Visual FoxPro received a mention in the latest Intelligent Enterprise (July 26, 2002). The article was written by Nelson King (author of some FP/VFP books) and is titled "Visual Studio's (Dot) Net Worth, Part 2). Here is the reference:

"...consider the example of Microsoft Visual FoxPro, which is a programming language designed for database applications and highly optimized for its own database engine. Its database management features clearly distinguish Visual FoxPro from the other Microsoft languages. Including it in the .Net Framework would necessitate loading the Framework Library with many classes not supported by the other languages. So Visual FoxPro 7.0 is a spcialized development system that can use many .Net features but is no longer included in Visual Studio. In similar ways, IT shops with a diversity of projects may find it necessary to work outside of the Visual Studio .Net environment to get needed specialization."

You'll find this reference on line at http://www.intelligententerprise.com/020726/512products1_2.shtml

Analysis: Not much to say, short of thanks for the mention and I think it's a fair analysis.

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Now for something more controversial...

From the same article is the following:

"...VB programmers face a steep and unforgiving learning curve to a more disciplined — and frankly, Javalike — language. In fact, at the moment a consensus seems to be forming that most VB and C++ programmers should consider learning and using C#.

If there's a "native" language in Visual Studio .Net, it's C#. It was created specifically to work within the .Net Framework and in many ways represents the crux of Microsoft's expertise with languages. It has many Javalike elements and also many C++ elements, but programmers will find that it has its own behavior and characteristics, most of them good."

You'll find this reference online at http://www.intelligententerprise.com/020726/512products1_1.shtml

Analysis: Again, I think it's a fair analysis.

Bill Anderson