I think Microsoft (MS) are trying to get back what they inadvertently handed away with FSX and the SDK (ACE Editor and GMAX) release (Well done the former ACE team they finally got their own back after MS did them over when they first started out as ATP and wrote the original progams for flight sim) otherwise nothing much would be  happening now with FSX.

I guess it is typical MS trying to control the whole thing or vertically integrate their products. MS have always hated open source software and community collaboration but in the case of FS every time they changed it there was enough coding out there to prevent them form basically licensing everything. If the go for third party addons you can bet the first thing they will do is make them licensed not owned and charge you a fee for them every 12 months and find away of making users pay for everything else that you would need to make it a decent flight sim program.

They also ignore the huge number of enthusiastic developers and programmers who with their contributions of add ons: aircraft, scenery, utilities etc have helped make FSX and other previous versions the great programs they are.

I am with MarkOZ everyone will vote with their feet and stay with FSX and if they persist then hopefully an open source public license flight sim program compatible with FSX stuff will turn up, it has been done before and it can be done again.

Basically MS missed the boat with gaming and game programs and this is just part of their strategy to try and control the world again, sorry guys your times up this time.