>Gosh I hate to even bring this up...
>
>A potential client (who also happens to be a big FoxPro fan) expressed some concern the other day because "one of the guys at the Microsoft booth at comdex told him Microsoft would be discontinuing VFP because it wasn't .NET compatible."
>
>There isn't any official word to verify that is there? It seems like somebody from microsoft tells somebody that VFP is going to be discontinued at least once at about every conference.
>
>Anybody know what's on the roadmap beyond VFP8?

Maybe Microsoft should email a memo to it's entire .NET sales force? MS is so big and [sometimes] numbers are hard to make. It would be easy, especially when there is no VFP booth in the hall, to change the conversation from, "Tell me about Foxpro", to "I guess I better listen to your VS NET pitch". THEY'LL BY BOTH! WHATS THE BIG DEAL? There are a lot of VFP SQL (and others) solutuins out there. MS should have a VFP booth at all these shows. Maybe if the Fox team built a pricey VFP release that had the label "DBA and Net Work Administrator Edition" on the shrinkwrap <s> and offered high dollar 5 day seminars in Palm Springs, we could see some sales generated. Give them a reason spend!

But really, the Fox team should insist that any MS sales operation include a little PR for the Fox! It's not gonna hurt the VS NET force to have a little VFP banner somewhere, is it? MS needs to nuture alliances between VFP and the other revenue centers.

If Microsoft cannot budget a PR person for their traveling road shows, then maybe, just send a VFP PR kit along with the team, and make arrangements through local FUG's to have a body there, making the pitch, handing out brochures and taking numbers. Some colleges have VFP course work, but not enough - MS needs to help us do something about that, also. The market price for VFP is awfully low. Stop with the rebates already, well, except for mine!

RANT OFF