>>>>>>Actually according to at least one insider at the time, MS also was under pressure from
>>>>>>ex-VFP gurus who wanted VFP closed down asap to boost their own conversion, training
>>>>>>and other commercial endeavors. Also there was a claim that a high-profile VFP knocker
>>>>>>was granted NET MVP status if he targeted VFP effectively and accelerated the rot. The
>>>>>>second claim was denied.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>VFP was shut down because it offered uncontrolled (uncontrollable) freedom in Win32, an unmanaged platform. It had all components in one for a tiny footprint (forms, reports, data, processing, a robust language, remote network support).
>>>>>
>>>>>Microsoft is and has been about control since the pre-Azure days. It is why VFP was killed.
>>>>
>>>>OMG dude quit being so negative and the whole world is not in some evil conspiracy against you either. MS quit selling VFP cause it didn't make money. By the way this is the primary reason every company or business since the beginning of humans usually quits producing a product. I'm sure you're upset that there are no more buggy whips because humans could transport themselves from A to B without conspiracy and blaaaaaHHH.
>>>
>>>I do find it amusing, however, that it only took 20 years for Microsoft to finally kill VFP through non-marketing. If you don't market it, you don't sell it...and eventually you can say "Well, it's not selling, so we're not going to develop it any more"
>>>
>>>Self fulfilling prophecy anyone?
>>
>>Yep exactly. WHY it didn't sell is a whole different thing. Plus I think it must be hard for MS to even know how many people were actually using it. Lot of developers got VFP with MSDN subscription or as part of dev studio - so maybe no one used VFP as part of dev studio - maybe some did - but no real way to tell. VFP was always different animal than rest of dev studio - the controls for the screens are all different than all the others and the way it paints forms etc etc etc. It just didn't fit in with everything else so of course they had to give it the ax. X-Base environment was dying prior to death of VFP too so all these things together and it's just not worth it to MS to keep it alive.
>
>I've never really followed this whole VFP debate but weren't MS intending to include VFP as a supported .NET language - and the idea was rejected by the VFP community ?

That is correct. Maybe VFP didn't fit into Microsoft's long term strategic plans but I have to roll my eyes when people argue that big bad Microsoft killed it off and meant to all along.