>>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).
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>Do you see VFP going down? Implications of converting existing apps to Delphi?
>

I am not privy to Billy's crystal ball.. I just meant that, if I had my choice of an anternative language to VFP, it would be Delphi.

>>
>>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.
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>Sounds good. More than being VFP die-hards - I think people would be more interested in being producitve with newer technology that seamlessly integrates their current knowledge into the newer areas. IOW, why should one spend time on learning a totally new language? Or should people really learn another one? Delphi anyone?

I went through embracing dBase, foxbase, clipper vs Foxbase, VFP. I was especially partial to Clipper for a while, but when foxpro and then VFP provided better performance/functionality, I never looked back (I still think Clipper allowed me to create the best solution in a DOS environment where memory resourses were at a premium).
I think that most of us would be willing to migrate to a path that embraced functionality that we are used to and expect. Why, we do that every time we eagerly assimilate a new version of VFP.
Looking at this from a non-VFP-er's perspective... Do you think that VFP's functionality would not be welcome to .NET? It would add a radically new dimension to the "other" M$ languages. ...It may also be a refreshing surprise for their users.
I beleive that the best way to convert programmers from one language to another is to, at the minimum, obviate the differences between them.

Oops, excuse me, I just fell of the soap box...:)