>Hi, Terry.
>
I like hand coding projects - I don't know why - it goes faster - the code is easier to review - it hones my organizational skills and it forces me to optimize -(keep the line count down). Maybe that's why my jaw drops when I hear people speak of monster projects with a zillion lines of code - I never understood why some developers are proud of BIG CODE MANY LINE projects. Never understood. It would be interesting to have a chat with their boss to underatnd this phemomena - it is not just us worker bees that are Wal Mart Droids - it seems the management class in the US aint as sharp as they used to be.

The guy that invented Netscape called it "the Crappy Guy Syndrome". He suugested that managers tend to promote those with skill sets that do not challenge their position (political job security). Afer a few turn overs - a bus boy could compete with many of the managers IT shops have now - even in house developers are just counting the daze till that next Redmond Buffet!!!

Java is Free - Apache is free - Linux is free - JPL and NASA and militart CIC systemns use Sun. Sun's Java IDE is expensive - I have used it - but nothing has yet offered the control I feel when that coomand window is running under a test form. A run time autocomplet - a runtime read and write to and objects properties a runtime call to an objects methods - without a debugger client - is real power - I am sure you noticed that too - even back when we were doing dBase III or foxbase Xenix apps - nothing comes cxlose to the xBase IDE - nothing