I'm sure that in retrospect I will think myself a fool for doing so, but there are a few points that I want to add to this discussion.

I believe that my background gives a different perspective that many of those who have been part of this thread.

First, I've only been working full-time in VFP for less than two years. I know nothing of the history which pre-dates this thread, nor do I know any of the participants. Perhaps this allows me to be a little less subjective; or, perhaps, it just explains any ignorance along the way.

Second, before plunging into VFP, I worked for 30 years using a now-dead language, APL. Curiously, there are many parallels between the enthusiasm (and sometimes fanaticism) of the members of these two communities for their languages, the histories of both languages, and the responses within the communities during their decline. The tide for APL began going out in the very early 1980's; by the 1990's there was little left. Somehow, as a man of extremely good fortune, I kept afloat until 2003. I'm regularly impressed with how many of the comments in this forum, about VFP, mirror the comments of that APL community long ago.

And third, note that I'm Jim Nelson, from Newbury Park, CA, not Jim Nelson from Toronto, who is a much more frequent contributor to this forum -- we just share the same name.


So, my comments:

First, and foremost, I find the personal invective in so many messages to be distasteful, disrespectful, and completely non-productive. Personal attacks, whether as to characteristics or motives, have no place here. I believe that such techniques mostly serve to discredit the author and any other statements he may make.

Second, as to the statement "VFP is dead": I do not care who said (or might have said) this, or to whom, or when. What is significant is whether there is any need to even consider answering the question. If the VFP community were strong and thriving, such a question would be ignored as irrelevant. The very fact that somebody is accused of having made this statement, and then defended by others, tells me this is a matter of great concern, rather than just an idle possibility. I have great doubts that saying the words "VFP is dead" will cause its death, but it does appear that many are afraid to hear the words spoken.

Finally, I have assumed that this forum dealt with "all things VFP". I have no crystal ball that is telling me whether the VFP rug will be pulled out from under me in my immediate future or whether my run of good fortune (see above) will last until retirement in a dozen years. If it is sooner rather than later, I want to know about other avenues than I can prepare for and particularly, other avenues followed by those in the VFP community. I can't guess what all those avenues might be, so I welcome announcements here in this VFP forum of seminars just as this one; I'm not all all sure how I would learn about them otherwise.

As happened to me in my previous career, the parade seems to be marching in another direction, and yet so far I am unaffected. It seems that, like before, some still believe so strongly in the language they are proficient in that they cannot recognize that their belief alone is not sufficient to guarantee its continued life.

Jim Nelson
Newbury Park, CA