>Hi all - I know this has been covered before... am I right in thinking that in a multi user environment it is better to create apps were there are multiple .exe's on the local PCs looking at the same data on the server?
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It may not be necessary to have multiple .exe's; I would think one .exe would be enough in most cases. But you are correct, it is more effective to have the .exe installed on each client. Two advantages: performance (less network traffic), and easier to update the .exe file.

You can use a launcher program to help with the 2nd advantage. Here is Nick's:

http://www.levelextreme.com/wconnect/wc.dll?FournierTransformation~2,54,Forum=5,28,1186

>I have installed other apps where you do the first installation on the server, then you go around all the PCs and install the client - the question is... how is this done - does the client installer write something to the registry that you read from Foxpro when a user starts the app or what?
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It is not necessary to "install" the appliation on the server. However, it is necessary to have the data on the server, and to have the .exe (and other necessary files) on the server if you are going to use a launcher. Using the setup program for the first install on each client is usually recommended, as it ensures the VFP runtimes are on the client, and it also makes sure that any additional files (such as ActiveX controls) are properly installed on the client.

All that said, for many applications you can copy the VFP runtimes to each client yourself and get the job done.