nd the various variations.
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>I think the area he wants to work in is important as well - Python is quite strong in research and science, with Numpy, Scipy, R and so on. Web backend still strong, but JS/Node gaining from the one language in front- and backend arguement and Java a solid environment for big players.
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>If he needs performance in some areas, getting to bare metal from (C-)Python is not only possible similar to vfp in C, but there is Cython as an interesting in-between step offering strict-static typing for var, props and metod signatures compiling down to straight C but offering near-Python syntax. Sqlite embedded as local DB, but missing a nice cursor/cursoradapter layer as we have in vfp, but Dabo allows SQL queries via writing back Python memory-cursors into a Sqlite-DB - workable for eliminating non-DRY code, but vfp-disk based cursors sometimes memory-mapped are a IMO a much better desgned architecture ;-)
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>Biggest drawback GUI - Dabo portable only on desktop OS, on mobile fragmented to not supported, which is a pity. Unless there is a clear demand from existing client/job I'd hesitate to learn a fwk for some future bound ONLY to desktop dev, but aim web or mobile with strong separaton of concerns to reuse part of the code in desktops if need arises.
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>Lianja also allows Python development hosting a C-Python runtime and aims for mobile as well - might become the environment offering widest spread for common code, but I was not able to swing 2 big customers last year, so I sidestepped Lianja for vfp and Python for now and work now again in "traditional" vfp and java...

Thanks for the feedback. He is only looking around, playing around. Still young and at school but it seems to interest him. He found a very powerful Python IDE called Komodo but it is not free. Looks very powerful though. Agree with web based angle being the better route going forward.