>>>>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...
>
>I see. One of the people who has enough knowledge and could make changes is Rick Hodgen. Too bad he left this forum because he was unfairly accused. Other than him and Chen, not too many people have the knowledge and the motivation to deal with VFP. But, I agree, having the code in open source won't hurt.

My understanding is Rick was working on an alternate/workalike to VFP. I believe he had other motivations, I'm not sure he'd be interested in enhancing the actual product if MS ever open-sources it.

Knowledge: there are lots of people with C/C++ skills out there, they're widely used. But motivation would definitely be an issue.