Tom,

>Doug;
>
>Just a few comments if I may after reading your post.
>
>I think it all starts with the market – what type of work is required.

Sure, which is kind of what I was after.

>>For a small mom and pop business you can normally use what ever tool you wish.

Well, that's not always true. 'Mom & Pop' type businesses often do not have the resources needed to really use any tool you'd like. More often than that they want everything done on the cheap. This is where a lot of us got into the business and for many (I think this might be a part of JVP's thinking process) we never get past trying to do everything 'on the cheap' and we fail to become professionals in the truest sense of the word - providing the best solution/answer/trade-off for our clients regardless of what tool we are personally attached to. If that is his point I couldn't agree more.

However, VFP IMO is still one of those products we need to consider as well as VB, SQL, ASM, C++, PERL, etc, etc, etc.

>>I believe in using the best tool for the job. To me this means being competent with C, Visual C++, Visual Basic, Visual FoxPro, DataFlex, Revelation, Super Revelation, a number of Web Development tools and understanding how to use these tools to the best advantage of the clients requirements. For a larger organization with an IT Department, IT will normally dictate which tools will be used. As long as I am being paid I will not argue what tool to use but I will suggest if asked. If you do your homework you can find any “pet” tools an IT department demands and what not to discuss.

Sure, but think about that vis a vis what I said. What is the difference between an individual limiting themselves to a single product or an IT department doing exactly the same? This IMO is where JVP's arguments break down. I see no difference except in terms of scale.

I see him saying, "Don't limit yourself to VFP," to which I'd agree. But when he concludes that "VFP is on the way out," I'd disagree, and particularly not because the only difference is the size of who's making the decision to self-limit options. If that's not what John's saying I'm sure he'll correct me and I'd like him to to set the record straight. I see no end in sight whatsoever with respect to smaller companies or larger companies needing help where VFP is an able and capable product choice. However, having said that I do think that as professionals we should - as we deem appropriate for ourselves (ie. taking responsibility) - enhance and enlarge our skill sets. Here JVP and I are in total agreement.

IOW, it is just as myopic to adopt the notion that VFP will never go away as it is to think that it will. VFP is the PC version of COBOL - it's here to stay.

>
>Because of the job market in Silicon Valley I decided to take a position with a large corporation. I am tired of working for small companies that go out of business while trying to support a family. I was warned to not mention Visual FoxPro at my new company. After working here six months I have been asked to do some testing of Visual FoxPro vs SQL Server 7.0 for number crunching. The result does not matter to me as I am being paid to accomplish what the corporation wants. In the mean time I still have my clients and keep up with the latest and greatest from Microsoft.

Sure. I find myself in a smallish startup of around 7 years of age that has just received funding where VFP will be the tool of choice for a great while. Why? We need to handle lots of static local data (on CDs) with some nominal local data plus an almost unlimited amount of remote data. For us a localized VFP desktop solution works very well. We'll migrate to SQL on the back end - most likely with a VFP-based middle backend tier and perhaps either a thick VFP-based client of a pure HTML solution at some point, though at this juncture a pure HTML solution is just too weak for our needs.

In the mean time, as we start receiving our next round(s) of funding I have the very real dilema of potentially needing some 100 low to high skill programmers - probably mostly lower - over the next couple of years.

For us VFP is an ideal product. It gives us eaxctly what we need - right now. Will that change? Probably but right now and for the forseeable future I could care less.

>
>Always be aware of what the market is doing and where technology is. Position yourself where you think you should be. No need to be frustrated if you do not loose track of reality. Just do not wake up one day and find you have to take up a new profession because “everything has passed you by”!

Sure - and I think all of us agree on this point.

>
>As President Bush said: “There are plenty of jobs at McDonalds”!
>
>Tom

<g>

Go for it. <g>