>That will be temporary. At some point where big companies have to support VFP applications and simply rewriting them is not as simple, they need VFP developpers. Then it becomes a matter of supply and demand. The more people leave VFP, the more work for the others who stay. Even though there will be very little new projects, still systems need to be maintained.

>Follow-up to my last post - in addition to the fact that the condition has been this way for quite a while...

>When looking at supply and demand, alternatives and substitution factor must also be considered. Other supply pools exist that are either cheaper or more preferable. For example, .NET has been in the mainstream for a few years now. Organizations are turning to .NET, Java, and even some open-source platforms.

Yes, and your point is ??

>Yes, maintenance of VFP applications will continue to be a factor - but again, this is not new. Businesses will continue to determine the value of that work, and they seem to be speaking right now. It is more difficult to command the types of VFP rates that were seen 5-6 years ago - in many cases, only the upper strata of VFP people will be able to command them.

whether you do VFP, .NET, or whatever, all rates have gone down. This is not exclusively to VFP. It all has to do with the .NET bubble and outsourcing factors. There is not much future in programming new applications in western countries. People in India and eastern europe truly have a big advantage in doing those jobs. Maintenance however is a different cattle of fish as maintenance is more about having knowledge about the problem domain. Natives have an advantage in the way that often they understand the problem area better than outsourced people, and are better available when support needs to be done.

Walter,