>>>As much as they'd like to make it illegal, reverse engineering is still legal.
>
>Especially if the original vendor has deprecated and/or no longer supports the product in question. Plus, free distribution of runtime always was a product feature and VFP Compiler still requires a VFP development license. Meanwhile Chen has fixed the residual bugs left undone when MS finished with VFP. Example- anybody experienced the infuriating phantom breakpoints where you're tracing an app and it keeps breaking at the wrong place where there is no breakpoint? Bug existed for years to my knowledge, now fixed. Reporting bugs, anybody? Prg too long bug? All fixed.
>
>I'd also observe that in most jurisdictions, you need a set number of key differences to avoid claim of copyright breach. Having said that a 64-bit version of VFP involved massive change, for numerous reasons apart from Copyright I'm not sure that any vendor would want to claim the opposite.

For as long as VFP was a supported product (by MS), I was happy with copyright issues, and I was happy to pay whatever fees were applicable for upgrades.
Ever since the time MS abandoned me, not only with lack of support but also since they will not give up or sell the source code, I have no intention or desire to support them insofar as copyright or ownership is concerned.

Having said this, and I still do not know if Mr Chen has indeed violated any copy right issues, in China or elsewhere, is there a reason or advantage with the 64 bit compiler ?
Or indeed, his 32 bit compiler.