As an immediate member of Jim Ferguson's family, I accessed this site for the first time yesterday, and was astonished and appalled at this thread.
I wish that before people indulge in this sort of anonymous personal and professional character assassination online, they would stop to consider that they are talking about someone's husband/brother/father. I have no idea if Jim was aware of the kind of things that were being said, but I suspect that with his customary good sense he would have chosen to ignore it - he never did suffer fools gladly.
Contrary to the picture painted in many of these posts, by people who obviously didn't know him, Jim Ferguson was an intelligent, honest and decent man, with strong moral principles, who was making a living doing something he was passionate about. He was always forthright, could be opinionated, and perhaps didn't always get it right - but people who live in glass houses, etc....
I can only hope that some of those who have been so free with their opinions are prepared to put their money where their mouths are, and try to fill his shoes.
RIP Jim - I am sure many more people will miss you than won't.