>>You should be pleased to know that today I ordered my copy of the VFP 7 upgrade. I'll tell you why: because I just learned that the VFP7 debugger includes a major improvement in its ability to reveal the inner workings of COM objects, like ActiveX controls. If there were not a single other improvement in VFP 7 over VFP 6, that feature by itself would have made me rush to get the upgrade a long time ago, had I known about it. Vlad G deserves the credit for having finally made this crystal clear in an offhand remark (message 649009).
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>The debugger shows the inter workings of COM/ActiveX object in the debugger through the new VFP 7.0 IntelliSense, looking at property values just as Vlad's message you refer to states. When I first read the start of your message where you say you just ordered VFP7, I thought you were joking. For someone who spent a great deal of time in the past giving negative feedback to Microsoft about marketing VFP, I'm surprised that it took you 9 months after the release of VFP 7.0 to decide to upgrade. Being vocal and protesting brings a small amount of attention, but it is VFP sales and upgrades that determine the amount of resources allocated to the Fox team and VFP marketing here at Microsoft. I hope you enjoy working with VFP 7.0, I'm sure you will find many more great new features as you start developing and reading the documentation.

Ken,

I can see that you really don't understand me, and I certainly don't pretend to understand you. I'm sorry that you perceive much of what I've said as "negative", but if you look closely, you'll see that I've always tried to be polite and constructive. It would be a mistake to take my criticism of Microsoft's behavior personally. In every instance, I have attempted to present a rational argument why it would be in Microsoft's best business interest to follow my advice.

If you are surprised that I just ordered my VFP 7 upgrade, you should re-read carefully what I and others have said, because the reasons have been clearly presented. I even offered a suggestion about correcting the oversight of failing to mention what I consider the most compelling reason for upgrading. It is you who should take responsibility for being persuasive, not I who owe anything more to Microsoft. I am not the enemy, Ken, I'm the customer and a strong supporter of VFP.

There was never any doubt that I intended to upgrade, when it suited my schedule and best interests. I'm sure I will enjoy the new features, and I expect to continue finding VFP to be a terrific, high-quality product, which is why I became a devoted user in the first place. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if I run across a few more bugs. If I report those bugs, am I being negative? It is not a healthy attitude to look at things this way.

I am looking forward to getting VFP 7, because I expect it to be a big help to me in my software development efforts. I hope you, the rest of the VFP team, and Microsoft will continue providing the kind of support and serious commitment that the entire FoxPro community deserves.

Mike