Microsoft, ESP, Phil Taylor…. and more

Sorry folks, I just HAVE to write this little article today…. you may call it a ‘rant’ if you like. Since only 24 or so people read my blog, it’s not going to do much good either, but to get it off MY mind.

As many of you know I am not always smitten by ‘Microsoft’ as such. I don’t like big corporations by default anymore, and I don’t like monopolies forcing us into certain things. I also don’t like Windows Vista…. there, I’ve said it! Sue me!

BUT !!! (there always is one…..)

I also have been deeply involved with MS for the past 30 years. Yes, as a flightsimmer, of course, but more so in my role as European IT Director of a large global company and the main contact for dealing with MS in multi-million-dollar programs. And lately of course as a publisher of products based on their FS series….. and as a flightsimmer again.

Through those years I have built relationships with many MS ’employees’, learned about ‘MS’s ways’, internal policies, business goals and about those people’s personal lives, personal views and business views.

So where am I heading with this?
ESP !

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding in this ‘hobby world’ of ours about ESP itself, about MS in general and about what it will (or can) mean for the future of the FS hobby. That misunderstanding (intentional or born out of lack of information and/or insight) seems to take on hostile forms in the community from time to time. (Nothing new for MS, I am sure, but this is OUR little world we’re talking about now).

Recently a lot of that hostility (often fueled by too much emotion and too little thinking) has been aimed at one person at Microsoft. This is where Phil Taylor comes in.

Phil has been the most VISIBLE person lately on the hobby forums, responding to MANY threads in MANY forums (and I know from experience that in itself is no small feat!), trying to explain not only some of the technology that drives FS (and its developers), but also trying (!) to explain ESP to the hordes of ‘worried simmers’ out there 😉

With so many prejudiced people in the world it is not always easy to explain something ‘alien’ as ESP is to current simmers, and I think Phil deserves kudos for continuing to try and be mostly patient and honest. I do NOT think he deserves to be attacked for that, NOR for what some people perceive as the ‘evils’ MS has up its sleeves. Phil and the Aces team are working in the exact same world that you and I are, with the same customers in mind….. and looking for new ones, yes. They are NOT set on losing the current customer list of flightsimmers in the ‘entertainment’ segment of their business.

There’s a lot of evil in our world, always has been, always will be…… it’s just that I feel that attacking Phil, ESP, Aces and yes, even some 3rd Party Developers, is aiming ones energy 100% on the wrong issues and targets and NOT understanding how MS sees ESP in spite of all the explanations.

I think Phil and his colleagues deserve some slack and we all need time to see this evolve. They also deserve our support for trying to support us……

Just my personal opinion of course….. on my personal Blog.

François.