I usually avoid threads dealing with the future of VFP like the plague, but after reading them over and over I thought I would jump in on this one. I agree that these "authoritative" sources of MS plans are usually BS. IMO, MS is not about to "leak" that a product they recently upgraded is about to be killed. To admit this means "we really don't mean everything we say about VFP as a product, so ignore the advertising and product positioning - we're only doing that to fool people until we are ready to announce".

I don't doubt, however, that the future of VFP is in question. I understand that MS has published info on plans for the next version, but remember that NOTHING is set in stone. If a business case is made to kill VFP, it will be killed. If MS knows one thing, its how to make money, and they will not pump money into a product that doesn't generate a return unless it has some strategic advantage.

Someone may argue that the VFP future is bolstered by the plans published on MS's web site. Anyone who has experienced either having their job discontinued, relocated, or downsized knows that this really doesn't mean much. Typically, the people closest to the area that gets affected are the last ones to know. I remember when my job was relocated, I spent months insisting we weren't getting closed because this is what I was being told. Guess what - one day, I got a call that we were closing in 30 days.

Keep in mind that in sports, once an owner gives a vote of confidence to a coach, that coach typically goes on the job watch. And if you think of any product that you used to use but has since died, I think you'll realize that at one point or another all of them had a "future". Sometimes the future ends up being different than what you have planned.

This does not mean that I think VFP will die, just that you have to take everything you hear (good and bad) with a grain of salt. For me, it means continuing to use VFP, but also looking at other MS products that could be used. This way, I can convert if something changes

Rob

>This comes up once or twice a month on the UT. No, it's not true. You can read about Microsoft's plans for VFP 7 (or whatever they call it) at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/prodinfo/future/vfpbgrnd.asp.
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>For all the times this has come up no one has ever been able to identify the person at MS who said that MS would no longer support VFP. See if your client will give you a name or at least refer their source to Microsoft's own web site.