>Good point... It is all speculation. I do think that the basis upon which I make my speculations are pretty good. Ken Levy himself has stated up here on more than one occasion that I indeed have a clue about the marketplace in general and as it pertains to Fox and the Fox product itself.
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>>I think what ticks Steve off is that others that feel like him don't take me on. FWIW, I think they either don't care or realize that what I have put out can't be disputed.<<

OK I'm going to bite here, and give my take on things. I will start with a disclaimer: I am not trying to step in the middle of any arguments between you and anyone, just stating my opinion and observations on what you have to say in this message.

FWIW I try as much as I can to stay away from "opinion" threads, especially those that imply visions of the future and what people should or should not do. I do try to stay informed and learn about the new things by reading technical magazines and web sites, so I can concoct a clearer opinion on the beat of the industry. But frankly I doubt that what is exposed in these prediction or marketplace threads can be qualified as indisputable. That would require some sort of hard evidence which I do not believe has been presented. And for sure you realize anything that anyone says, even you, can be disputed upon. I don't know any interesting facts about the lawyerly profession, but I would presume this is probably one of the basic concepts.

I would speculate that this is one of Steve's complaints, that stuff that can't be verified or is a matter of opinion is constantly pounded, spinned, split-haired and otherwise passed as fact.

>That does not mean that my predictions are going to come true. Rather, it simply means that my observations are rationally based and the inferences I make from those observations are rational as well. Tactics that involve name calling, threats, etc cannot change that.
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>It is a shame because Steve and I used to be friends. This bad era started when I would continually promote Data Clas. The accusation was that I had a "pecuniary" interest and that it was not ethical for me to promote the product without full disclosure. Both Paddock and Duffy came up here to clear the record that I had zero interest in DataClas/VFP. To this date, Steve has not recanted. For a guy who lobs ethical charges, it seems to me that ethical people stand up and hold themselves accountable when they are wrong. I have always tried to do this myself.
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I find it ironic that the very same tactics that you have used in the past with those that did not agree with you are being leveled against you, sort of poetic justice. I do not know what went on between you and Steve, but having been around here for almost 4 years gives me a different perspective than what you account for here.

>To give you an idea just how nuts all of this has become, a few years ago, if you asked Steve about me, he would tell you that I was somebody you should listen to. My posts and threads were always marked as must-reads by him. He may deny all of this now, but he had a rather high opinion of me. Almost over night, I went from being a peer to being somebody who had marginal skills and who could not be trusted. I guess the modus operandi is that if you cannot tear the technical argument down, you do the next best thing and tear the person down. My technical skills have not diminished and I am the same person I was 2,3, or 5 years ago. Maybe I am a little smarter and not as idealistic. >>IAC, it conflicts with Steve's world view and he has decided that he is going to play the role of St. Patrick and drive the rats (AKA ME!!) out of Ireland (AKA, THIS COMMUNITY).<<
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Again, a taste of your own soup. Remember Edward Pikman? One fine day you thought yourself as the higher-standards-savior of the UT and blasted Ed for his answers. Everybody else but yourself thought he was helpful. It went on for several days until he chose to stop participating here.

(anyone who wants to know Edward Pikman's record here can refer to the top 50 posters report in the VFP forum)

>Personally, I think Steve has a lot of problems, personal, professional, or whatever. He does not speak or react with the lucidity he has shown in the past. In spite of all this, I still think Steve is an OK guy. I have asked him to knock off the personal and professional threats. I did tell him that if they start becoming credible, I will use every legal means at my disposal to put an end to that. I do still discount a lot of what is going on because quite frankley, I don't think he is playing with a full deck right now. FWIW, I think I have cut and am cutting tremendous amounts of slack...
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So in the why people who feel like Steve don't take you on you can jot me down under the "don't care" types. It's just healthier this way, that is my choice.