>>https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/01/ese_github/
>>
>>Could the same thing happen to VFP?? It's roughly the same vintage.
>>
>>Maybe someone who still has a contact at MS could ask...
>
>Would there be any benefit to the VFP developers if VFP 9 becomes open-source (in practical sense)? And if yes, how?

It could be maintained e.g. identified bugs fixed. VFP Advanced currently lists 152 "fixes" of various kinds: http://www.baiyujia.com/vfpdocuments/default.asp , as a start these might be rolled into the "official" product.

It could be security audited.

If allowed, all or parts of it might be ported to other platforms e.g. VFP Advanced has already been ported to Win64. It might be possible to add modules to web servers or other programming languages.

Who knows what motivated individuals or teams might do with it...