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>>OK, then, since the resident Russians won't, I will:
>>
>>"Now for a bit of Russian speicifics. We got an overwhelmingly miserable customer. And when we almost 50% finished writing com ( VFP ole public ) for web page creation, analogue to the here described interface, here comes the customer who can't afford any MS SQL. A smallish tour agency with three personal computers, based in two rooms of a cottage on chicken legs."
>
>That's the example of humor lost in translation. The expression "избушки на курьих ножках" is used in folk literature to describe a woman "Baba-Yaga" who lives in a house with chicken legs...

Actually I think a lot of Westerners know about Baba-Yaga's hut, at least from "Pictures at an exhibition". So I hoped this wouldn't be completely lost in translation.

>Vladimir was saying, that most of Russian customers are poor and can not afford expensive software such as SQL Server...

The very reason it cught my eye. I've had such customers... you wouldn't believe some places where I had customers. Even mice chewing cables were not that uncommon.

>He has an interesting style of writing his articles which often are quite humorous in addition to being very interesting in discussed ideas. He actually published two articles here in UT Mag in English couple of years ago. Several people myself included helped to translate the articles in English and it was a tough job...

I know - both Vladimir (not personally, but online) and the trouble of translation from a Slavic language into English and vice versa. And I have to confess that the hardest stuff to translate was my own :).