I was just reading this thread and thought I'd add my 2c (+G.S.T/P.S.T. :))
I don't know how true this is, but I heard that .NET had a lot of input from Delphi's designer that "migrated" to M$.?!?...
Looking at Delphi, I see a mature, rich language which I would seriously consider as an alternative to VFP (VB seems like one giant step backward).

In the same vein.. Why can't (M$, hope you're listening) the commands, functions, indexing system of VFP, all those wonderful things we've all grown to love, be incorporated into .NET languages? That would benefit all and convince us die-hard VFP-ers to embrace the transition. I'm sure that if we felt that the alternative to VFP was >= VFP, we'd be more amenable to Billy's grand scheme.