>>This is one of my favorite VFP functions to comment on.
>>
>>6 It is not as powerful / Features as Postgresql + VFP, but you can expect it
>> to be better in many ways than using VFP tables.
>>
>>Bob Lee
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>I'm considering using VFP with a backend of MySQL. Does anyone have any comments?
>>>John
>
>Bob, John,
>
>I suppose this is a safe place to expose my disappointment with VFP's multi-user data handling abilities.
>
>After 16 years of the Fox and dbf files, I for one would be happy to NEVER again have a client call with reindexing problems. If it's not files that -need- to be reindexed, it's file handles that aren't released when the application fails for some reason...and the files can't be opened exclusively.
>
>Yes, I confess, my Fox applications crash on occasion...depending I think on moon-phase. And, more often than I'd care to admit, the application (or Windoze) leaves file handles open to one or more of the dbf files. If the computer locks up (Windoze again) and no one is using it at the moment...or if there's a power outage...or someone flips the power switch off. My primary application has 20 users pounding away 9 hours a day. I guess if you compare the total-number-of-hours-active to the failures, the percentage is low. I just wish it were a non-issue.
>
>All that to say that while I love the other 99.99% of VFP, in my experience, multi-user access to the same data files is fraught with peril. Especially when you get above 10 active users. My choice is for a good data manager/server that will arbitrate data access instead of the "serve yourself" buffet approach with dbf files.
>
>Hey, I feel better already.
>
>Mike

I echo your sentiments. They are one reason why my apps don't use the DBC, I don't subclass the controls, nor do I use any objects. As a result, when 15 folks are pounding data into one of my 23 executables I rarely get a crash, and only on two occasions in the last three years has a index corrupted. And, only two tables out of over 200 have a memo or general field in it. But, my biggest complaint with VFP is the weakness of its SQL language.
JLK