Bob,

I don't understand how the VFP DB engine gets any play at all in the mid-tier. So the fast db engine, which I would agree is a requirement, would be the much slower SQL Server or equivalent.

SUPER FAST string manipulation - mewthinks you overstate the case just a bit. Am I really going to keep *any* product just becuase it has "super fast string manipulation"??? I think not. And who's to say that VB's new string functions aren't just as fast (especially *if* that chestnut regarding "integration" of VS products has any truth at all to it - maybe the code is the same in both, with only the names changed to protect the innocent.

Jim N


>>As to the whole middle-tier argument, VFP is carving a niche to be the premier middleware tool insofar as it's data management and string manipulation capabilities. Does that mean that's all it does? Nope. But it does give VFP developers one area where there is a clear advantage in using VFP *over* VB. This does not detract from VFP's traditional roles, it just adds an area where we can excel in the Visual Studio world.
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>don't forget that the improved string handeling had another major goal in mind... WEB DEVELOPMENT... after all, building web pages on the fly, that present data require...
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>1. a FAST db engine...
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>2. SUPER FAST string manipulation...
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>Put that together with the genhtml classes and VFP looks like a great tool for building interactive web sites!
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>BOb