>Most folks who are employed go with the language tool their employers choose (my case). Those who are looking at future employment go with where the jobs are (C#/asp.net or java). Those who are self-employed go with the tools that will get the job done the fastest (dotnet and java may be equal here in functionality but I think dotnet is easier and faster).
>
>What is your reason for looking at another tool?
>
>I have been self-employed for the longest time, although getting employed is also a possiblity. VFP will still be my primary tool. As many are now "jumping ship", I would like to choose a "lifeline" wisely by studying the diff options out there. As you said, it seems to be a toss-up between C#/.NET and Java.
>
>I am kinda partial though, to Java, in as much as it is:
>
>a. cross platform
>b. open source (read free)
>c. not M$
>
>However, a lot of you have cited the ff:
>
>a. the fact that Java and/or MySQL might suffer the same fate as VFP because of the pending Oracle takeover makes me concerned
>b. so far, C# seems to be a better and faster tool than Java
>
>Thanks
>Dennis

This does not take into consideration Mono, and I cannot attest to its veracity (looking for a more recent one might be worthwhile), but I've seen similar information elsewhere:
http://www.veridicus.com/tummy/programming/java_vs_csharp.asp
(there are a lot of those out there, but it is difficult to find one that is up-to-date with the latest releases)

Also, as others have mentioned, Silverlight will go the cross-platform route.

One thing I read about, but I don't know if it is still out there is the Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA). It was a tool that provides the ability to convert Java code and library calls to Microsoft Visual C# .NET I don't know if it is still around and kept up-to-date or not.

Honestly, I think future job-wise you would be safe (definitely safer than with VFP) going with either C# or Java. There will be a demand for VFP developers to support older apps until/if they are converted but that may go away eventually. Developing on your own, when you can choose the tool of your choice, you could still use VFP when it meets the requirements. For some customers it will be fine and actually excel. What happens if those requirements change though as customers start getting newer systems with newer OSs and expect apps to look and feel like WPF or Silverlight apps? It depends on your customers, but I certainly wouldn't want to limit myself to a specific customer base in a competitive environment. I think continuing with VFP but investing time in learning C# or Java is a good idea. I don't see C# as any easier than Java but I like the VS ide a LOT. There are ample books and examples of both on the web. Although I really think the MSFT code-camps are great and I don't know of anything similar with Java (there must be though).

One more thing: if you do a search out there for comparisons between the two, you will see that syntax-wise, they are not that different. The biggest hurdle in .net is learning the framework - there is so much available. You might spend a little time up-front learning both and then decide. Which has a bigger job-market in your area? Which has more jobs for remote development? It may not matter in the long run.