Kevin,

>Exactly, you say it right: HIS goals, not saying anything about the goals of others. JVP really did not understand the value of the database engine. He simply had no clue what he was talking about. Time has proven he was wrong. Microsoft now is admitting the importance of deep data integration and why it needs to be in there, thanks to the VFP - team.
>
>The problem as JohnRyan said, is that there are VFP developpers that really develop in the VB/SQL server style. Not doing much with the local data engine. No post processing, no data munging etc. Those indeed would have little trouble to go to .NET/Java/Delphi or whatever. When things start to get a little more complex you're faced with problems that take a lot of time to solve. How many times did we see messages over here about post processing ADO.NET recordsets ??
>.NET currently is a huge step backwards for those who heavily use the local database engine for all kind of things (not just DBF style access). Things will improve on this area as we have seen from microsoft with the LINQ project. But lets first wait and see.

>What's your practical experience with .NET? How many applications have you developed using it?

I don't see the relevance to the question. I refer to people who have experience with both. JohnRyan, RickS, JessB, JohnK and the recent announcements of the LINQ project. It is Microsoft itself admitting the lack of deep data integration. Not I am proving JVP wrong. Microsoft and the people above do prove JVP beeing wrong. Though I admit I started accusing him of beeing wrong. ASFAIK, JVP did not have any real life experience in .NET before he started to make unfounded invalid comments.

Later as I learned more about .NET, I found more gaps in JVPs knowledge. He always rejected the idea of remote views because when fields are changed or added it would break (if using * in the field list). A common reccomended practise in .NET is to use typed datasets which are similar to remote views. If you don't use them you have a lot of work in casting to do.

You cannot tell me that the LINQ project does not interest you. It has major advantages if they do this right. LINQ will become the next hot-item in .NET and at the same point it will prove the critisism we had for years. So, please spare me your tactics about arguments of blind 'zombie' experience in .NET. Many programmers are just bricklayers who do not have any clue about architectual designs. It would suit you better to admit that my critisism on data integration in .NET was a founded one, now that MS themselves has proven it.

Walter,