I am not sure the issue is quite that easy. If certifications were related directly to products, I would agree. For example, there is no such thing as a VB MCSD or a C++ MCSD. You are either an MCSD or you are not.

Therefore, lets try this hypothetical. Lets say that VB.Net, VFP 7, etc, is released in the third quarter of 2001. That means, based on your analysis that the current MCSD will expire in the third quarter of 2002 - 1 year from the release of the new product - Visual Studio.

By 2002, there is going to be curriculum related to VB.Net and VC.Net. VFP 7? Gee, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of VFP curriculum today...< bg >. And of course, you remember the issues involved in getting VFP 6 included in the first place. What do you think the issues are going to be with the whole .Net certification effort and the inclusion of VFP? Given the disparity of application and data models, I don't see how VFP could be included in that track.

Or, does MS make a special deal for MCSD's who took the VFP exams and extend those certifications? Seems to me that would be unfair to others who are not ready for .Net.

FWIW, I think you hit the nail on the head with respect to "replacement exams". I think that is going to be the time that VFP'ers who are currently certified, that want to remain certified - are going to have to get certified in a "replacement language"...

My advice is to those of you who care - start asking questions now and start lobbying now. Better to start early and plan - than to start late and hope.

< JVP >











>John,
>
>Currently the rules for certification are fairly simple. A cert is good until one year from the retirement of the exam. So far exams seem to retire about one year or so from the release of a new product. Given that and the expectation that .NET is about a year off from now, I would guess that current certs are good for approx three years from now, one year to get the new product, one year to get the new exam out and then a year from that for the current cert to expire. That for the MCP level.
>
>As for MCSD, well again the expiration is one year from the retirement of the current cert. That would again put us at one year to the release of .NET, another year for the new exams to be prepared, adn then one more year for the expiration of current certs. I am guessing that anyone currently MCSD certed with VFP as their core language would have a cert that is good for three more years. Plenty of time to prepare and test for replacement core exams.