>Tom,
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>>>Now, this is why I like de-coupling VFP from some of the other products. It gives it a better chance to live or die on its own. What I find disturbing is that so many people who make their living with this tool are so quick to abandon it or start their 'Chicken Little' routine where the sky is falling! <g> Apparently these folks have no faith in the very product they use nor the company that sells it to them. Self fullfilling prophecy time perhaps?
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>>Doug;
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>>One thing not discussed is how long was Visual FoxPro "in the box"? If I remember correctly, VFP was included with Visual Studio 97, along with Visual C++, VB, etc. So it would seem that VFP was in the box for three years? That is 1997 to 2000. Now it is no longer a part of Visual Studio. Did anything great happen while it was in the box? Hard to say - and now we are once again "free"! Somehow VFP 3.0 sold even though it was on its own, but then all Microsoft development tools were at that point.
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>>You might call exclusion of VFP from Visual Studio a "Marketing Strategy". In which case is is obvious that Microsoft is in fact doing some marketing with this development tool. If Microsoft was not interested in VFP, it would just remain "in the box", and we could wait perhaps six months to a year before seeing the new product!
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>>Tom
>
>
>Well, I could see taking VFP out of the box both as a negative or a positive event. I'd agree that being in the box only provided marginal benefit by perhaps exposing VFP to the masses. Guess we'll just have to see...

I think being "in the box" was VERY benefitial. My last employer sold their product as a Visual Studio product and the marketing folks had heard some negative things with FoxPro being dead.

I do understand the current situation of VFP not being included with VS.NET. I just hope that MSFT can do some major marketing and spin control for the people who still think that VFP is dead.