George..

On a pure technical basis, many arguments can be constructed that validate the feeling that VFP is in an enviable position. These arguments are mostly klinged to by people from the inside. For the most part - the business - and quite frankley the technical world as well - are not ruled by "technical" concerns...

Looking from the outside-in and looking at where the world of technology is going along with the 5 year trend of where VFP has gone, the argument that VFP, or Delphi, dBase 2000 for that matter - are in an enviable position is difficult - if not impossible to accept.

As recently as the past day or so, folks are still complaining that MS itself fails to list VFP in a list of other MS development tools.

As far as Ken's comments are concerned, the key thing to keep in mind is that is his job. I don't doubt for one moment that he believes what he says. But, to translate what he says into a fact that the world of VFP is brighter now or that the product is in an "enviable" position, I cannot go that far. If VFP was in the enviable position that some believe it to be in, the trends you see would be different.

I look at VS .NET and the entire .NET framework and tools like SQL Server - and then I look at VFP. On one hand, I like to use VFP and I think it is a powerful tool. Technically, I see it as a fine tool to work with. On the other hand, I look at the world as a whole and the types of applications that customers are demanding and require - I see other solutions like VS .NET and applications of that mind set and architecture filling the need much better. If I had to build a desktop app - I would choose VFP. But, the world at large has progressed to a different level. This is not to say that plenty of opportunities exist for desktop/LAN-based applications - there are. But, it is safe to say that as a % of all development - it accounts for less and less of the market. If this were not the case, MS and other companies would embrace the market. The fact is in the aggregate, the market has declined.

IMO, it is about separating one's personal and subjective views from the objective world. This is a hard thing to do - especially in this community where emotions can run high.

Simply my opinion. It is neither right or wrong - it simply is........