>By your own logic, once LINQ enters the mainstream, all that complex pre-LINQ dotNET data-munging stuff is at risk.

You could look at it that way. It depends how you have approached your application and where the data-munging code is housed. Its a bit like the VFP cursor adapter situation. Just because we got cursor adapters in VFP 8 didn't mean I threw out all of my perfectly good data-access code classes that were using SPT. Therefore, using the same analogy, if LINQ means I can do things differently, then I will but, it doesn't mean I will throw away all of my existing working code.

>The $25 hammer may become a $50 hammer. ;-) And the vendor who delivers a $15 hammer today then leap-frogs straight to LINQ tomorrow may have huge business advantage.

Whilst this may be possible, the guys using the $15 hammer in the scenario of this thread have been hanging around in the legacy technology for so long, they will have a much bigger task swapping platforms and learning the whole technology than the $25 guys who merely have to slowly incorporate LINQ in their classes :)

>Obviously if your customers insist on dotNET, that's what you have to do. But the Quickbooks experience does tend to suggest that millions of businesses do not fall into that category. Those sorts of businesses are likely to appreciate a $10 saving on a hammer purchased today as well. ;-)

This may well be true but my reality is that all I see everyday on the joblists are .NET positions. The "millions of businesses" don't seem to be hiring VFP developers at the moment ;)

Best

-=Gary