In Response to Microsoft Bashing!

[stweaver321 0]

I've been reading quite a few comments from posters who are being critical of Microsoft because of the direction they've opted to take MS Flight. I, too, had high hopes for MS Flight and hoped that it would eventually replace FSX (and it might do so at some point). However, I feel the criticism is, for the most part, baseless and unfair.1) Microsoft is one of a handful of companies that has standardized the PC environment to a point where we can enjoy things like FSX, FS9, etc. Want to know what things might look like without Microsoft, just take a look at Linux...endless distributions with many different GUIs, etc. I use both Windows and Linux in my home. Windows is much more polished and standardized and allows users with very little technical knowledge, to do the basics with small learning curves.2) Microsoft does not exist to do charitable and benevolent acts for the niche that is the flight sim community. It is a business and it is the responsibility of the leadership team to use their limited resources in a way that will maximize their returns. Microsoft has made some decisions as it pertains to MS Flight that, although not ideal for us, is a business decision for them. It's not personal, it's not corporate greed, etc. It's business pure and simple. Many will have their own opinions about the merits of those decisions, however, it is their decision to make.3) Microsoft has become as large as they are because they are meeting customer needs. Although it may not be evident by my comments, I am not a Microsoft cheerleader. Honesty, however, compels me to acknowledge that they do a good job at what they do. Part of the success is due to making products that satisfy real needs and part of it is the business model they use. Like it or not, they have earned their success over many years and our lives as a community of PC users is enhanced because of it.So you might want to think twice before jumping on the "evil Microsoft" bandwagon. There may have been some individuals within Microsoft who did a poor job of managing their relationship with PMDG, but that certainly does not implicate an entire organization that is comprised of 10's or 100's of thousands of people all over the world.

[dazz 69]

Microsoft has ZERO respect for standards if it's not their own "standards", and the same applies for customer needs if it's not maintream customer needs.I won't say anything else, this is not the right forum for this anyway

Edited January 7, 2012 by dazz

[Lemond23 0]

MS has may respect as a software company, but its simulators are not the ideal platform for complex softwares like PMDG. You see: 20 years of MS flight sims and we still have no decent weather modeling, no weather radar (that a "no go" equipment), no serious ATC, poor fps etc...

[scandinavian13 5,192]

Well written, I think. Microsoft is going to do what they're going to do to get themselves money. It's as simple as that. No business owes you anything you don't pay for. We never bought rights to have future development, so their decision to ditch the sim and make a game is entirely up to them. It's disappointing, sure.I think a lot here have this idea that because we've bought something from someone in the past, they owe us for the future. I'm not sure where that idea comes from.

You see: 20 years of MS flight sims and we still have no decent weather modeling, no weather radar (that a "no go" equipment), no serious ATC, poor fps etc...

I doubt you're ever going to see a serious ATC program. Believe me. If we could program robot pilots and robot controllers to do the job effectively, aviation would be a completely different realm. Then again, there are passable add-ons out there that do reasonably well for ATC.

[mcbellette 145]

It's not "MS bashing" as you so eloquently put it. It's a free world and people are free to express their opinions. Not suprisingly, it would seem the majority are disappointed with the direction in which MS Flight has taken and they are stating as much in their posts. If the prevailing opinion was to support this direction, it would be a "MS love-in". For the record, they are a large business and make decisions based on what they think will help them make the most money - the same rationale that every business (including PMDG and even my own business) uses to survive. To expect otherwise from them would be ludicrous, even if their decision is disappointing.

[fencer 16]

Hi Stacey,What happened to Microsoft can happen to ANY successful company.It starts as an exciting human adventure, but it is a business and it changes as it grows.We all know that success can change people and organizations, for the better or for the worse, but we also know that business is business. Factors like sharehorders expectations, market demand, monopolistic position and strong egos come into play but that's life. Bruno

[ZachLW 37]

Microsoft dropping the MSFS ball only compels other's to pick it up. No harm, no foul. Enter Lockheed Martin, Austin Meyer, etc, etc. We all saw this coming anyway.Things are getting interesting, finally. Like a title to a thread I started earlier in the Flight forum: Give it Time.

[ArjenVdv 190]

I just can't understand how MS is gonna make money with Flight. It's just one of those games that you'll have finished in a week, and then never look at it anymore. While FSX (with it's endless exploration), will give you years of fun, and never gets boring no matter what. All that MS Flight need is the "world".

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Gents-I'm going to cap this because it is not our intent to host a discussion about whether MS's decision making is "right" or "wrong."Their decision making is their decision making. Period.