Well, I'm glad you're all feeling happy and in holiday mood

[rohan]

because I'm not. This was going to be a PM but I thought it should be seen by all.

I was greatly disappointed the other day to find that your initial reaction to my notice was to treat me more as a perpetrator than a victim, despite the fact that this was a known behavioural defect in the true perpetrator. In all my posts, you will find the vast majority simply quote facts (as I did throughout the other day) and very few that express an opinion. Even then, it was usually praise for a model, repaint or idea. I believe that I have only ever directed my words at an individual just once, and that was the other day.

I have tried to "fit in" at SOH. I have tried to contribute as much as I could. Yet in all that time, only one person has even tried to start a conversation with me. And out of all my posts, only 3 or four have made me feel that my input was worthwhile or helpful. The rest are split 50 / 50 between those who say a polite "thank you" and those who can't even be bothered to do that. I also believe that about a quarter of all the questions or problems I've raised have never received a response or, where they did, provide some sort of useful answer.

The threads in the FSX forum are full of meaningless banter and constant demands for or lavishing false praise on the latest and "greatest". The FS9 forum is rapidly becoming a backwater, and, though it still contains the better discussions about issues or work in progress, these are growing fewer in number as more users take up the Dark Side. The other forums I frequent see so little traffic that it can be a week before a question gets more than a handful of views, let alone an answer, even now the summer season has long gone. And the CFS2 forum, that paragon that is held up as the friendly forum by some, has been rapidly going downhill in content while it fills up with meaningless comment and ridiculous schoolboy humour.

Add to all that the fact that there are still problems with some of the fundamental features of the site like "search", despite all the time that has passed since the new servers were introduced and the fact that I even told the admins what and where the problems were with searching.

In short, I have given, but I do not believe I have received much by way of either help or support when I have needed it. Now, when an individual who thinks it's funny to play mind games on other users regardless of the damage he could do to those users, when I need that support most, it is conspicuous by its absence.

I despise intelligent idiots like *******, but when those in authority give this sort of behaviour a less-unpleasant label (like abrasive instead of abusive) and tolerate it, I despise them even more.

I have lost all interest in this place and the people who inhabit it, and it has killed much of my interest in simulation. Between you, this place and its users, have effectively killed what little life I had.

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open ..."

[Rami]

Rohan,

I am sorry you feel that you have been wronged. I have discussed this with you at length, but it appears you remain unsatisfied. I am aware that the search function is still a problem, but it's still a work in progress. Please accept my apologies for failing to live up to your expectations.

However, threads like this do not help. All they manage to do is stir the pot and get people scratching their heads, and cause anger. It's extremely counterproductive. Please know that you are still welcome here, but I cannot leave a thread like this open.

In addition, remember that even staff members, administrators, and senior administrators all help to run this website for free. We don't get paid for our efforts, we do it for the good of the community. Please keep this in mind the next time you go on a rant.

Respectfully,

Andrew Talbot
Library administrator