Ron,There are successful ways to make money with open source, trust me I know and have been able to purchase some of my own nice Toys for myself thanks to open source :) Because Microsoft haven't figured out how to do it, doesn't mean it can't be done.My point, lets not bring in "majority" do this or "most" do that when everyone knows neither you nor I can really back those statements up.I never said the PC platform is dead, it's really just a matter of ROI (rent on investment). The investment (funding/resource allocation) will set based on the expected return. And you're right, Microsoft is all about making money and they fully understand ROI and will allocate resources accordingly.My two facts aren't about me, I love flying from point A to point B. That's a quote that I've heard repeated many times.So long as the ROI is there to produce two code paths, I'm sure it will happen. However the developer tools needed for consoles games is NOT the same -- I've toured through EA and I can assure you their PC department and Console department are separate but what they do share is the huge wealth of source images, video, and 3D renders. There are no small shop console game developers and currently there is NO way to get 3PD involved in consoles. But console games do have to stand up to testing better than PC games (you just don't see an SP1 and SP2 for console games).12-24 months from now the next generation console will be on the market, probably about the time we "might" see FS11 -- will it be PC or will it be console or maybe both and will Phil Taylor surprise us again with oh BTW, the console version will released XYZ date. But honestly, can you see Microsoft funding enough resources to toss in everything and the kitchen sink into FS11 for the PC (utilizing DX10.1 or DX11, 64bit address space, etc. etc.) to really showcase the PC platform and also release a console version to showcase that platform? That's expensive and I can't see a good ROI from the PC version. If you make the PC game look and function the same as the console game, what is the point? End user would say I can buy a console for $500 or upgrade my PC for $1000+ to play this game -- the choice is pretty obvious. The PC's only advantage is it's potential ability to deliver better graphical and processing performance to enrich the flying experience, and these are currently NOT being fully utilized (aka DX10 Preview).So to sum it up, to make a PC game sell well, you really need to utilize the PC platform's strengths and not compromise it -- and that takes money and resources and a big commitment. I don't know if Phil is the one that has to sell this, but he's got one heck of a hard sell in front of him. Rob.

Rob, I was trying to say that neither your opinion or mine really makes any difference. The reason is that neither you nor I are authorized to make decisons at Microsoft.My personal view is that MS will continue to do whatever it chooses to do and they are not likely to consult you or I about console plans.What I do know is that MS/Aces has reached out in a limited but helpful way to the 3PD segment with regard to current and vNext PC Flightsimulation. That is a plus to us and by its nature a plus to our customers.The rest of your argument, while interesting, is really only speculation and we shall all see what we see at an appropriate time :-)

Thanks Ron, Thanks Bill!!!-PaulPrimary RigLiquid CooledIntel C2D E6600 @3.2 gigsAsus P5N32SLI-Plus2 gigs Corsair XMS PC6400 4 4 4 12 @810Dual OC'd XFX 8800GTX @ 2 gigs24 inch Widescreen LCD 16XAA/16XAFDual 19 inch LCD'sRaid-0+1PCPower and Cooling 1k Quad SLIhttp://home.comcast.net/~psolk/3monitorsa.htmlBackup RigAMD 4000 San Diego @ 2.72 Gigs Kingston Corsair XMS CL2XFX 7900 GTX Raid-0

Adaptation is a fundamental requirement of most of the natural world, if survival is desired. I'm hoping that with a bit of diplomacy, dialogue, patience and cooperation, the smart and talented people the comprise the add-on community will work out a way to coexist with the host, and we will all benefit as a result. Great dialogue in this thread, that's for sure.....http://www.my-buddy-icon.com/Icons/objects/red_3d_plane.gifAlex ChristoffN562ZBaltimore, MD

Folks,as suggested elsewhere in this tread, I downloaded and installed the VCRain textures from the AVSIM library. It SOLVED the blue VC window problem, and looks quite good, however in a single engine prop the whirling prop vanished as the rain came down;( (NB Flying the Just Flight PA38 Tomahawk)Still better though as under SP2 the transparency of the prop was reduced and became a bit distracting at particular rpm.MERRY CHRISTMAS ALLCharlie

Seems as though he gives himself away by not only his rude invective, but his insistence on using a name in his username!On topic, I wanted to add that maybe, just maybe, we are looking at dimishing returns now, tech-wise, for the features we all want/demand, given the RTM platform available to make it happen. Could this be the inevitable end to the the current flightsim engine? Maybe it is time to move on, if we want to grow and realize new possibilities. That said, I'm still enjoying the richness of FS9, and the challenge that is FSX, which in some instances oofers nicer flight dynamics for this heavy jet jockey.http://www.my-buddy-icon.com/Icons/objects/red_3d_plane.gifAlex ChristoffN562ZBaltimore, MD

I could not agree more; SP2 corrupted FSX somehow. I uninstalled everything and am starting over. I will not install SP2 again until they really get this stuff fixed. I hope this is not a prelude to how the next version of flightsim will be. Maybe it's time to put FS9 back on the computer.vrTodd

There are no fixes coming so you will not be using SP2, ever.Happy Holidays,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

Hi Ron, Jim,6 days later... SP2 now installed ok.Whilst I'm happy to do a clean install of FSX... there is no way that I'm messing about with Vista, Office, etc - had to do it too many times... complete system rebuild just to get FSX SP1 on.This time around... Uninstalled SP1 and then FSX via Control Panel. Re-install would not proceed.. numerous MS errors e.g. Error 2908.Spent 2 days manually editing the registry for any mention of FSX, ran RegCure 27 times and Perfect Disk 8 around 4 times.... success FSX installed.... SP 1 installed.... and lo and behold so did SP2.It is this sheer bloodymindedness of Microsoft products that makes computing a joy and a frustration at the same time.Needless to say that I've backed up various scenarios of the install process just in case Phil and his chums release any other patches :-lol Thanks to you and Ron for your interest.Happy New YearAlexB757 DriverEdinburgh

I think ACES have really let the community down. It's like they just don't care about fixing any remaining problems with FSX. The developers should send ACES one giant complaint.That tell???? email address to ACES probably goes right into a trash can. lol

>I think ACES have really let the community down. It's like>they just don't care about fixing any remaining problems with>FSX. The developers should send ACES one giant complaint.>>That tell???? email address to ACES probably goes right into a>trash can. lol You must really be bored to dig up and resurrect a six MONTH old post...Very poor form mate!

That tell???? email address to ACES probably goes right into a>trash can. lol>I guess I'm not one of your fellow simmers "lol"ing at your post either McCrash.It's precisely this kind of comment that has just pushed Phil Taylor - one of the most respected Microsoft technical reps and our "inside resource" - to quit his relationship with us on this site. And this is my first post in many months for exactly the same reason. I have no idea what the thrill is in bashing the major supplier of our base software: I have no idea what the thrill is in bashing developers, either. But this juvenile whining and complaining keeps going on and on. If you don't like the blasted game - go play Crysis or IL2 or go and whine somewhere else. Some of us actually LIKE FSX, and sure as heck appreciate the input from people like Bill above - who helps us constantly - and he doesn't have to - and neither did Phil.

McCrash, you just keep pushing that envelope, don't you? Nice post resurrection, by the way. Really forward-thinking.You have a nice handle ("McCrash") but come now, there's no need to beat a dead horse. Where's Nick_N's pic of the dead horse when you need it?RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.16 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

After reading some of your prior posts, McCrash - my initial reaction is Ho-Hum - who cares what you think? Feeling like one of the "in crowd" now?Get over it. Get a horse.VicQ6600 G0 CPU 2.4 o/c 3.65Evga 680i A1 with P31 BIOS 2G XP2-8500 DDR2 1066FSB Mushkin 996535 RAM 5-5-4-12-2T320G 7200 HD partitioned for XP/Vista/Programs 2 - 74G Raptors in RAID0 500G 7200 HD for backup SATA DVD burner Evga 8800GTS 640 PCIx XG 174.74 702/1620/792Kandalf LCS case w/ built in liquid cooling 850W Thermaltake power supplyVisit the Virtual Pilot's Centerwww.flightadventures.comhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-supporter-sigbanner.jpg

>I think ACES have really let the community down. It's like>they just don't care about fixing any remaining problems with>FSX. The developers should send ACES one giant complaint.>>That tell???? email address to ACES probably goes right into a>trash can. lolIt's been said quite a few times that ACES has moved on to FSNext.