That's a bunch of FUD.

32 bit will be around for a long time to come. Don't think so? Take a look in your Program Files (x86) folder and see all the 32 bit apps installed on your system and see how many of them you deem vital. There are a lot of them and quite a few of them haven't been updated in a long time. The base of 32 bit apps is a lot larger than 16bit apps were when the switch to 32 bit came and it'll be a lot more difficult to leave that behind for Microsoft without major outcry. If Microsoft does one thing well it's backwards compatibility - heck I can run my FoxPro Windows apps still on my current system (not that I'd want to but it's only because of the heinous UI, not because of any failure of it to run).

The only fly in that ointment is if Microsoft completely ditches the desktop and forces everyone into the new Metro shell eventually although I doubt that can ever happen either.

There hasn't even been a 128bit general purpose OS yet and the time between concept and implementation and abandonment is a long way (10 years?) typically.

Finally Windows actually doesn't use the same mechanism that 32 bit -> 16 bit emulation did. Wow64 just steps the application into 32 bit mode and apps run at native speed against the processor. It just special versions of the Windows core DLLs for 32 bit access. There's no emulation, just a set of Windows APIs redirects that use 32 bit equivalents...

I'm not arguing with the essentially dead part - that much is obvious (one look around here or other FoxPro forums will tell you the story), but the 32 bitness of VFP is hardly the issue.

+++ Rick ---


>Perhaps there is something about:
>* Essentially "dead" -- no more development, no more support from Microsoft
>* Stuck in 32-bit (unless someone implements the entire engine in 64-bit) -- though 32-bit software does run today, it's a "2nd-class citizen" in that it requires an emulation layer to operate (i.e. doesn't run "native"). Essentially VFP is in the same status that FPW was in back when 32-bit OS became the norm. Don't be surprised when 128-bit OS comes around and 32-bit support gets dropped.
>* These points could be a "dealbreaker" with customers.
>
>If it's an update of an existing software then you could probably get away with sticking with VFP -- for a new product it's probably not such a good idea.
>
>>Ouch. Do you mean people think of VFP as dated or do you mean its abilities are not up to modern snuff?
>>
>>>>As I come kicking and screaming into the current century, is is possible to generate text messages to users through a VFP app?
>>>
>>>If you're coming into the current century, you won't be looking at a solution in VFP....