I guess what I am really trying to say is that VFP has implicit features, like select for/where, bindings , insert into and tableupdate. For reading data and presenting queries, these guys are great. Implicit functions tend to force me to think of a single table form.
Witing data back, with expicit service like seek, replace (and others) [seem to] offer a little more speed (at least in my context), a little less overhead (systems that rely on implicit features seem to have indexes on every field; while explicit usage tends to only index "pointer" fields) in CDX and a reduction in temporary [or flash] cursors to contain the "select" returns. Its easier to associate muti-table interfaces with explicit syntax (at least for me).
The more explicit the code, it seems, the easier it is to isolate a problem and work around it. I would not know a VFP bug if it bit me in the face. I am surprised when others talk about VFP bugs. I am amazed that VFP works at all! It does so many things in so many ways! All that power and versatility: those guys on the fox team must have been jugglers in a previous life!
But bugs and index issues - rarely - if ever! But I use explicit syntax wherever I can.
RANT OFF
Imagination is more important than knowledge