Main criteria I'm using for evaluating:

1- Hability to run over Linux in FOSS and over Windows.
2- Hability to have web access (Rich Client)
3- Data Oriented.
4- Ease to setup and maintain.
5- Wide user base

Morfik has all of this but 5. Java has all of this but 3 and 4. .NET lacks 1 and 3.

Java and .Net can solve 3 with third party tools. But the really screwed platforn is .NET, since in all projections (and real life examples I have seem) many corporations are switching to Linux and FOSS. It's a no brainer situation. For a user base of 10,000 employees check out the licencing costs of 200 Windows 2003 server, Windows Vista, 10,000 windows vista, 10,000 office, 200 SQL Server licences, 5 processor SQL Servers for web, 10 Exchange servers, CALs and so on.

Compare to nothing. The drawbacks are user training and "corporate trust". Once 2 or 3 big corporations started doing the change, this sell is far easier to do in big corporations.






>I have been developing an accounting program since 1990 starting in FPD, thru FPW (horrors), VFP6 and 8 (big learning curve). This program has been added to and bandaided forever. What next ? I would like to choose something that MS is not going to drop, something that is accepted by the corporates so my program and user base is saleable in 10 years time. Is .NET and MS SQL server the way to go ? Or are there other easier to learn options that the suit and tie brigade are comfortable with. After seeing SQL server in action, I am not impressed with the speed, but maybe this will change as computers and the web get faster. VFP has spoiled me rotten with it's fantastic data handling, great functions and easy coding. However I feel I have to start re-writing now (from scratch) because the program is large and I am a slow learner.
>Any comments ?