Join the group! :o) There is a major customer base for VFP out there that is still going strong. We have several commercial apps out there. Our clients consist of over 700 independent insurance agencies in the SouthEast for one product and greater than 500 for another. All apps except two are in FPD26 and VFP7. We are currently in the process of expanding into the Central States and North East as well. Only two apps are in Delphi. As had been stated before on the UT, the majority of the VFP developers do not visit the forums. I am the only one in my shop that regularly visits the UT and I was also the only one at my previous job. The UT is an invaluable resource for developers, but when the company won't foot the bill, it falls onto the programmer. Since I also develop personally on the side, it is well worth the cost to me.

Tracy

>>I haven't used BDE sorry. Exactly, that's why High-End DB came into the picture to address these issues. And so, my opinion of DBF being unreliable is still correct. Why? High-End databases solve the problem.
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> Just because a high-end DB server like SQL Server or Oracle is MORE reliable than a desktop databases doesn't automatically mean the desktop db is UNreliable. It all depends on how you are using it.
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>>>And anyway, if you don't like it you can always use SQL Server, and in more ways than one (RV's or SPT).
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>>Exactly that's what we did.
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>>>This can't POSSIBLY be considered a negative compared to VB, you have to do the exact same thing! Data HANDLING commands and functions put VFP head and shoulders above VB.
>>Again, I've seen large app done in VB/SQL Server and it performs above par. Proficiency of a specific tool is the name of the game I think, not exactly the tool itself. While maybe some tool are superior than the other, it doesn't mean your app is successful if you use the superior one.
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> If proficiency of the tool is the name of the game than VFP is still way ahead when it comes to data driven apps. If you meant proficiency of the developer in his her or her tool of choice, that's a different story. I'd have to say the skill level of the developer has a lot more to do with the success of an application than the actual tool.
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>>>2 years ago we did NO application development at my company. I was busy working on Citrix and other neat stuff. Today, I am working on my third VFP app for the third client we are developing applications for.
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>>VFP Third app all?
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> For a company that is still primarily a networking company - Citrix, Netware, NT, Cisco, etc., having done 3 programming projects to date IS a big deal. Notwithstanding the fact that the first one has been the most profitable project ever completed by the company in its 17 year history, I feel quite proud of my accomplishment. And considering that prior to the start of the first project, the owner was not in favor of taking on application development, but we are now at the point of considering making it a seperate department, and the sales department is actively looking for new opportunities, I think I have done quite well.
> It's not my third app that I have ever written, I have been programming since the introduction of the TRS-80 Model I, using xBase since using dBase II under CP/M on my TRS-80 Model 4, and Fox products since first introduced to Foxbase+/Mac.
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>>Because they don't mind about the future of the language you use. They don't have a clue what's happening in the software development arena. Our bread and butter apps are purely done in VFP but I can't blame those IT managers who critical about the language used if they have 2nd thought of getting us. Believe me, a lot of IT managers are just like that...
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> So far, no resistence. Another reason I think the predicted doom for VFP is premature is that one of our core client markets, the independent insurance agencies, run literally dozens of spplications fromt he verious large insurance companies to do ratings. More often than not, when looking under the hood, you se DBFs and a VFP runtime. They may not be huge line of business applications but there are lots of them and they are used by lots of people. Who and where are the people who write these apps? I don't see them posting here, but they are out there.
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> Randy