Free Speech is, Well, Still Free Speech

[SkyBoat]

Hello Everyone--

Our forum has gotten quiet over the past months, but I'm not sure it is necessarily a totally bad thing. The arguments of our early days are now (ancient) history and we have moved on to other interests regarding FlightGear. For myself, the past three years of my life have been very complicated and aspects of that will continue into the foreseeable future. I know several of you can make similar claims. My commitment to this forum and its dedication to provide a free speech outlet for FlightGear pilots and developers remains the same.

What has not changed, however, is that Free Flight, Free Speech is still an open and viable channel for larger discussions about FlightGear. For example, I recently did a review of all the aircraft that are available to us. I was looking for factors such as when was the aircraft last updated, who was the developer, how active was the developer currently, and based on my experience (having been in FlightGear at least since 2010) are those aircraft flyable?

My review was informal, so I don't have any stats to put up, but my impression is that there are a significant percentage of aircraft that have not been updated in the past five years. I found at least one plane that hadn't been touched since 2009. The official list of FG planes has not changed all that much since before Free Flight, Free Speech was founded in 2015.

The energy, creativity and actual output for new and innovative aircraft has moved to various hangars some of which focus on one aircraft and others on developing several. There are some really good planes available to us because of that "independent" work. And new ones continue to show up every few months.

The same can be said for an increasing number of airports with significant improvements, which includes functionality such as ILS, vastly improved runway lighting and signing, and terminals. Folks from various regions of the world are putting some great effort into improving the aerodromes in their surrounding areas. I am delighted when landing at an airport that previously was unimproved, to find new runways, taxiways and buildings.

Every group experiences changes through time. Free Flight, Free Speech is no exception. And it is important to remember that virtually all the work done in FlightGear is provided by volunteers. It's not perfect; it never will be perfect. That is not the goal. The goal is always to be involved in improving and innovating. A free speech environment provides the best setting for those new ideas to be hatched and grown to maturity.

Best wishes,

SkyBoat

[Octal450]

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[bomber]

FG is like George Orwell's 'Animal farm'.... It's sad but there it is.

All animals are equal, just some more than others.
All developers are equal, just some more than others.
All users are equal, just some more than others.

It's not about your contribution, or your abilities but rather if you're able to fit in with the existing group in charge.... And it doesn't matter where you are in the FG community. You can move away from the forum to discord only to find the people there exhibit the same basic tribal tendencies. Where one person can say something and nothing be said, but if another person says, it all hell breaks loose.

I enjoy flight modelling and despite being banned from the official forum and discord I still enjoy it, putting in on average an hour a night.

I'd join a fork of FG tomorrow if it was run with vision and democracy.... But until then it's this bogus meritocracy.

Simon.

[IAHM-COL]

Well said @bomber.
If you know of a FG fork, I'll be on board as well. Politics aside, it would be hard for it to be worse than that of FG's anyway.

[IAHM-COL]

Hi David,
The problem with FG is this simple mentality.

ETC

Josh

Hi David,
As you can see, Josh problem continues to be of mentality. Simple. The un-admired hero?
IH-COL

[hans05]

Hmmm, I start to wonder a lot. IF so many FG developers left the project, HOW on earth can there still not be a fork???
Unfortunately I am not really a developer. I have been project manager (professionally) for SW projects, so I could contribute to the managing part. But the technical part.....some old FG developer should go ahead. Please! I have heard from quite many people that they would join a fork tomorrow. So would I.

[bomber]

Josh also fails to see the additional latitude he's afforded compared to others.... imagine the uproar if some others had said something close to this

"Max speed is literally an extremely tiny part of flight Dynamics. The actual Dynamics themselves are shit. To the point where building my realistic flybywire for it required moving away from realistic control theory implementations and using some hacks.
So clearly you don't know anything about flight Dynamics.

Kind Regards,
Josh "

I don't blame josh, I like his work, he's capable of speaking his mind but he is being played and one day as sure as eggs is eggs the depth of it will become apparent..

I'd advise him to listen more to abassign

Simon

[bomber]

hans05... I think it's the hostility.

It would be taken to another level and most people would say, that's not really part of my hobby I just want to develop.... 3d, 2d, fdm's etc.

A vortex of bile that I don't think many people could stomach.

<edit>
On a similar vein I hope the guys here now understand a little more about momentum and 'seizing the moment' .

<another edit>
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the fork should have been done 2 years ago when the place was buzzing, I'm saying timing is 'everything'....it'll come again and knowing up front if this community of disgruntled developers has the clout, knowledge and balls to fork successfully would be an advantage in any decision making process.

[hans05]

How about a list of developers who left? I only hear that many developers left, but I am so not in the development of FG that I would not know who that was.
If I had a list of them I would go ahead and try to contact them.
Probably not leading anywhere, but I would still give it a go.....

[Octal450]

Hi Simon:
Post 1: Well, to be honest, while you aren't wrong - that wasn't really what I was talking about, so I'm not exactly sure what you mean.

Post 2:

Josh also fails to see the additional latitude he's afforded compared to others.... imagine the uproar if some others had said something close to this

"Max speed is literally an extremely tiny part of flight Dynamics. The actual Dynamics themselves are shit. To the point where building my realistic flybywire for it required moving away from realistic control theory implementations and using some hacks.
So clearly you don't know anything about flight Dynamics.

Kind Regards,
Josh "

I am not afforded additional latitude at all - do you really think I am that special? I have enough warnings on my account I assure you. I simply avoid arguments that I don't find worth it now and thus don't get into so many spats.

I don't blame josh, I like his work, he's capable of speaking his mind but he is being played and one day as sure as eggs is eggs the depth of it will become apparent..

I'd advise him to listen more to abassign

I am not being played at all - why don't you point out exactly how I am getting played? Last time I checked I am still 100% in control of my own replies, agendas, and projects.

Kind Regards,