Thank you for your recommendations, Jozef. Actually, this app could live without transactions so your comments are very useful.

>If your application is simple and you can give up using VFP transactions - I think it will be more stable if you give up DBC (KISS rule). If you can - do not use memo fields. If you can - open data files in exclusive mode.
>If your application is really simple there are no downside from user point of view. There is a downside from programmer point of view only IMHO.
>
>In a future you can always start using DBC if you will have to.
>
>>I am writing a small gradebook app that will be distributed widely and needs to be almost bomb proof. In this case, could free tables be a better choice than tables in a DBC since I don't need long names or stored procedures? What is the downside?