I have now been getting sufficient e-mail about my panels that I am going to release a statement to formalize my position.I have been a pretty avid user since FS98. By the time FS2002 came around, I had gotten to the point where I was spending significant time contributing to the community and releasing some things. (Go here for a summary - http://salasnet.com/fs/index.html).Unfortunately, any future contributions I may have made to the flight sim community will probably never come to be. Now, my contributions may be a drop in the bucket (I think that's all they are), but I am sure that some folks will be dissapointed to hear that I will not be updating any of my panels for FS2004. I apologize.There are a few reasons, but simply put, I don't want to bother with upgrading to FS2004. I own it, it was given to me as a birthday present. First couple of attempts at installation have mysteriously failed. I have an older homemade computer (Athlon 1800 - W98 - 512RAM - Radeon 9600 Pro). Now normally, this would not deter me... I am a considerable computer geek and would have eventually found out how to work around the problem. But why should I invest my time to do so? What is waiting for me in FS2004?With each version of FlightSim, more and more freeware offerings become commercial, and more commercial outfits come to be. A Frolov or a Shupe comes along every once in a while and makes us remember what freeware is all about, but IMHO, this is the exception, not the norm.Remembering a time when utilities like FSNav and CfgEdit were the pride of the freeware community makes me nostalgic for a time I know will never return. Now, I will be the first to say that both of those programs are easily worth every penny you pay for them, but that is the point, IMO. Freeware that was worth something made it even more special, and made the community much more valuable. I mean, we had multiple freeware flight planners for goodness sake. (granted, the sim didn't have one at all back then.)I have for a while now begun to believe that many contributors to the community don't think "this would be so cool to share" first, but rather "I wonder if this is good enough to try and charge money for it". Hell, after my 747 panel broke the 20,000 total download mark the thought popped into my head "I wonder if I should have asked for $1 or $2 as thanks". I promptly smacked myself (hard), and realized I would never in a million years had thought that about any maps/content I have released for other games. I felt dirty.No specific program or author has "pushed me over the edge" about not wanting to upgrade, don't read that into my post... rather, it is the overall commercialization of the sim that has been happening for a long time which has now at the dawn of FS2004 pushed my little desire to contribute off the map for the foreseable future (Hence, my trickle down theory). I still only think I am a small drop in the bucket, and I understand and know that my stuff won't be missed much, but even big buckets fill up with enough drops.On a positive note, it will be nice to spend more time flying rather than creating/updating. :-)

<<>>Ah ... but I'd rather have a small bit of quality than a bucketload of quantity, Jorge, old pal.I was talking to a well-known aircraft designer the other day who has only released two 'planes for flightsim, but both are legends. He was saying how curious he was as to why so many people seem to race to be first to produce models and repaints for a new sim - often, inevitably, compromising the possible quality of their work - where if, perhaps, they took all the time they needed, they could produce a real work of art that would be the best in its class. I'd sum up that argument by asking "Is the first best, or the best first?". The latter, I think.Your work is of high quality and has made many users very happy. I'd like to see more of it. But you're not alone in having problems with FS9 ... reading these forums, of course, you'd think every one in the world was using it, but I think the reality is different. For my part, I'm developing what I can with it, but not flying it much; I just don't have a rig that can do justice to it. It's more than that: as you say, so many of the add-ons that were freeware in FS2002 are now payware; and the difference between FS2002 and FS9 - given that we'll face all this again in two years - is just not enough to merit all that tweaking, all that consolidation. I have thousands of aircraft in FS2002, all with the right panels, the right sounds; to transfer that lot over and know that they would all work right in FS9 would take forever. So take your break, if you must, and I'll see you in FS2002 to do some flying; but maybe we'll see your panels updated for FS2006! I have a strong gut-feel that the next sim is going to be the goody, and FS9 is just a step on the way.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

I got the flight sim bug late in FS2K2's life. So I've got to ask, how long was it after FS2K2's release that the SDKs were made public?There are a few appealing things in the features decscription of COF, but as I read on each goodie is accompanied by bugs such as abrupt local weather changes _the developer_ has to work around, changing standards in METAR cloud height integration, and so on.I have both freeware and payware add-ons to enhance my sim experience and have tuned some panels, aircraft, and so on. After all the time spent I see no compelling reason at this time to throw all that effort away. I'll certainly agree with Mr. Salas that to have to write upgrade code becomes boring to the creative side to maintain a two year product cycle forced on add-ons and the time spent by such grand freeware authors is too valuable to have to throw all that work away just as the current basic product becomes mature and --well in some sense-- stable enough.

We'll miss you Jorge. I was proud to be a tiny part of your 747 panel (testing) and I really enjoyed your Learjet panel. I'm using some of your switches in FS2004 and so far everything has worked fine. I haven't tried any complete 2k2 panels in 2k4 yet.I hope that you decide to install FS2004. Our systems are similar (I have a Celeron 2.0 MHz) and after some tweaking 2k4 gives an acceptable account of itself on mine. I've been at this since SubLogic FS2 on a Commodore 64 and each new version renews my interest. You ask what 2k4 offers but I don't know what to answer. Better textures, better weather, better ATC, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Everyone would have there own list of favorite things, I'm sure. Since you have the sim, you should try it, it might spark your interest anew. I won't comment on the freeware/payware thing but I understand those who feel as you do.Thank you for your contribution to my enjoyment of this hobby. I hope that you reconsider and stay with us. R-

Thanks for the kind words. Mark hit it on the head when he mentioned the amount of time it will take to get FS2K4 set up just the way he wants compared to FS2K2.Don't worry about my leaving, I'm still a "forum rat" (mall rat 80's reference), and will be around all the time. I just needed to make a public statement for the record regarding any upgrades for FS2K4. Maybe somebody will come along and update the stuff for FS2K4. I wouldn't have ANY problems with that.

Hi Jorge,Sorry to hear this, although I can fully understand your reservations about the commercialisation in flightsimming.I decided the same thing when FS9 was released, for roughly the sam reasons.But, after a holliday and another break of a few weeks, having experianced FS9 and some support requests from a few other freeware designers, I reversed my decision. Becaused that's what I was missing most: helping people out, AND being helped by others. And all the discussions about that ..So I'm in it again full swing, and did not regret it for a minute.So, just take your break, and enjoy the flying again.And... Who knows ..... :-) :-) Best Regards, Rob