Doug

>>you should realize that most of us [leaders] have *way* more contact with MS than people see in public forums. Believe me, the "tip of the iceberg" analogy really applies here. We are a very vocal group and have made it clear to MS what we and the entire VFP community want and expect from them.<<

Yes, so we keep hearing. The message seems to be "We leaders have a relationship with microsoft that is very special and not available to you others. We have told everything important to Microsoft already, so there is no need for you to tell them again."

I do not follow the logic.

Special relationships may be cool, but they obviously have not yielded the expected result for most people outside the special group. You may have told things to MS but they have not acted the way most people might like.

A new approach seems logical if the old way has not worked.

The "leaders" need to decide whether they are leaders of the community or an independent elite. There is a real groundswell of opinion here that should not be ignored or opposed by those who say they are leaders. No I am not referring to you; you have fronted up and said your piece which is the action of a responsible leader. Others say they oppose the idea for "secret" reasons. That's sophistry and a very bad sign IMHO that leaders forget how they get to be that way- it isn't by secrecy and blocking public opinion.

Regards

JR