299: The FTX Central 2 — I Never Like It

I never like the new FTX Central 2 because it combines the previous FSX and P3D versions into one single package.   If you have both FSX and P3D installed like I do, you then have to choose for the simulator you want to modify every time it is started.  That’s inconvenient and an overkill.

In addition, it compels you to read the company’s product advertisements on the program banner which you might not be interested at all.   It’s distracting and irritating.

And the worst of it all, the new FTX Central 2 forces you (rather than an option) to consent to allow Orbx the company to retrieve information (only they know what the information are) from your computer.

If you don’t give the company the permission to tap into your computer, you won’t be able to use the addon (for now just the Trees HD) you paid already.   That’s ridiculous.

It might first sound logical to give some information about your existing products in order to get you an update.  But no matter what, that shouldn’t be a prerequisite and that shouldn’t be a proper reason to reject a buyer from running the software he/she just bought.

Although there’s a mention about the use of the new FTX Central 2 is necessary in the Trees HD’s product introduction, there’s no detail or warning about such potentially dangerous term you have to agree until you pay for the product and run the FTX Central 2 coming with it the first time.

If you don’t agree to accept the terms, the program just quits and doesn’t give you any other option, nor mention for a refund.   Should it?

How come such a term is potentially dangerous to us?

Condition 1 is a general practice.  Condition 2 is basically up to our discretion.  Almost all software developers request the first two from users.   That’s acceptable.

But why the company further explicitly demands Condition 3 so that they can retrieve information from our computer and, in particular, don’t give us a choice to say “No”?  What if we don’t need any update?

You may argue: there could be already other software on our computers sending information to their developers without our acknowledgement.

Sadly, that’s very likely true.

But explicitly agreeing such a term ourselves Orbx (or any other company) demands could have brought a totally different impact in legal context.   We might have therefore placed a mine in our personal and privacy valuables without a clue ourselves.

Frankly speaking, like all other flightsimmers, I simply want to look for additional fun to my flightsim experience via the addon.   I have no intention to be fussy and nasty.   But such a measure from Orbx is really hideous.    Even worse, we are vulnerable to all sort of these deprivations today.

Well, said enough.   Next post, I will talk about how I installed the Trees HD and then got rid of the FTX Central 2 afterward.