>>I have questions and comments interspersed...

Thanks Craig.

>>Can you point to specific instances where Microsoft in
>>Redmond disseminated false information about VFP? I'm
>>not talking about local people, who today don't always
>>give an accurate story on .Net or SQL Server. I want to
>>hear of specifics from Microsoft corporate.

My experience with this has been with Microsoft's representatives who were advocating for Access and SQL Server and against FoxPro. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way a Microsoft basher. I like/love Microsoft. I don't much like what they have done to VFP, but in general I think they do a great job of both creating tools and advocating for them. They are a big company though and they seemed to be unable or unwilling to educate their other DataBase project teams on the strengths lf VFP.

>>I don't agree with this. If you get an MSDN
>>subscription today, you still get access to DOS,
>>Windows 3.1 and other apps.

MSDN subscription are expensive and if that's the only way you are going to get a copy of VFP there will be few people that will have one. What percentage of developers do you imagine have these subscriptions?

>>There are still companies updating and selling
>>both FORTRAN and COBOL compilers today.

That is true but I don't know any new work that is getting started other than in schools and in the military using these. I wasn't trying to make this point. These are points that have been made to me over the last few months by others arguing for the abandonment of VFP.

>>I don't fully agree with this. Many databases
>>have caught up and in some cases, surpassed VFP.

Especially some databases that have coopted VFP's code and techniques. :) There aren't many that are much ahead though.

>> >>The cost of maintenance in both time and dollars was
>> >>much lower in VFP because of the language. It still is.

>>This is conjecture. Do you have real evidence to back this up?

Yep, I was using Function Point analysis. You can find this at: http://www.qsm.com/FPGearing.html. VFP has no equal when it comes to productivity.

>>Are you saying that a good database app that deals
>>with large amounts of data can't be written in .Net?

Not at all. Just that it is much more dificult, costs more and is more dificult to maintain.

Incidentally, you say that you don't think VFP will ever be what it was but, you don't offer any reasons for this. I think you are wrong. Convince me that you are not.

Thanks Craig