subjugating the M$ board

 

Yeah, I am sure a question containing that "M$" thing will get the attention it deserves. :rolleyes:

I was incorrect anyway... Microsoft (better?) Switched to roman numerals, so:

 

Dear Mr. Gates,

 

Please could you use your <somewhat questionable> power with the current Microsoft board to restart development of the Flight Simulator line of products.

 

I would suggest the release name of:

 

Microsoft Flight Simulator XI..possibly XII if we are not writing Flight off.

Subtitle...well the first year of the Great War or WWI was 1914, so if it releases next year. It could be a replacement for Rise of Flight

So did he answer?

is someone going to ask him about Flight Simulator and if he would support another version of the product?

If I was fortunate enough to get a question in, I would ask him politely and respectfuly about his thoughts of the now defunct, but once prized Microsoft flight simulator franchise.

It would not be disrespectful, who knows? He may still have some "connection" to some of MS legacy products.

I don't really 'get' Reddit but there are some 13,000+ posts on this topic, he isn't going to reply to all of them. FS hasn't been mentioned (that i can see)

I honestly doubt Bill Gates would respond to anything that wasn't specific to his foundation. He's fighting the noble cause to get the world educated. I'm pretty sure Flight Simulation isn't that relevant to his cause ... start with the basics first, like reading and writing. But perhaps if someone posed a question along these lines:

 

"My first exposure to Microsoft Flight Simulator gave me the passion and desire to go to University get a computer science degree and become a software engineer. I would like to thank you for that inspiration and hope we'll see future inspiring products from Microsoft" ... certainly was the case for me -- ok, not specifically Bill Gates, it was Bruce A. -- but you get the picture.

 

Rob

Can someone ask him how to properly tweak FSX?

I would have asked myself but I don't have a Reddit account and was at work when I saw a post about this on Business Insider. I would have asked basically the same question(s) as above - "Do you see any path forward for reviving the MS Flight Simulator franchise ?"

Well if you recall the reason why Microsoft bought Flight Simulator from Sublogic and used Bruce Artwick's expertise to develop the product was because Bill Gates liked Sublogic's Flight Simulator. But that was a very different time and Microsoft was a very different company back then.

 

Microsoft can never get back to those grass roots it once was.

I don't think that the revenue generated from FS is large enough to warrant any significant interest. We are pretty much a niche within a niche; M$ Flight proved that!

 

I think Microsoft was well aware that FLIGHT wouldn't be the next Battlefield or The Sims, yet they went for it. Flight could have been a great success (relatively speaking) under different management. The graphics platform was there, but poor gameplay and lack of DLC made it a complete fiasco.

 

What does that mean, by what measure is it "outdated", to what are you comparing it?

 

Google visual simulator systems etc. and you'd be surprised how many companies that work in this field and create stunning visual environments for professional training. One example:

 

Judging by the intro he gives, he has far more important things to work on than flight simming these days.

 

Hi, I’m Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ask me anything.

Many of you know me from my Microsoft days. The company remains very important to me and I’m still chairman. But today my full time work is with the foundation. Melinda and I believe that everyone deserves the chance for a healthy and productive life – and so with the help of our amazing partners, we are working to find innovative ways to help people in need all over the world.

I’ve just finished writing my 2013 Annual Letter http://www.billsletter.com. This year I wrote about how there is a great opportunity to apply goals and measures to make global improvements in health, development and even education in the U.S.

VERIFICATION: http://i.imgur.com/vlMjEgF.jpg

I’ll be answering your questions live, starting at 10:45 am PST. I’m looking forward to my first AMA.

UPDATE: Here’s a video where I’ve answered a few popular Reddit questions -

UPDATE: Thanks for the great AMA, Reddit! I hope you’ll read my annual letter www.billsletter.com and visit my website, The Gates Notes, www.gatesnotes.com to see what I’m working on. I’d just like to leave you with the thought that helping others can be very gratifying. http://i.imgur.com/D3qRaty.jpg

 

One of the Reddit members put together a nice summary of the questions and Mr. Gates' answers.

 

I've met Bill a few times growing up and again a year ago while I was flying. I have to say he is a guy that gives an honest opinion and takes his time to have a discussion. Which I saw this earlier so I could participate.

I like how he really gets involved with the work he is doing to help people - he doesn't just sit on the sidelines throwing money at things which, let's face it, pretty much any rich person could do. He seems to really want to be the driving force. Too bad he couldn't do that for FS as well. Or maybe rescue LR from Uniloc =S.

I've met Bill a few times growing up and again a year ago while I was flying. I have to say he is a guy that gives an honest opinion and takes his time to have a discussion. Which I saw this earlier so I could participate.

 

Wish someone could have relayed the educational aspects of the Flight Simulator franchise in how it helped many young people get into aviation over the last two decades. Kids who otherwise wouldn't have access into the world of aviation and realize their dreams, Flight Simulator facilitated that in the most cost effective way ever imagined It's responsible for more real world pilots in the last 20 years than any other medium. If he want's to truly help people give them tools to better educate themselves in the areas they have interest in. Flight Simulator covered the whole world so kids from all over the world could have access to flight in familiar territory to where they lived. I somewhat feel a golden opportunity was missed here. Steve B (current CEO of Microsoft) in contrast has as much foresight into creating tools to empower people as a monkey has understanding of Jake Ryan's life from reading a Tom Clancy novel.

Well said Dilllon.