>>I see Tech-ed as a forum for Microsoft to teach developers how to use products, and just as importantly, expose a product as the logical solution for a certain range of problems. VFP is a great tools for a lot of situations, but everyone attending tech-ed now knows that Microsoft doesn't think it's the best choice for any, or else they would have shown it.
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>It still begs the question, would YOU go? You know that MS is not going to push VB folks to use VFP. We have a great niche. Go to the VFP to learn about VFP. Go to TechEd to check out other technologies. For what it's worth, from a technical perspective, TechEd is not all that great. Many of the presenters are marketing folks NOT technical folks. Yes, there are some exceptions. And, in many cases, folks are not all that prepared anyway.
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>>> Simply put, it is not cost justfiable to have VFP sessions at Teched.
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>>How can that possibly be determined? I am sure you are right, attendance at VFP sessions would not be as high as for other sessions, but I believe this is because MS has never pushed VFP in the first place. It is a vicious cycle. Don't show it, people won't use it. People don't use it, so they don't come to the sessions.
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>>>VFP is alive and well. Believe me, the state of VFP will not be determined by >the presence or non-presence of VFP sessions at TechEd.
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>>I agree. My knowledge of VFP makes me worth a lot in these parts. And other signs look good for VFP (cover of MIND).
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>>I am just disappointed that my colleagues have to take my word as to the merits of VFP, because MS is not telling them.
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>Would sessions at TechEd on VFP Really make that much of a difference. Somehow, I think not..


John writes that "MS is not going to push VB folks to use VFP. " I'll give you that. How about the other direction, encouraging VFP developers to expand into VB or VC? If any of you read my messages in the "What About Visual Basic" thread, you know that I am sort of a one-trick pony, concentrating on single-tier, RAD, database apps for small to midsize companies. What has MS done to encourage me to use VB for these applications? Has there ever been a session at TechEd or DevCon which shows how an app which was written in VFP could have been written in VB, and shows the merits of doing so?

John also writes "Many of the presenters are marketing folks NOT technical folks. Yes, there are some exceptions. And, in many cases, folks are not all that prepared anyway." If that is the case, then what is the point for ANY developer to attend TechEd, regardless of their language of choice? Doesn't the name "TechEd" imply it is a TECHnical EDucation conference? From what you write there, the average VB developer would be better off going to VBITS. Thanks for the admission, John. Now I have something to scream from the mountaintop, part of my evil plan with the DOJ to further destory Bill Gates' credibility. :)

Finally, John asks the question "Would sessions at TechEd on VFP Really make that much of a difference. Somehow, I think not.." I'm a little underinformed about the history of TechEd. How long has the TechEd event been around? In that time, have they ever offered a session which was EXPLICITLY ADVERTISED as a FoxPro/VFP session? "Stealth" sessions don't count.

And in answer to what I expect will be John's (or someone else's) reply, no, I've never attended a TechEd, and the last FoxPro conference I attended was in Phoenix in 1992. Why don't I go? Simple economics. I'm usually too busy working on projects in Indianapolis to take time off to go to Dallas, or Palm Springs, or Orlando, and even if I had the time, I don't have the money to fly to these resorts, drop a couple hundred on a hotel, not to mention the thousand or so bucks for the conference itself if my boss doesn't want to pay for it (the one time I went to DevCon, my boss at the time paid for part of the conference, but took the bulk of it out of my vacation time). In fact, the closest FoxPro session to me is FoxTeach in Toronto, and that's still over $1000 for the conference, transportation, and lodging.

It's a lot easier for me, time-wise, money-wise, and get-the-boss-to-approve-the-time-and-expenses-wise, to go to several one-or-two day sessions which are a little closer to home. I check out Microsoft's website frequently, to see if there are any VFP classes or one-day sessions around here (Chicago, Cincinatti, Columbus, and even St. Louis is all within a 2 to 4-hour drive). Nada, zilch, zero, NOTHING! If I wanted to go to a VB/VC/VJ/SQL session, I've got them coming out my ears, but not so for VFP. How can the attendance and user reaction of a Microsoft-sponsored training course or mini-conference be gagued if the sessions are never even offered?

Hell, even the VFP User Group here in down has died out (due to mismanagement, not a lack of VFP developers), so it's not like Rob Green, Y. Alan Griever, Drew Speedie, or any of the other "annointed ones" will be paying our town a visit anytime soon. For the hundreds of FoxPro developers in my area, and the tens of thousands of others who reside in "flyover country," these big sessions are about the only opportunity we have to meet with other Foxheads, and to learn from more experienced Visual Studio developers (not just VFP, mind you). If VFP isn't offered, it's just not worth the time and money to go. If Microsoft isn't willing to feature VFP at what John himself describes as a marketing session, then how do they expect to get these VFP developers to listen to anything they say, and possibly get some "converts" to VB, or at least open their eyes and ears to the possibilities?

I'll save my major rant about Microsoft's educational and marketing departments for another time. Suffice it to say, I wasn't planning on going to TechEd before today, and I have even less reason to go now. As for DevCon, Microsoft seems to be comfortable with the idea of the Fox community having their own week to meet, talk, and exchange ideas...it keeps them away from the rest of the Visual Studio developers that are working together with all of the other tools in VS. We wouldn't want them to come in and corrupt their world with their ideas of what a single-tier, object-oriented, small business solution should be, now would we?

Bill