Craig,

PMFJI here, but I still believe that the case with VFP and MS marketing is that they will continue to incrementally improve and market to EXISTING customer base, however, I believe the following are also true.

1) they will make little to no effort to create/find NEW VFP developers
2) new developers and converts from non MS stuff will be pushed to Access, VB, VC++ and SQL,
2) in their heart of hearts, they wish VFP Developers would just attrition away until there is a small enough base that they can kill it.

This is the acid test. Call up MS main number - play dumb and act the part of a new developer, consultant , or company "looking to get going in building database applciations". Tell them you will be building apps from very small desktop mini-apps, through LAN based multi-user, through enterprise wide mega-apps. A dime will get you a dollar that you don't hear one word about VFP as they route you to Access, VB, SQL Server, etc.

In short - until and unless MS formally makes VFP their PRIMARY tool of choice for creating database applications - either stand alone or as front end for SQL, VFP does not have a long term future beyond the stated "continued support for legacy applications". The rhetoric about VFP as the best middle tier tool is hogwash - it can not possibly survive in anything resembling its current form if that is its destiny.

Ken



>As for marketing...I've said this before. VFP marketing is GREATLY improved from where it used to be. Could it get better? Probably. But, they are doing a great job. Go back to earlier this year and look at the full page VFP ads in PC Week and InfoWorld or the back cover ad in Visual Basic Programmer's Journal (yes..VFP). Also, witness attendance at DevCon this year...1200 for a non-launch year is amazing...and the number of people there for the first time was huge. Also, the VFP team at MS is bigger than it has been for some time. This indicates two things to me: 1) Even more commitment from MS and 2) Increased market share.