Hi All,

I'm just starting a new job -and moved coast to coast from CA to FL-, my actual company have a big system, basically a foxbase app used around the country in 400+ locations compiled in VFP 5.0, FoxPro DOS and FoxPro UNIX.
The code is mostly FoxBase prgs with some little cosmetic enhancements when compiled in VFP (branching code using _windows, _unix, _dos) but all in all totally character based.
The programs are old style @ x,y SAY, @ x,y GET and then READ, "do you want to ..." questions, redrawing of the screen, then more @ x,y GETs updating fields here and there, tons of public vars, obviously free tables only, etc.

The company have also a very nice and newer VB-SQL server version, and it was
expected that eventually all clients will move to it... But that's not the case, 3 years after the new system was created, still the Fox system is keeping 2/3 of the clientele, and they want inprovements too... Does this sound interesting to you, Ken? :)

I'm enthusiastic about my new position, this is a mayor challenge and I do like mayor challenges :), I know fox from foxbase, I'm current in VFP, OOP, some Web Connection and have been reading and have understood (but don't have any working experience with) concepts about ASP, SOAP, Web Services.
I do understand very well the n tier concepts as we were working like that 12 years ago in mainframe/pcs environments using COBOL, C for the UI, and whatever database/data store was available then, passing ascii text betw tiers, just like now XML is used. I have my own 3 tiered VFP framework. Buying a commercial framework may be considered too.

But now, what do I do? <g>

The good news are DOS and UNIX support will not longer be available, only the "Windows" version will be supported.
A mayor facelift is then possible and expected as well as WEB access.
Management have heard about VFP7 and XML and Web services and are very excited.

There are 10 years+ man/hours in this application, it is solid and does very well what it does. There is a lot of good code/reports/know how that -I guess- can be salvageable.

A complete rewrite is not posible. I'm not sure (just 4 days here) if I can refactor the programs to isolate UI, validations, and biz logic in them, which seems the best course of action and then write a new Win/WEB UI.
Even if that's possible, I need from your enlightened combined experience and wisdom on how to attack this, how/where to begin, where to go, what to use for web development (WC, ASP+COM, Web services?) etc.

Have somebody in the forum done something alike?
Am I crazy on taking this challenge? <bg>.

Thanks in advance for all your input and advice, please comment all you can, I'll be reading, I'll start new threads as you guys advise, I'll answer all questions.

Max