>Hi Eric,
>
>Thanks for your reply and links. The research I've come up with offers so many possible development tools it's hard to sort through it all to figure out who's "winning" so far. I'd really like to find the tool to learn that would have the greatest mass appeal, thereby making newly acquired skills most lucrative.
>
>Any further suggestions from you or anyone else is greatly appreciated as I try to narrow down this search!
>

That's a great question, one most of us have. The only annoying thing is things are changing so fast -- at an accelerating rate IMO -- that it would be difficult to offer a valid answer. Irresponsible, almost. What's hot today may be as dead as a dodo two years from now.

Good luck anyway ;-)