>
>Well, look..
>
>Here's how I see this.
>
>1) The product will continue.
>
>2) The product will not continue.
>
>With or without the marketing.
>
>I dare say that the folks at Microsoft knows our thoughts and feelings here, don't you think? ANd, just to make sure you know, I'd like to see more monies spent on real marketing. <g>
>
>Now, do you see any other choices? If you do, I'd very much like to know what they are.
>
>Ok.. If you can accept that then the next question that (in both cases) I'd like to have you answer if you dould is this:
>
>What are you going to do to respond to this?
>
>All I'm really interested in is the simple answer to that question. I'd like to know.

Doug,

Respond to what? The fact that Foxpro will continue or not continue - with or without the marketing? Is that what you want me to respond to?

If so, here's my answer: I don't think it makes a darned bit of difference what I do about it, but here's my little contribution. I will continue to preach that VFP is a viable development tool - very powerful and flexible - and this preaching will be directed to the under/over-educated yahoos who eat all the slop they are fed by the likes of the Gartner Group. I will back this up with the applications that I develop with it. And I will never, ever get tired of having to defend VFP darned near every time it comes up in a conversation with so-called 'experts' who don't know a single thing about it.

If VFP lives, I'll continue to use it because I think it is an excellent tool - if it doesn't I'll use something else. I think the common emotion throughout this thread is that those of us who use the product know what a powerful tool it is. And we're frustrated that the company that owns it does (in my opinion), a poor job of selling it. Having said that, VFP is Microsoft's product and I guess they can do whatever they want with it.

As far as responding to you - all I was doing was responding to your perception that people were panicking. Like I said, I don't see that, I just see folks like me who enjoy making a decent living using this tool that are disappointed that the company that produces and sells this tool seems intent on keeping VFP as its best kept secret. Simple as that. It would be easier to digest if VFP was a weak or inferior product - but I don't think that it is.

VFP will, as you said, either live or not live. However, you comment that this will happen "with or without the marketing" is, I think, off base. No matter how good a tool VFP is, if the only people who are aware of this are those of that use it - it has no chance to gain a wider user base. The IT world has been so inundated with DOTNET marketing and hype (have they released Beta 2 yet?) that VFP seems to have been lost in the shuffle.

>
>Not to pick on you

Could have fooled me.

>1) These folks need me to validate their view so they can feel better about themselves. Ain't going to happen as they should carry their own emotional water.

I don't need you or anybody else to validate any of my views. We'll, perhaps my wife from time to time but that is an entirely different story ..