Hey all,

The company I work for (a crop insurance concern) is in preliminary stages to settle on a toolset and platform for our "next-generation" systems (3-5 years out). Yesterday we had a meeting to discuss the first draft of a development tool criteria list. The list compared VFP, Visual Basic 6.0, VisualStudio.NET, and Java tools. VFP had been given the lowest rating in criteria "Vendor Commitment" and "Future Life Span of Toolset". Even Visual Basic 6.0 was a couple notches higher in those categories.

When I asked about why VFP fared worse than what was essentially a terminated tool (VB 6.0), I was told quickly and unequivocally that the next version of VFP (8.0) would be the last version of VFP, and that 8.0 would be coming out in about 18 months (that sounded about right). Our top IT officers and some consultants (PlaNet Consulting out of Omaha, NE) who are helping out with the analysis had talked with Microsoft officials in the area very recently and had been told quite certainly that VFP 8.0 was the final iteration.

With that in mind, it would be easy to see why VFP fared so poorly on some of the bullet points -- in fact, some may have been too generous. So, the bottom line (as always) is whether or not VFP is going to be discontinued. We have all heard rumors from consultants, other developers, the Gartner Group. etc. that VFP is not a viable position for the future, but I hadn't heard of Microsoft personnel directly, flatly stating that the next version of VFP would be the last.

I don't know for sure what MS folks the gang spoke with, only that they were based in Omaha and that they weren't simply a vendor, but a true MS client contact. Ken L, if you are reading, I can get you e-mail addresses of our CIO, etc. so you can get more information and/or tell them the correct information they need to make this decision.

I am not a VFP zealot. I like the tool and think it has a lot to offer, but if we decide on a different tool, that is fine with me. What I DO want is to have an accurate comparison among all the tools so that we make the right decision as a company.

If anyone has any concrete evidence concerning VFP's demise (or lack thereof) I would love to hear it, and if anyone can speak with total authority, I might even ask that you drop a line to our CIO (he was all for getting the straight scoop on this and is open to direct contact) to make sure accurate information gets to the right folks.

I can be reached at sutekh@dwx.com.

Thanks for your time!

Sincerely,
Joe Kaufman