Rarely appreciated..... NOT!

[Donovan]

In a recent thread, Pete Dowson wrote: 

Quote

"Anyway, I've had enough. I am getting too old for this (I should have retired 8 years ago like all my friends), so will be stopping it all soon I think. I might get time to actually do some flying then. I try my hardest, but it is rarely appreciated.

Pete"

 

Dear Pete,

Threads that go this direction sadden me.  Not because of opinion differences or ruffled feathers (which is only to be expected in a written medium, where facial expression, voice intonation, body language all are missing), but because of the perception that your efforts are rarely appreciated.  It is only that misconception, of which I would like to disabuse you.

I, and I'm sure thousands of other enthusiasts,  have nothing but the deepest appreciation and respect for your efforts, and sincere admiration that quite frequently borders on awe.  In the years I have been simulating flight, there is absolutly NO product that has promoted my enjoyment of this hobby more.  There is NO other application or addon that has even come close to contributing more to my understanding of the workings of FS9, FSX, and P3D more than FSUIPC.  Your documentation of FSUIPC's power and scope, the inclusion of a miriad of sample lua scripts to learn from, your support though this forum, and the contributions and advices from many of the outstanding the users of this forum are extremely appreciated.  I cannot renummerate the tremendous return I have received from a one-time modest investment, which even provides life-time support and updates!  You and a handful of your peers are a rare and much-appreciated breed in this enthusiast field.

Your efforts have provided so much more to this hobby than I can easily convey.  

I have never seen any program, written and maintained by a single individual, that is more conscientiously and consistently improved and updated, in which the author consistently accomodates and provides a means to incorporporate a tremedous array of end-user requests for functions, and personally answers a huge number of user questions so quickly -- frequently within an hour or two of posting.  Such service and support is superlative and increasingly rare in any field in todays world, not to mention a hobbiest or enthusiast genre.

If, and when, you hang it up (which I hope is later rather than sooner) -- you will leave behind a wonderful legacy and contribution to this hobby, and a void that will be all but impossible to fill.  But you will NOT leave unappreciated by a huge body of flight simulation enthusiasts whose enjoyment and understanding of the hobby have been greatly enriched and enhanced by the fruits of your labors.

I thank you, and salute you Pete!   And by all means, damnit, get some flying time in anyway, even before you retire completely!

Best,

Don

 

[ammarmalhas]

Pete,

Despite me being one of those nasty people who criticized some of your writings or those of other moderators, I COMPLETELY agree with Don.

YOU have been an extremely valuable contributor to our sim world. It will simply not be the same without what you have done and continue to do. No words could start to praise and thank you enough.

PLEASE, if I am one of those who may have caused you some despair, PLEASE accept my deepest apologies for i have NEVER intended to undermine your excellent work or demean your contributions in any way.

I, as most simmers out there, owe you a lot and respect you a lot and would hurt to see you "hang it up", PLEASE DO NOT.

Your likes should never quit, not until God interferes ...  and we all quit. I wish a long healthy and prosperous life.

Kindly do accept my apology if I had been a cause of any grief to you.

Bless you.

Ammar

 

[Pete Dowson]

Thank you very much! It is really very encouraging to get such positive feedback now and then. I must admit I do go through rather depressive stages when I think about throwing in the towel, but so far they've all passed. So, thank you again.

Regards

Pete

 

[Gypsy Baron]

Pete, there are a great many folks that appreciate your efforts, even more so now that you fully support FSX:SE and P3D. Being and 'old assembly language' programmer, I can fully appreciate your efforts and it is rather sad that the only time folks come forth with praise is after someone denigrates you and your magnificent product(s).

Please understand that although the notes of appreciation are not always forthcoming, the sentiment is definitely there.

I, for one, could not imagine trying to 'fly' my many FSX aircraft without the ability to multiply 10X the functions assigned to my controllers through the use of conditional assignments and Lua scripts. The ability to map 2,3, 4 or 10 or more functions to a single controller button/switch would be impossible without FSUIPC4 and the powerful 'extensions' you have provided us with.

I encourage others to 'invest' in the registration of FSUIPC4 to 'unlock' the power of the product whenever someone asks about the usefulness or asks a 'how to' question about controllers and assignments in FSX. Thus I am, in effect, showing my appreciation for your efforts in those various other forum posts that I make. Rest assured, Pete, that you are greatly appreciated by a vast majority of the users of FSUIPC4 neven though they, like myself, fail to make that known here.

Thank you for your continued development and support over all these years, and do enjoy your vacations to the fullest!

 

 Paul

[ark1320]

Pete,

If it wasn't for FSUIPC and the superb support you provide as accurately expressed by the posts above, I don't think I'd be in the the flight sim hobby. FSUIPC and Lua scripts have become absolutely key to my enjoyment of flight simulation.  If there was a Flight Sim Hall of Fame (and there should be), you would be in it for sure!

Al

[Delphi]

Pete,

we need you....

Ruediger