Kevin,

I'll try to clarify the purpose of this thread. I did not set out to rehash the debate on "is FoxPro dead/dying". As far as I'm concerned, it is a given that VFP is in serious trouble. I'm seeking a remedy, and I would very much prefer it if people would try to look at this calmly and sensibly, without the usual bickering and personal exchanges.

So the central point does not get lost, let me be clear: there is another level to which this dispute can be raised - the issue of flagrant abuse of monopoly power. I want to make it absolutely clear to Microsoft that this broader issue is on the table, and their perpetuation of the present strategy would be highly unwise.

A lot of people are resigned to accepting whatever sort of crap MS wants to dish out. "If MS says the future is .NET, it will come to pass.", "If you don't like it, lump it.", "Microsoft is entitled to make whatever decision they like in the name of corporate profit." I wish to persuade Microsoft that their judgment has been clouded, and their actions are not only needlessly hurtful to their customers, but they do nothing to serve the interests of their own shareholders.

If push comes to shove, Microsoft will not be spared the embarassment of exposing this debate to a much wider venue. The breadth of the discussion and issues at stake will be far greater than the puny little world of Visual FoxPro. My suggestion, therefore, is that they come along quietly and surrender to reason, before this stinking mess becomes a textbook case.

Nothing will get solved? Don't be so sure. Microsoft's greatest power is its marketing clout. But marketing is about persuasion and perception. Open discussion and free speech can be very effective weapons against the abuse of marketing power.

Mike

>Michael
>
>Don't take this the wrong way, but I think a post like this will cause serious conflict among the majority of people in the UT.
>
>I think the result will be a lot p*ssed off people b*itching at each other for days on end, nothing will get solved.
>
>Kev
>
>>There is a widely held view that VFP has been in decline for a long time, and its future is surely in doubt. That is certainly my impression, but I know there are some who disagree. I'm not going to argue this point.
>>
>>If you accept that there exists a serious problem, that leaves the question of what you can or should do about it. Perhaps we are powerless to resist Microsoft's determination to dictate the future. In that case, let us be herded like sheep into the .NET corral. Who are we to think that we can exert one iota of influence upon the almighty Microsoft marketing machine?
>>
>>Consider this question: do you believe that Microsoft's reluctance to market FoxPro is the cause of its decline, or the effect? Does it matter? I think so.
>>
>>In a free market economy, companies are entitled to make their own choices about which products to promote and which ones to kill. But when a single company or cartel dominates an entire market segment, the picture changes. Actions that might otherwise be regarded as permissible discretionary decisions become overt, monopolistic market manipulations. The world has never before seen a monopoly of such magnitude, and it came about so fast, one has to wonder whether the plodding forces of government can ever catch up.
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>>If this sounds like a rather grim view of things, don't get me wrong. The further that Microsoft carries its abuses, the more those abuses are exposed, the sooner the situation will rectify itself. When it comes down to a battle between propaganda vs free speech, I'll put my money on the latter. Keep it up, Microsoft! You'll be doing us all a big favor, one way or another.