Regarding the Flight Control software on Airbus airplanes. It really hasn't changed since the Airshow incident. That was a specific case of the pilot getting too low and slow, with the engines powered waaay back and the flight controls not allowing the airplane to maneuver up to the real stall attitude or into the post stall region of flight. Various people have claimed that by pulling up either closer to the edge of a stall or even into an intentional stall the crew could have gained enough altitude and time for the engines to finish spooling up enough thrust to climb out. The flight controls operated as planned and they flew the airplane into the trees with the crew hauling back on the stick as hard as they could.

That is actually one of the big philosophy differences between Boeing and Airbus designs - who has the final say on what the plane can do, the pilots who are on the plane or the engineers who are sitting at their desks. I am an engineer and all told I would rather trust the guy up in the front of the plane most of the time.

Airbus flight control laws still prevent the pilot from intentionally performing radical maneuvers (like large bank angles or approaching a stall). They have hard limits that the pilot cannot fly through. Those limits do not seem to have had any impact (positive or negative) on this incident.

- Eric