The dialog was good but as there are other means to submit requests to ACES it isn't necessary so I am happy just to receive updates via the blog. Now, maybe Phil can get some more work done. :-) The internet provided a lot more signal but well, the noise ratio is pretty darn huge too!Steven.

I'm surprised Phil lasted this long. This set of forums shows both the best and the worst of the internet. You will find many a friend here, happy and willing to answer questions and help you trouble shoot. Yet, because we don't sit across from each other in person, some seem to believe that the rules of common conduct don't apply. I don't care who is right or wrong. There is never an excuse to be rude. And many rude posts have been made in the direction of Phil and his company - who produce a product of complexity that is wildly underestimated by the vast number of users that fire it up day after day. A perfectly good reason to withdraw in my opinion. There is never any reason to be rude. Colin in Portland

Phil,Those who constantly complain, while no doubt a pain in the a**, are NOT representative of the FS community as a whole. Trust me, your work and contributions are greatly appreciated by the community. The time you take to personally respond to posts from ordinary John Q. Publics speaks volumes about the level of dedication and caring that you clearly have for FS and the community. Feel free to back off for a while and limit your interactions in the forums. Let things cool down. When the time is right and you are comfortable, please return and share your insights with us. We greatly respect you and ACES and value your contributions.Don't let the whiners get you down.Best wishes,-Rick----------- My System -----------P4 @ 2.53 GHz / 1GB RAM / NVIDIA GeForce 6800XT, 256MB / Windows XP Home

Phil,I think your new approach will work well, and I'm glad that you will continue to give us the benefit of your thinking. As I've said many times in many places in many different ways, you give us the straight skinny. When you talk, everybody would be well advised to listen.I hope you'll do the occasional post over at the Other Site too.

Well I hope Phil gets over this, because I'd hate to see ACEs fail Project Management 101 by ignoring major FS stakeholders like us here on these forums. Yes there will be a few tossers out there that make it hard to stomach the rest of us, but really they are such a small minority that Phil and his team should take it in their stride for the better good of the FS series. Having been involved in major (ie. multi million $) projects myself over the last 15 years, this is just something you have to do, despite the few vocal critics (as annoying as they are). I hope to see Phil and his team's continued involvements in these and other FS forums.Gary

I agree RESET ALT MPC, and I

Phil, I read your "Holy FPS" blog and found it and the Tom's article very interesting. Other than Gary's (RESET MCP ALT) great comparative post in the hardware forum, this was the first article I have seen that tested FSX performance as a function of CPU scaling. Not only that but it also included CPU/GPU combination and overclocking effects. I found it very informative as a relative hardware comparison and see why you blogged and posted about it.I read your "Holy FPS" post in every forum I could find it in because I wanted to see what others thought of the article. I was dissapointed to see that only one forum, Sim Outhouse, treated you civily and discussed the article for the value it had rather than focusing on its faults or other topics. I certainly understand your frustration from trying to be helpful and getting negative responses in return.However I do hope you reconsider not continuing dialogue on the forums and your blog. They do provide value to the appreciative, mostly silent, majority on the forums. Not only are your posts valuable as a lead in the FSX program, but you are also a passionate FSX user like the rest of us and we would like you to feel welcome here. On your blogs you have full veto control, why not just use it on the inappropriate comments? On the forums, unfortunenately, the only way to deal with these comments is to not respond. Hope the end of your participation here doesn't become a sad memory for Memorial Weekend,Ted

Phil,Thanks for the contributions you've made to the FS world. Please don't let the flamers of the world drag you down. You are doing your best. There will always be those that will whine if you hung them with a new rope :-) .

I think that sums it up perfectly. Phil and Aces aren't just another 3rd party developer (no disrespect to them of course), they are the reason there is an FS community and deserve the utmost respect, yet for some reason people felt the need to poke and prod them until they broke. Nice job.

As someone who hasn't visited this site (or any flightsim sites) in almost a year, I came back to read up on what's been going on in the "community". What I found is the reason I stopped reading and posting. It seems that what's going on with Phil can be summed up by "no good deed goes unpunished" and "damned if you do; damned if you don't". I can honestly say that I've enjoyed simming more since it's returned to a hobby I participate in solo, without including these types of forums. It's just ironic I chose tonight to come read what's going on.

If I might humbly suggest-it is time for you and others like you to return and take charge! :-)http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

If I paint a picture of Phil would I then be in trouble?PHalkier

"major FS stakeholders like us here on these forums."No, we are not major stakeholders. We are simply purchasers of a $50 computer game. Let's try to keep a grasp on reality.

These debates recur with tedious regularity. They always seem to involve equally unattractive extremes of sycophancy on the one hand and vindictiveness on the other.Without pretending to possess any special insight, may I make three remarks, hopefully savouring of neither characteristic?First, there is a perfectly valid point to be made about the mismatch between MS's marketing promises and FSX's actual performance. For example, my copy of FSX has a label on it saying something like "Runs best with Vista" - which, to be blunt, was an outright lie at the point of release, and is hotly contentious even today. Individuals and businesses who pay $50 or $100 for an operating system, or a word processor, can complain all they like - and get taken seriously. But no adult can complain seriously about a $50 Flight Simulator without instantly losing credibility.The point is that there is a lack of accountability in the games market, which in turn is frustrating for those to whom flight sim is a hobby not just a game; and for whom the financial investment may far exceed just $50 (in some cases, including upto 100s of dollars on Vista). That being so, it is not surprising if tempers occasionally get a little frayed in the forums.Secondly, it is unacceptable to use the web to indulge in personal attacks on individuals. But it is also childish to do so. Short of outright defamation, those who make such attacks can safely be treated like children: ie, ignored. Anyone posting on a public forum should have a thick enough skin to shrug off childish criticism, just as he should have a sufficient level of engagement to maintain a dialogue which he has initiated, even if it takes a turn he did not foresee or does not much like.Thirdly, judging by his posts and his blog, Phil Taylor is a thoroughly decent fellow. It would be a pity for the rest of us if his snippets of wisdom dried up, because we all share the curiosity of outsiders. But none of us should delude himself about the significance of Phil's presence or absence in the forums: MS will take decisions about FSX based exclusively on what it perceives to be its own commercial interests. Phil will go on posting and maintaining a blog, partly because he is nice like that and partly because it is a good way to advance his career within MS. Our voice carries some weight, perhaps, so far as it tells MS what one tiny sector of the market wants; but not much. We should remember that the people on these forums who are MOST valuable to the "community" are those like Nick_N, who offer a seemingly constant supply of helpful advice, tirelessly given, for free. In bewailing the diminished presence of Phil, let us be thankful for the continued involvement of others - and get on with putting their talents to good use.Tim

Only if it's a nude!!!!Thank you,KailFlightSimmer since 1987C2D E6850 3.0GHz 1333FSBXFX Nforce 680i LT SLI2x XFX 8800GT 512MB SLI'd4GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 800MHzCreative SB Audigy2 ZSUltra Xfinity 600W SLI PSUSeagate 320GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA-3GB/S HDWindows XP SP2 / FSX SP2 / FS9 SP1