MULTIPLAYER Poscon cambia direzione

QQ7

Utente
Messaggi
197
Solutions
2
Reazioni
81
Oggi ho ricevuto questa mail da Poscon (al quale sono iscritto ma non ho mai usato).

Dear POSCON Member,

For those who may not know me, my name is Andrew (A.J.) Heath and I am the original founder of the Positive Control Network. I currently serve as the President of POSCON Inc. (the non-profit organization that runs the network) and CEO of Positive Control LLC (a for-profit entity which is not currently active). Professionally, I am a Captain and Instructor Pilot on the Airbus A319/A320/A321 at a major airline based in the United States. I am writing this email to announce my intention to change POSCON’s primary mission going forward. Up until this point, POSCON’s development team was primarily focused on creating the “next generation flight simulation network” for hobbyists and enthusiasts (free of charge). Since our inception, this mission has been propelled mainly by passionate individuals who simply wanted to create a superior online flight simulation experience for the community. The hard reality is that, because POSCON was a project of passion, we never properly factored sustainability into the equation. As a result, I have been personally financing the project from the beginning and this can no longer continue.

Effective immediately, POSCON’s technical development team will transition to working on products that cater to real-world aviation professionals. I am hopeful that refocusing our development efforts in this way will eventually create a reliable source of funding for the non-profit organization indefinitely. This is a significant change, but a necessary one to keep POSCON open and free to the public. In addition, I believe that this new direction will offer flight simulation hobbyists and enthusiasts a unique opportunity to participate alongside real-world aviation professionals on a common network. Your participation in the “new POSCON” will not only be for your own enjoyment, but will also help to assist with real-world training activities, which in turn will facilitate next level realism. If everything goes according to plan, the products we create for the real-world aviation industry will be made available to our non-profit users at no cost.

Background

Our team began development five years ago with the goal of building something we thought the flight simulation community wanted and needed. For many years prior to our foundation, there was immense stagnation regarding technical development on the legacy flight simulation networks. I believed there was a need for a modern, realistic, and professional network that provided its members with the best possible experience. I decided to found POSCON with the hope of solving many of the issues that I saw on the legacy networks. Over the past few years, POSCON has achieved and succeeded at many amazing things. Here are just a few of our accomplishments:
• In just a few short years, we developed infrastructure that took legacy networks 20+ years to fully conceive.
• We successfully developed the fastest online flight simulation multiplayer server currently available (15 Hz).
• We developed the most physically realistic VHF voice simulation available.
• We developed our own custom made ERAM Radar Client software which included things like integrated NEXRAD, server airspace awareness, and other advanced features.
• We developed a network-wide ATC booking system, which was a first of its kind.
• We developed the first and only feedback system for pilots and ATC on an online flight simulation network.
• We developed custom built launcher software for centralized software distribution.
• We developed custom CPDLC software with direct integrations, which eliminated the need for third-party services.
• We introduced gamification through a ranking system for both pilots and ATC.

While it is important to point out what we did right, it is equally important for us to examine the barriers and challenges that have led us to this point. In the early stages of development, we involved various individuals that prioritized their own self-interests ahead of the project. While many of these people were only briefly involved, they all had a lasting impact on the POSCON brand. Their involvement created confusion as to who owned POSCON in the years that followed. To this day, many people within the flight simulation community continue to wrongly believe that these individuals are still involved with POSCON, which couldn’t be further from the truth. POSCON has been 100% owned by me since the end of 2018.

The more frustrating challenge POSCON has faced is the fact that we were unable to gain broad community support for the project. Many people who initially urged me to create POSCON ultimately did not take advantage of what we created, even though it was offered as a free service for their enjoyment. In fact, the entire network was free from the beginning but there was a misconception that it was not. In hindsight, the whole experience has enlightened me to the fact that even when people urge for change, it does not necessarily mean they really want it or will accept it.

To many of us on the POSCON team, it felt that our existence was used merely as a mechanism to spur new technical development at legacy networks. From day one, POSCON was labeled as a threat to the established traffic and membership levels. In addition, no matter how hard we worked to innovate original solutions, many of our ideas were eventually implemented on competing networks before we had the chance to reap the benefits. In some cases, I personally felt taken advantage of by developers who did paid work for POSCON and then recreated that technology elsewhere, free of charge. As the funding for POSCON comes from my own personal finances, this was a tough pill to swallow.

Our Future & Next Steps

I am immensely proud of what our team has accomplished over the years and I will not let our work go to waste. Having said that, without a significant course correction, POSCON would be required to shut down. As a real-world aviation professional, I see various needs that POSCON may be able to fill such as providing a venue for real-world training. Demand for these types of solutions is at an all time high and we are well positioned to meet that demand.

As explained at the beginning of this email, our technical development team will now refocus on designing products that can potentially create a steady revenue stream for POSCON in the future. This will take time and in order to keep POSCON open and free to the public in the interim, we will need your help! I want to encourage everyone to remain engaged on our social media channels and in our public Discord server. We will keep you updated with our progress and what can be done to help contribute to our revised mission. You may also respond directly to this email with any suggestions that you have.

It is totally understandable that some of our users may not agree with this new direction. If you wish to delete your account you may do so by logging into the HQ, clicking on your avatar, clicking on the “Settings” link and scrolling to the bottom of the page where you can perform a manual GDPR delete of your account. However, if you wish to stay involved with POSCON, no action is required by you except that hopefully you will consider contributing to the non-profit organization in some way. Hopefully blue skies and tailwinds are ahead!


Kind regards,

Captain Andrew (A.J.) Heath
President, POSCON Inc.
CEO, Positive Control LLC
 

Alien21

Utente
Messaggi
54
Reazioni
32
Località
Milano ACC
Oggi ho ricevuto questa mail da Poscon (al quale sono iscritto ma non ho mai usato).

Dear POSCON Member,

For those who may not know me, my name is Andrew (A.J.) Heath and I am the original founder of the Positive Control Network. I currently serve as the President of POSCON Inc. (the non-profit organization that runs the network) and CEO of Positive Control LLC (a for-profit entity which is not currently active). Professionally, I am a Captain and Instructor Pilot on the Airbus A319/A320/A321 at a major airline based in the United States. I am writing this email to announce my intention to change POSCON’s primary mission going forward. Up until this point, POSCON’s development team was primarily focused on creating the “next generation flight simulation network” for hobbyists and enthusiasts (free of charge). Since our inception, this mission has been propelled mainly by passionate individuals who simply wanted to create a superior online flight simulation experience for the community. The hard reality is that, because POSCON was a project of passion, we never properly factored sustainability into the equation. As a result, I have been personally financing the project from the beginning and this can no longer continue.

Effective immediately, POSCON’s technical development team will transition to working on products that cater to real-world aviation professionals. I am hopeful that refocusing our development efforts in this way will eventually create a reliable source of funding for the non-profit organization indefinitely. This is a significant change, but a necessary one to keep POSCON open and free to the public. In addition, I believe that this new direction will offer flight simulation hobbyists and enthusiasts a unique opportunity to participate alongside real-world aviation professionals on a common network. Your participation in the “new POSCON” will not only be for your own enjoyment, but will also help to assist with real-world training activities, which in turn will facilitate next level realism. If everything goes according to plan, the products we create for the real-world aviation industry will be made available to our non-profit users at no cost.

Background

Our team began development five years ago with the goal of building something we thought the flight simulation community wanted and needed. For many years prior to our foundation, there was immense stagnation regarding technical development on the legacy flight simulation networks. I believed there was a need for a modern, realistic, and professional network that provided its members with the best possible experience. I decided to found POSCON with the hope of solving many of the issues that I saw on the legacy networks. Over the past few years, POSCON has achieved and succeeded at many amazing things. Here are just a few of our accomplishments:
• In just a few short years, we developed infrastructure that took legacy networks 20+ years to fully conceive.
• We successfully developed the fastest online flight simulation multiplayer server currently available (15 Hz).
• We developed the most physically realistic VHF voice simulation available.
• We developed our own custom made ERAM Radar Client software which included things like integrated NEXRAD, server airspace awareness, and other advanced features.
• We developed a network-wide ATC booking system, which was a first of its kind.
• We developed the first and only feedback system for pilots and ATC on an online flight simulation network.
• We developed custom built launcher software for centralized software distribution.
• We developed custom CPDLC software with direct integrations, which eliminated the need for third-party services.
• We introduced gamification through a ranking system for both pilots and ATC.

While it is important to point out what we did right, it is equally important for us to examine the barriers and challenges that have led us to this point. In the early stages of development, we involved various individuals that prioritized their own self-interests ahead of the project. While many of these people were only briefly involved, they all had a lasting impact on the POSCON brand. Their involvement created confusion as to who owned POSCON in the years that followed. To this day, many people within the flight simulation community continue to wrongly believe that these individuals are still involved with POSCON, which couldn’t be further from the truth. POSCON has been 100% owned by me since the end of 2018.

The more frustrating challenge POSCON has faced is the fact that we were unable to gain broad community support for the project. Many people who initially urged me to create POSCON ultimately did not take advantage of what we created, even though it was offered as a free service for their enjoyment. In fact, the entire network was free from the beginning but there was a misconception that it was not. In hindsight, the whole experience has enlightened me to the fact that even when people urge for change, it does not necessarily mean they really want it or will accept it.

To many of us on the POSCON team, it felt that our existence was used merely as a mechanism to spur new technical development at legacy networks. From day one, POSCON was labeled as a threat to the established traffic and membership levels. In addition, no matter how hard we worked to innovate original solutions, many of our ideas were eventually implemented on competing networks before we had the chance to reap the benefits. In some cases, I personally felt taken advantage of by developers who did paid work for POSCON and then recreated that technology elsewhere, free of charge. As the funding for POSCON comes from my own personal finances, this was a tough pill to swallow.

Our Future & Next Steps

I am immensely proud of what our team has accomplished over the years and I will not let our work go to waste. Having said that, without a significant course correction, POSCON would be required to shut down. As a real-world aviation professional, I see various needs that POSCON may be able to fill such as providing a venue for real-world training. Demand for these types of solutions is at an all time high and we are well positioned to meet that demand.

As explained at the beginning of this email, our technical development team will now refocus on designing products that can potentially create a steady revenue stream for POSCON in the future. This will take time and in order to keep POSCON open and free to the public in the interim, we will need your help! I want to encourage everyone to remain engaged on our social media channels and in our public Discord server. We will keep you updated with our progress and what can be done to help contribute to our revised mission. You may also respond directly to this email with any suggestions that you have.

It is totally understandable that some of our users may not agree with this new direction. If you wish to delete your account you may do so by logging into the HQ, clicking on your avatar, clicking on the “Settings” link and scrolling to the bottom of the page where you can perform a manual GDPR delete of your account. However, if you wish to stay involved with POSCON, no action is required by you except that hopefully you will consider contributing to the non-profit organization in some way. Hopefully blue skies and tailwinds are ahead!


Kind regards,

Captain Andrew (A.J.) Heath
President, POSCON Inc.
CEO, Positive Control LLC
Ho partecipato sin dal 2019, all'epoca aveva tutte le carte per proporsi come concorrente valido e con una filosofia migliore rispetto a VATSIM e IVAO. Oggi le cose sono cambiate drasticamente. Vorrei soffermarmi su alcuni punti di questa dichiarazione

• In just a few short years, we developed infrastructure that took legacy networks 20+ years to fully conceive.
• We successfully developed the fastest online flight simulation multiplayer server currently available (15 Hz).
• We developed the most physically realistic VHF voice simulation available.
• We developed our own custom made ERAM Radar Client software which included things like integrated NEXRAD, server airspace awareness, and other advanced features.
• We developed a network-wide ATC booking system, which was a first of its kind.
• We developed the first and only feedback system for pilots and ATC on an online flight simulation network.
• We developed custom built launcher software for centralized software distribution.
• We developed custom CPDLC software with direct integrations, which eliminated the need for third-party services.
• We introduced gamification through a ranking system for both pilots and ATC.


In effetti, sono tutti punti che hanno raggiunto anche bene, se si pensa che in alcuni aspetti hanno migliorato l'infrastruttura, e offerto servizi che ancora oggi risultano meglio della concorrenza fa capire che le basi erano tutte a loro favore.

While it is important to point out what we did right, it is equally important for us to examine the barriers and challenges that have led us to this point. In the early stages of development, we involved various individuals that prioritized their own self-interests ahead of the project. While many of these people were only briefly involved, they all had a lasting impact on the POSCON brand. Their involvement created confusion as to who owned POSCON in the years that followed. To this day, many people within the flight simulation community continue to wrongly believe that these individuals are still involved with POSCON, which couldn’t be further from the truth. POSCON has been 100% owned by me since the end of 2018.

The more frustrating challenge POSCON has faced is the fact that we were unable to gain broad community support for the project. Many people who initially urged me to create POSCON ultimately did not take advantage of what we created, even though it was offered as a free service for their enjoyment. In fact, the entire network was free from the beginning but there was a misconception that it was not. In hindsight, the whole experience has enlightened me to the fact that even when people urge for change, it does not necessarily mean they really want it or will accept it.


Qua nasce il primo vero grande problema. Alcuni utenti hanno avuto in termini di immagine, un aspetto negativo, seppur molto limitato secondo me, dato che sin dall'inizio quando conobbi il network nel 2018 sapevo bene chi era il proprietario. Le persone in questione già all'epoca, per quanto conosciute avevano iniziato ad avere un impatto minore dentro la community, e non parlo di POSCON, ma del flight simming in sè.
Il supporto della community secondo me ci poteva essere. Questo perchè in quel periodo la necessità di nuovi strumenti si sentiva. Le cose sono cambiate dal momento in cui sono nati dei ritardi, almeno dal mio punto di vista, sullo sviluppo di certe cose. Quando certi gap da parte di certi concorrenti sono stati colmati, ecco che avere un nuovo competitor non serviva più come prima alla community, perchè quello che era stato portato di nuovo dalla concorrenza già affermata aveva colmato le lacune. Se penso che oggi ci sono dei ritardi significativi su VATSIM nella gestione delle lezioni per la carriera ATC ma nonostante ciò sia aumentato drasticamente di numeri dopo la pandemia, al punto che ha quasi ucciso pure ivao, la dice lunga. La comunità voleva dei cambiamenti, ma se non porti dei cambiamenti che rivoluzionano le cose (quindi che rende impossibile uno status quo ante) difficilmente ti potrai creare la tua fetta. Inoltre la timetable sull'accesso alla piattaforma non è stata seguita regolarmente e con il programma iniziale, e secondo me questo, unito al fatto che ancora oggi non esista un client ATC adattabile ai radar non FAA (fuori dagli USA) potrebbe essere il motivo per cui non ha preso il volo.

Peccato, avevano veramente un buon programma. La comunità ci poteva guadagnare tanto.
 
Top