Mike...

See my in-line comments below...


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There's no question that you've done a stupendous job in your short tenure as VFP's Marketing Manager. The MSDN Magazine article really got VFP some attention with a wider than usual audience.
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For the record and without creating controversy, I think the MSDN article was committed to and perhaps in the can before Ken took over.

>The conspicuous absence of VFP from the barrage of these newsletters I receive on a weekly basis is not only a wasted opportunity, but that persistent pattern over the years has contributed more than anything else to the perception that something is seriously wrong with Microsoft's attitude toward FoxPro. So please, Ken, spice up the spam for us! I would hate to be so rude as to ask Microsoft to stop sending me these newsletters that I never even requested in the first place. It would be so much better to make them entertaining.
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Here is my take on all of this. Having Fox mentioned in the emails, pamplets, etc will serve nothing other than to make existing Fox developers feel good. The question you have to continually ask yourself is whether a given action is likely to induce existing Fox developers to upgrade to 7.0. Those are the actions you want Ken and his team focusing on. I get several emails from MS and barely read them. I used to subscribe to more but have since cancelled.

Upgrading to 7 is the key. The only developers that will upgrade are those that either use the product or are part of teams that are using the product. There will be very little influx from other sources. If there is an influx, it will be very insignficant.

In my opinion, and I know this is an opinion shared by others, a way to help ensure upgrades to 7.0 is to add things like the grid-row-highlight planned for Toledo in a service release of 7. Perhaps adding the auto-incrementing keys would be a good step too. Again, if folks don't upgrade to 7, there very well may not be an 8.

In summary, focusing on things that get people to upgrade to 7 is the key. Mentions in all of these spam emails will not cut it. Well placed magazine ads, direct email, and strategic placement in MSDN are good places to start. I for one don't want to see Ken or the rest of the team's talents get diluted with futile efforts...