>> Woudn't be nice to make a VFP under Linux? I think it's a good ideea.
>
>You can already, kinda.
>1) Put Samba on your linux box and it will pretend to be a Windows file server.
>2) Though I've never used it, Recital has a product that allows older versions of FoxPro to run on Linux.
>
>My question though is why would you want to run VFP on Linux?

Because xbase is a good small to medium database format that still has lots of interest. VFP is the best GUI-RAD available for xbase. And, finally, lots of folks are migrating to the Linux desktop. You mentioned Recital. Their software doesn't run older versions of FoxPro. It is compatible with older versions of the xbase tables. However, they are working on and plan to release their own Linux VFP 'clone' in the 1Q of 2002.

Then, there are the GPL and/or OpenSource xbase projects that are coming along nicely. Also, there are the db components for Kylix and for KDevelop. Within the next year a lot of xbase fruit will be ready for the harvesting.


>
>For client workstations Linux is a niche OS. If you want to extend your VFP app to clients that run Linux then make your app n-tier and have them access via a browser. With this you get to cover all the Mac, BEOS and Unix shops too. The end-user cares nothing about server based OS'es, so why not use WIndows (the market leader) with VFP?
>
>For Linux market penetration stats see.
>http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2332817.html

From the article: "In fact, on the client side, Windows accounted for 87 percent of all sales in 1999, a figure that will decline to 85 percent by 2004."

This 'fact' represents a big problem with these kind of 'analyses'.

Here is the prime fact: Sales <> Installs.

First, because a box is shipped with Windows on it (something that was impossible to avoid for a long time) doesn't mean that Windows is the sole Os on it, or even remains on it.

Second, these reports only track *SALES*, and LOTS of Linux distros are not sold, they are downloaded free. Also, one distro (or ISO) copy is frequently installed on more than one PC, legally. Our $30 SuSE 6.4 distro here at work is installed on more than one PC. My SuSE distro at home is on three PCs. My prior versions of SuSE have found nice homes on PCs owned by my friends.

So, these reports tend to inflat Windows desktop AND server counts, and under report Linux installs. Don't forget, the same Linux distro can be used as either a server OS or a workstation OS, which makes counting even more difficult.