>Can vfp50 complete with powerbuilder 6.5? Can vfp do everything
>that powerbuilder can do?

Hi, Robert, how are things down in San Antonio?

I promised to publish a paper on PB vs VFP and I am going to do so. This is a
promise made over 6 months ago, my current contract keeps me very busy.

VFP and PB are similar yet different.

VFP Advantages:
a) Virtually unlimited, you will never hit a brick wall that an fll can not
fix.
b) Fast local engine.
c) Views are way too cool. In PB constructing and EXECUTING UPDATES comprised
of a combination of tables requires hard-coding!!! You have to point to
each table and columns, make them active, and issue a commit. PB is a
real pain-in-the-ass here. VFP really shines.
d) VERY stable compared to PB.
VFP Disadvantages:
a) I have had to buy and image handler (Imagn) and a graphics package
(Flipper) to do things that should be "built into" VFP. In fact, they
took away some features from one release to the next in VFP -yuch.
b) Due to MS's lack of marketing VFP contacts are fewer than PB.

PB Advantages:
a) The data window is absolutely a GEM of an invention! You can literally
visually build SQL code and change the output of the data-window from
a report to a graph - WITHOUT WRITING ANY CODE!!!
b) PB is a bit easier to code in come aspects and more difficult in other
areas.
c) You can dynamically (at run time) repoint a data_window object to a
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT sql statement - it is way too easy and slick!
d) Graphing and imaging are BUILT IN! No need for third party tools!

PB Disadvantages:
a) Typically relies on ODBC for data access - no local data engine. You can
write to "data stores".
b) Much slower than VFP.
c) There exists some coding capabilities that can not be done easily in PB
whereas VFP is just_too_easy.

My take on the two: I use both. In fact, I even use FoxPro Windows 2.6a when
I am developing products for sale to end_users_who_use_16bit_gui_interfaces.

I am also learning VB, HTML, JavaScript. I am a developer and contractor so
I am always evaluating tools for my exploitation.

In fact, I did a contract for Bank of America where we used FPW2.6a for the
heavy_duty data handling and PB for a completely separate, graphing application
using the data from the FPW application.

Nowadays, our toolbox of tools is growing immensely - I am so delighted. Like
a carpenter with his hammer, saw, screwdrivers, nails, yada, yada, yada,
we software developers have VFP, PB, FLL's, OCX's, Oracle, VB, yada, yada, yada.

Try them both, learn them and then surgically apply them to your needs.

Chow.