cost Pete? Well, I imagine many 1000s, yes 1000s, of hours have been sunken into just the freeware module. Remember, this is from FS98(I think anyway, I was just a baby simmer in those days and knew nothing of avsim or Peter or FSUIPC so I could be off). So, at a minimum wage price(which is far too low for development time), he would be quite rich if he was being compensated monetarily from the beginning :)And, beyond that, this man spent much of his freetime doing this, which is to be commended :)

[Guest FS_freak]

Yup, Pete would be quite rich. So would the guy who came out with the idea in the first place and who probably is not gonna get any payback from Pete. So would the wonderful guys at FFX/SGA for their superior 737 model when compared to all the fancy payware 73's out there. As a matter of fact, so would poor Oleksyi who comes from a decaying country and probably doesn't have lots of dough to ditch on this hobby.Problem most people fail to understand is that flight simming has extended itself throughout the world, and is not restricted to the "wealthy half" of the planet as someone else put it ("wealthy eighth" of the planet is more like it). If Pete had been charging from the beginning, FSUIPC would just be a faint memory of a commercial initiative gone haywire. We would now have freeware IPC interfaces of all colors and shapes. But Pete did the right thing from a marketing standpoint: create the demand, monopolize it and then put a price (and a hefty one) on your product.Hey Michael, if Peter spent time to make people happy he did it under his own free will (although I seriously doubt that FSUIPC is a full time venture). Nobody put a gun against HIS head and made him do it. Now the fact that he allowed payware developers to use his software is part of the whole scheme: Don't charge, make people simpathize while they become more and more dependent on the thing, and then, Wham! Give it to them on a single blow. Today we "seven eighths" of the planet are faced with sticking to FS2002 as many of you have suggested, or flying FS9 off the box. This not only sounds unfair but IMHO is destroying the very esence of the hobby. Worst part is Microsoft is not aware of how much this whole thing is gonna hurt their business.Soon there will be a "seven eighths" version of Flight Simulator and a FSUIPC enhanced "one eighth" version for you guys. I was wondering why previous editions had standard and pro versions. Now I know...Well, back to the gas mask...MauricioEDIT: Hey Aidi, I would love to hear what Andy Brockbank had to say. It was probably directed at me anyway... :-lol