...Microsoft Store and they no longer list FSX...

 

That seems to be confirmation. Microsoft may not have necessarily shipped their boxed editions - the agreement with DoveTail may have set a date?

Now that I think on it some more, I believe MS ran out of boxed versions just over a year ago, but they continued to market a downloadable edition of FSX-Gold, albeit with no SDK included.

 

I know a few folks who bought this d/l edition and were very upset that the base SDK (which is required) was not included.

You probably know better, but i understood that FSX Gold could run without the SDK. I seem to recall that I installed the SDK later using the advice from FSDeveloper?

The SDK was/is not required.

 

DJ

You probably know better, but i understood that FSX Gold could run without the SDK. I seem to recall that I installed the SDK later using the advice from FSDeveloper?

It was never a question of 'running' FSX since the SDK was never required. However, the base SDK for FSX was only provided on the disk #1 of the Deluxe or Gold editions.

 

The downloadable FSX Deluxe or Gold editions did not include the base SDK, so those who bought the online versions who also wished to install the SDK for development purposes were (and still are) unable to do so.