It would have brought many more people into .NET, but the debate of the VFP language demise would still be going on. Look at what's happened with Iron Python and Iron Ruby. (Side note, IMO, the same will happen with F#). A VFP.NET could have possibly taken the same route. But now there's talk on the Interwebs that VB.NET is done and will be gone soon.

>I disagreed with everyone I met on the break from being packaged in VS back when. I thought it was the demise of VFP. I thought (and still think so) that had VFP stayed in VS and the syntax brought into .net, even if it meant losing the local databases (and any compatibility with existing vfp apps) that the majority of vfp developers would have migrated to .net - some would have refused and gone elsewhere, but it would have given many VFP developers a level of comfort in the switch (like it did for the vb developers after much screaming about it). Even with the existing apps not being compatible - it would have moved vfp into the future and been an easier migration path for developers. Many may have still switched to C# (I was one of those after testing the waters with vb.net first) and some would still have left for open-source, but it would have been an easier migration for some to introduce them to the framework. As it is now, my days are filled with jumping between C# and VFP depending on the project I am working on...I would still be jumping around, but it would have helped to give customers a level of comfort knowing their product was in a MSFT tool with a future.