It crystallized for me when there was a handful of MVP naysayers scoffing at the idea of an open VFP letter to MS. I thought (and said) that MS responds to bottom line not feelings so I doubted it would do much, especially with MVPs aggressively blocking the idea, but I signed. That's community for you.

Meanwhile the naysayer MVPs set themselves up in open opposition and sabotaged. That's not the action of a leader or even of a community member IMHO. Other MVPs disagreed with them and signed proudly, but the dissociation from real life and community was jarring. It was worse when a notorious stirrer was accused of promising to downgrade VFP and push people towards NET if he was given a MVP. To many of us it seemed that a once noble MVP program was losing its way.

Then there was a layabout MVP who thundered that people aren't grateful any more. Grateful for his grandiose non-contribution? Sorry, Your Highness.

Another lot set themselves up as a selection panel for VFP Community Lifetime Achievement awards and aggressively defended their qualification to make such "community" decisions. When I declared that I had now granted myself the same privilege and would be giving awards to JVP and Crunchie the Clown, one of them attacked aggressively right here in UT. Subsequently they established a more consultative process and now are responsible for an annual VFP conference which is a highly creditable community contribution IMHO. Maybe the awards were in the same vein- but justice has to be done and SEEN to be done.

Can't speak to how it is now in the MVP ranks, but the "success" of the heavily evangelized Winphone confirms that a once high riding company lost its way and now seeks to burn more people off with Windows 10 antics. I'm reminded of Abraham Lincoln's quote about who you can fool: MS and its familiars seemed/seem to think they could/can fool all the people all the time. So far it cost them an entire generation of young folk and burned their golden opportunity, so from a safe berth aboard a different craft it will be interesting to see what happens next.