Sylvain,

>>For example, Microsoft has, what, 40,000 +/- employees? How many of these are programmers? I wouldn't have a clue but I know there are a lot of support folks. Let's say 10,000?
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>I would guess much lower than that. Half that at best! I guess the vast majority of their staff is administrative, marketing (they surely have a lot of that), lawers (of course, hehehe!), sales people, and executives to make the business work. Whatever's left is split up between the various products.

Perhaps.. I guessed high but it was just a guess.

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>But, like you, I don't have a clue to the real numbers! :)

Yeah.. Maybe someone with the real numbers will post a message.

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>> That's why I think that Kylix on Linux has a real chance to be dominant on that platform.
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>I liked Pascal a lot, but I had not a chance to work with it. I had bought Delphi 1 and 3.

I have v5 and have fooled with it a tiny bit. I'll most likely upgrade to 6 as soon as I get a few extra dollars just to keep the license fresh.

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>>The next couple of years will be interesting I'd think.
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>Funny, because I remember back in college (1992 - 1995), I said that computing had lost it's appeal since it became about making money, rather than about creating something useful. Linux and the open source brings back that "creating something useful" feeling I think.

Sure. I think that this drives a lot of the Open Source movement.

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>Not that I have experienced that era myself, since I am 28 years old. But I take that feeling from what the teachers told me it was like.

*chuckle*

I turn 50 next month and I remember taking somputer classes in the late 70's.. <g>

I still enjoy the creative process and consider myself a blesses man in that regard. It's still fun to create a new piece of software to resolve an issue and I look forward to getting to work each day.