Mark

The market is segmented. Examples include a set of customers with occasional reporting needs, those needing standard business tools, corporations needing mission-critical stock and management tools, vertical markets like health and insurance.

For many needs, Access isn't a bad choice. dotNET would be a lousy choice for a middle-manager who wants to record courier delivery times and produce monthly reports. Access would be fine, as would Excel. For hospitals, Access is not regarded as suitable for anything that is needed to provide acute care. If you use a C/S database, IME Hospital IT depts care less about the front end because they maintain the server and data. VFP is fine.

VFP has been a rare beast in managing to keep a presence in all these segments. To be honest, VFP isn't the best choice for the casual user with reporting needs. It can (and does) do a great job in vertical markets like health, insurance.

So: the fact that VFP is not compared to Paradox or Access in magazines need not be a concern for everybody. Those who use VFP for this purpose might be well advised to become an Excel, Crystal or Access guru.

The ongoing presentation as VFP as a frontend only to its own local tables is more of a concern. But most questions I see lately relate to backend database options. Some of the open source databases are becoming important options for big business. VFP allows us to answer "yes" if asked whether our product can work with that backend.

There are developers out there developing exclusively for SQL Server, using SQL Stored Procedures and/or dotNET. Soon you will be able to write SQL Server SP in your dotNET language. The distinction between development tool and database is being reduced, yielding many of the advantages that drew us to FP, but your choices of backend are also reduced if you write backend-specific SP and you have to answer "no" when asked about backends like SQLAnywhere.

Other developers are designing backend-independent apps. for them, VFP remains an excellent choice. Use of RV allows us to use just about any backend.

My point: we should expect VFP to decline in certain market segments. In other segments it remains an excellent choice. Those with good existing business in a particular segment should consider their options to ensure their preference for VFP matches customer need. And for those who do need to move, dotNET is not the automatic answer as suggested by some here. Access might be better. Excel might be better. Kylix might be better if the segment is standardising on Linux.

Regards

JR