Hi Rod,

>> Exactly what is unconscionable about telling people to invest in their futures ?

Nothing wrong with that. But that's not what you said.

What's unconscionable is the undertone, "...while time is on their side", and "...while they still have work". The implication being crystal clear: Invest in this particular immature technology now before it's too late.


**--** Steve



>Hey Steve,
>
>
>>>Conversely, my view is that VFP developers who do this are probably headed >>for a very crowded and captive space where returns will surely be lower >>than industry average.
>Yes VFP people will be entering a market that has lots of people. Not too sure what the problem is here. There WILL be a lot of work in this space so I'm not too sure what the problem with learning a new platform is. No matter what your feelings are .NET is MSFT's future and VFP people need to be educated on this platform.
>
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>>>Not saying .NET isn't cool, just saying don't believe everything you see >>on TV.
>I was not saying I believe everything I see on TV. Just making the point that the MSFT machine is marketing this pretty heavy and all developers should take notice.
>
>>>For the vast majority of people, avoiding the early pioneering costs is >>the better tactic, and this means not blindly thinking you have to act now >>because "time is on your side" or, worse, "while they still have work". >>That's a borderline unethical pronouncement, which leads me to ask, Rod, >>give me a single example where not being exposed to version one software >>has hurt anybody.
>
>I don't believe that I was recommending people blindly move into .NET. I am just saying. What I am saying is that developers better invest time in this learning this technology while time is on their side. I don't see where recomending that people invest in their futures is unethical. Developers should always be learning new technologies, else they go the way of the mainframe programmers.
>
>As for people getting hurt using verison 1 software: I believe a lot of people moved into Visual FoxPro 3.0 when it shipped. Was this not a version one development platform ? Isn't Visual Studio .NET a paradigm shift like VFP 3.0 was ?
>
>>>What you are telling people is "Act Now!" before anyone can identify >>the .NET rookie mistakes. That's unconscionable. All this does is flock >>innocent people, people who respect your opinion, towards expensive and >>potentially client ruining escapades based on mediocre books, mediocre >>training, and mediocre software engineering. The level of insight into >>applications with .NET is very low, and this isn't something we can just >>wish away like a billion dollars can wish away vital parts a development >>tool's lifecycle.
>
>Yes I believe people should act now. I think people can safely implement .NET solutions now and not waste their time doing so. What I recommended is picking a small piece of their application and implementing it in .NET ( I used a .NET web service as an example). This will reduce their risk while increasing their learning experience.
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>Exactly what is unconscionable about telling people to invest in their futures ?
>
>If I were to summarize my position it would be as follows: I would recommend people begin the process of investigating developing applications in Visual Studio .NET. I prefer a hands on experience because this is, in my opinion, the best way to learn.
>
>Thanks
>Rodman