>Customer.Name
>
>can not be typed at compile time. In fact, this could change after compilation. So this would never work.

Not the greatest point in that respect because DataSets and dynamic fields work exactly like that although the syntax is different and it would require a cast:

string Name = (string) drCustomer["Name"];

There's nothing that would preclude a compiler fixing up Company.String to translate into something like the above and performing the type fixup.

But I agree on the other points. A VFP language in .Net just doesn't make any sense to me. It would be nice if we could get it, but if we have to chose between keeping a 'native' version and a .Net version I think we should be happy to still have a decent non-.Net development tool that we can use to build plain Windows applications with that aren't straddled with the .Net baggage.

Of course as .Net gets more ingrained into Windows that may change and hte need for a pure Windows solution will become much less of an issue. But right now deploying .Net Windows Forms applications is not for the light hearted in terms of hardware and software requirement especially for anybody building shrink wrap applications.


+++ Rick ---