>I would like to know more about these two Visual FoxPro-based products from developers who have worked with them.
>
>Questions:
>
>(1) What is the market now for accounting software? There was a time when SBT FoxPro developers made quite a premium in contract wages; I believe that day is gone.
>
>(2) Do either of these vendors sell their internal Visual and Non-Visual Class libraries, or do they only give an application class layer?
>
>(3) How are these companies doing financially? What is their market share? With even large companies going belly up, we can't be too careful these days.
>
>I may have other questions later, but maybe this is enough to get the ball rolling.
>
>Cecil
>
>Email at work: cecil@constdata.com

Cecil,

Having been an SBT reseller (Vision Point 2000 vintage) and now working in an organization that does a great deal of Visual AccountMate sales and modification. I have not looked at AccPac since SBT sold out, but must admit that I prefer VAM. I've had the opportunity to work directly with the AccountMate development and support staff in and out of the Novato, CA office. We also have some very experienced VAM professionals on our staff.

AccountMate has a very strong product. The latest VAM/SQL version 5 (VFP 6) offering is quite nice. Version 6 (VFP 7) of the SQL product should be released soon. I strongly recommend attending a modification class as the product is complex. Code for all the SQL stored procedures is included by default. Form and report code is supplied when you purchase the source code. They do not offer source code to the core system manager classes but once you get a handle on the way the framework behaves, learn the forms, toolbars and some of their handy functions, modification becomes much easier. Documentation is fair.

AccountMate is now owned by Softline out of South Africa and they have hired a number of key people from SBT (David Dirke and David Render). I have not looked at AccPac since SBT sold out but see Amate as only getting better.

Hope this helps,