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>>I would like to focus our discussion on accessing data from SQL Server. Each platform does a good job of retrieving data from SQL. While the .DBF does have its benefits I think we should focus on how it behaves in a client/server/distributed world.
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>As soon as you do this you have arbitrarily chosen to remove some functionality of one product (and a powerful one at that). This now opens the door to other parties choosing to argue the arbitrary removal of some feature or function of the other product. And so we go ...
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IMHO Jos is right here.

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>If your debate already starts off excluding certain items then this indicates, at minimum, that (a) the two products are not comparable at such a level, or (b) you wish to diminish the power of one tool to the benefit of another. The debate is flawed from the get go.

Jos you have hit the nail on the head here. Especially point b.