>>IMO, I don't find anything from Marcia, Andy, or Cathy that's inflammatory or even strongly objectionable. Actually, I agree with many of Andy's points. It was a business decision, and he's moving on.
>
>What he's saying is that it's the community's fault for not upgrading, but M$ telegraphed the message and people got it. To then blame the people is turning a blind eye to the glaring truth and doing a disservice to this community. You may have noticed I was not alone in my opinion. They can continue to say what they've said, but it just betrays a cluelessness on this issue.
>
>>Maybe it boils down to a choice of words - my two cents is that VFP customers who did not upgrade beyond V5 or V6 are not on solid ground to protest the EOL decision.
>
>Hey, you'll have no argument from me there. I just like to look back to the root cause and the root cause of people leaving for other languages, not upgrading, etc. is the lack of real support that M$ gave VFP. To not realize that is like saying someone died from heart failure and ignoring the person who stuck a knife in that heart.

Aldough I am not to mad with comments like this, I defenetely agree
with your assesment on causes ;

I don't remember since when profits were made by fadding/hidding product away
rather then promoting it to greater NEW audiences.

Those of us who knew VFP, and realised it's potentials are of cours staying with it for as long as it lasts. But you cannot base ecconomics of the product to selling more copies to people who ALREADY HAVE workable copy (eg VFP6). Profits are made by advertizing and promoting to waist armies of other (new) developers who are (were back then) strugling with other languages shortcommings and would appreciate/enjoy menu VFP capabilities/strengths if they knew, heard, were pointed to it by powerfull M$ marketing machine, local MS representative, broadly distributed PC maggazines etc.

If they (M$) wanted to sell ONLY to existing (CompuServe,UT,VFUG etc) members groups/user base, then they should hv establish separate subscription program solely for VFP, amounting yearly to cost of VFP team + some reasonable profit and let it go this way.
But that would not be necessary if VFP as product was just properly marketed
and not frowned uppon by every MS highshot, and everybody else down on earth who aspire to have fruitfull relationship with M$.

Even like this with EOL announced, my take is that will still outlast menu of today's 'groundbreaking' new NET technologies.
Just think how meny (client) businesses would hv been in real limbo if tmrw was last day of VFP apps actually working. (Like MS embeded time stop back then in VFP3 and it activates tmrw)
If you can imagine that, You will get very simple answer of how long VFP is going to live;

For as long, and as much as those businesses depend on it!

So I am not worried at all. There is still long road ahead of us!
Have great weekend :)