United Developers for Flight Sim Software.
Hi all Developers,
This note is intended for all developers of all forms of software for the suite of Microsoft Flight Simulation software, irrespective of version and type.
As you are all aware, the major reason many of us develop anything for the Flight Sim environment is most often as a hobby or desire to provide a solution to a need within Flight Sim. We cover a very broad spectrum of skills and a diverse range of categories to what is developed.
To highlight just a few: Aircraft developers, Aircraft texture painters, scenery developers, panel developers, Sound developers, application developers and many other categories that service a need within our hobby.
Many developers have skills in one, several, many or all of the categories of development for flight simming and new people are coming to the fore almost every day with releases to the public through various flight sim sites of their hard work for the pleasure of other simmers.
Many of the sites that we publish these developments through have various levels of protection and policies to ensure that the developers rights and copyright is protected to the best of their ability.
However, often I notice a breach of this "protection" and see developers highlighting that their efforts have been posted somewhere or other without appropriate permissions etc. Often this is a simple error by the site and is quickly removed when the genuine developer brings it to the site's notice.
But just as often these sites, inadvertently or through lack of due care to the developers rights, simply post anything that is submitted despite the submissions failures to meet their own policies.
This is just a simple lack of care, regard or respect for the genuine developers who, lets face it, provide the reason for visits to their site with the software that the genuine developers make available to them.
Over the last few months the incidence of theft and unauthorized publishing of developers work has come more and more to note, however, these have only come to note if the developer happens upon the illegal release of his project.
With the hundreds of Flight Sim sites there is little chance of this occurring and therefore undoubtedly much more theft and publishing is going on than is highlighted.
Too often it is a single voice that is forced to negotiate and resolve the issue of the illegal publication of their development (when and if found) and often the results are far too slow or in some cases blatantly ignored.
PROPOSAL
What I would like to propose is that the Developers of all categories of Flight Sim support products should unit into a single voice that would convey authority and protection for developers across a broad spectrum of issues.
I envisage a site dedicated to the Developers and a knowledge base of projects released by members with forums and support for all categories of development. To include Freeware, payware and other forms of simulation products. All developers should have the same rights in this environment.
It would required some support from members with various skills to assist in the development of policies, guidelines, administration, strategies etc to ensure that all members had a voice and that it is all politically correct for all aspects of the services we provide the simming community.
Then as a united voice the group could take steps and actions to ensure protection of all members rights and principles.
The concept is very much in it's early stages - but I would like to know if this service would be of relevance and support to the hundreds of independent developers that are out there.
Anyway if you find this concept and proposal of value please e-mail me at: UDFSS@gjsmith.com
Responding to this forum post is welcome but please also send e-mail to the above address as this forum notice will be published in many forums and tracking, coordinating and managing them would be too diverse and complex.
Thank you for your time and consideration in reading this post and I look forward to your correspondence in relation to this Proposal.
Moderator of this forum group - Please accept that this is not intended to be negative in relation to your site and services simply an enquiry to see if developers would be interested in this Proposal.
I would be grateful if this Proposal could be spread to the many other forum subjects that you have that may be visited by developer to ensure as wide as possible distribution. Thank you.
Regards
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