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>I for one would welcome someone other than MS as the custodian of xBase - xBase has a bright future - is doing well - despite all the gas!

Upon what do you base this opinion? 15 years ago xBase was in its heyday. Clipper, dBase, foxBase, and a couple of offshoots. What do we have today? VFP is hanging on, dbase is all but dead, clipper has evolved into caObjects which I don't think exists anymore...