Well the reason that the forums are a bit quiet is that everyone is too busy enjoying the great new 1.1.3 firmware. No one posts anything because the firmwares great with no bugs at all. The DS-X is NOT dead, its one of the top cards on the market now since the update! the price of the DS-X is not high when you factor in the fact that it i so advanced compared to any other flashcard available, also you save money becaue you dont need to buy any extra overpriced memory cards, its ready to go right out the box! I have even ordered my fourth DS-X since the last firmware update its so good!
As for threads being closed rabid1 stated that he only closes deletes things to save other members being attacked by all the hatters, so there you go!