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>The other thing I wish to do is allow my VFP app at the remote site(s) to use the Internet to connect to Head Office and pass a data set to our central quotation engine, wait while the quotation engine processes the data and hand back the result to the remote application, and then the remote application disconnects. Therefore, I want to use the Internet as a "network" and get the necessary software to allow the communication between the "client" and "server". For this, Mabry recommended their SocketX control. I have no idea how either controls work but the ability to get to the FTP server was the starting block.
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>I naturally assumed that West-Wind would be the first place to start due to the close ties with VFP and the fact that I often see Rick's contributions here and in the FPA. As I really want to make my main application able to use the I*Net as a "network" (having a VFP fat client app at the remote site accessing the main site via the I*Net), West-Wind was my first port of call, before Mabry.
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Rick has a couple of White papers on his web site discussing this exact thing. You might want to check his web site again.

>I directly e-mailed Rick and waited a couple of weeks with no answer. I then posted a message to Rick on the Web Connection support page asking whether he had received my e-mail. Again no answer. Therefore, I am just not sure about West-Wind after the lack of response, unless I tried to make "pre-sales" contact in the wrong way. West-Wind initially seemed the obvious choice. As I am so new to Web development with VFP, I am prepared to be completely lead by an expert/guru and pay for a VFP/Internet toolkit appropriate to my requirement.

I don't remember seeing your question on his site, but one of the easiest ways to almost guarantee no response from anyone, on any of these sites, is to post too broad of a question. There is usually no easy way to answer them, so most people won't even try. Usually being a little more specific will help get you a reply.