The Future - Any decision yet?

[TheSpecial]

Hi Pete,

I would like to know if you decided yet about the fact to make FSUIPC shareware or not?

First of all let me say that I really appreciate your work for FSUIPC, you've done a great job for the whole FS community.

Now, let me come the my main point of this topic (please don't delete it). Currently I'm doing my studies for Informatics at the Free University of Brussels, so I know very well what programming is and how much time it can take. But, in those years I've learned also that you can get such a great feeling by releasing products for free instead of charging people for it. Most people call this the spirit of free software or even open source!

Let me make my point a bit clearer, many Flight Simulator products depend on FSUIPC this goes for freeware and payware products. When you make people pay for the FSUIPC this will force all the freeware software that uses FSUIPC to look for another FSUIPC or let the products go payware (which most products won't do I think).

Off course I can understand you can use the money, but may be there are other solutions. Here are some:

First one: you create a sort of license which allows freeware products to use and package FSUIPC for free, and payware products to use and package FSUIPC for a specified amout of money, may be even a percentage of their sales price.

Second one: create 2 FSUIPC products, one that has the features FSUIPC now has and that supports the coming FS products also, and a second version with more advanced features. The second version would be payware then.

Third one, this is probably the most controversial one. Release the source code of the current FSUIPC version (which doesn't support FS2004) and let the open source developers take over that part of the project, you can develop your part of the project yourselves, but you have the advantage that you have experience with Flight Simulator.

I hope you respect my opinion and may be take it into your memory.

Thanks for reading my topic.

At last I hope that you do so of my suggestions it would be better for all of us!

Greetz

[Pete Dowson]

I would like to know if you decided yet about the fact to make FSUIPC shareware or not?

Yes, I think I'm going to have to.

Let me make my point a bit clearer, many Flight Simulator products depend on FSUIPC this goes for freeware and payware products. When you make people pay for the FSUIPC this will force all the freeware software that uses FSUIPC to look for another FSUIPC or let the products go payware (which most products won't do I think).

Two answers to that:

1) I can provide free keys for true freeware. The rest of FSUIPC doesn't have to work to allow applications to interface to it. The user doesn't get any options if he doesn't pay, and other programs won't work unless they are keyed in or subscribed.

2) If someone else did a replacement for FSUIPC then that would also be good. I could get on with something else, something that did earn money. It's just that for several years it has been a FULL TIME job, which doesn't look like lessening, and I cannot afford it now I've only got a pension to look forward to.

You should not worry. I am thinking through all the angles and devising ways of doing everything needed. I am going to be as fair as I can be.

Regards

Pete

[TheSpecial]

1) I can provide free keys for true freeware. The rest of FSUIPC doesn't have to work to allow applications to interface to it. The user doesn't get any options if he doesn't pay, and other programs won't work unless they are keyed in or subscribed.

That's a great relief, that's somehow simular to my second suggestion. It would be very nice if freeware products would be able to interface FSUIPC!

2) If someone else did a replacement for FSUIPC then that would also be good. I could get on with something else, something that did earn money. It's just that for several years it has been a FULL TIME job, which doesn't look like lessening, and I cannot afford it now I've only got a pension to look forward to.

I know that programming costs much time, that's true, certainly FSUIPC since there are a lot of people that are on your back (especially when a new FS version gets released), therefore I would also like to thank you. You've already done a great job!

You should not worry. I am thinking through all the angles and devising ways of doing everything needed. I am going to be as fair as I can be.

I actually was worring... But my worries are over now, centainly if you try to keep the interface for freeware programs. :)

Greetz & Good Luck!