Jess

>To me it is better to learn something on my own because
>it is without "string attachment" and so I could decide freely.

Also, there is the issue of "risk" that the client is loading onto the developer here. The client cannot be sure whether Delphi is the way to go, and does not wish to lose the services of a developer who knows the business. This "risk" is the client's, not the developer's. The developer must now decide whether the client is important enough to keep no matter what.

If someone had to learn a new tool, Delphi is not a bad bet... except that Pascal, like xBase, is regarded in many quarters as a "sunset" language. Better to learn something sexy that is so prolific and widespread that it will still be here in a decade. Its name is Java. You can get Java from MS or "not from MS" as you see fit. The MS version is pretty good and in conjunction with Visual Interdev and ADO, not too hard to use for VFP people. But JBuilder from Inprise wins the awards- not that it matters, you can adopt a certain philosophy in Java that allows you to choose whatever IDE you like, preventing any vendor taking ownership of you to their advantage. That's the best risk hedge of all IMHO.

Regards

JR