Sorry for bringing up something that people will take personally. It was honestly not intended as a cheap shot.

From what I have observed, this recent mess has brought up a lot of anger and ill-will in the old FoxPro development community. More to the point, it brought up some pretty negative memories on my part about what happened nearly a decade ago over a misunderstanding and subsequent imbroglio that preceeded Rettig's death. Perhaps my recollection is just plain wrong, but there were a series of events - I'm sure you remember - that had transpired over M$'s commitment to FoxPro. At that time I felt the two events were related, but then again I could have been wrong. I apologize if memory & emotion skewed things in a way you feel are an unjust and insensitive slight to the Fox team, but you should know that the events did seem tied at the time.

To me, what went down all those years ago - a blown-up misunderstanding due to Microsoft's policies and relationship with the developer community - was my first encounter with what I came to increasingly see as M$'s corporate hubris. Other business relationships with M$ have proven lethal, if not in immediate terms of a person's actual well-being then in terms of hurting people in the course of doing business.

My point is that M$ sees things as strictly business but it has a very personal effect on people. Jacking around the developer community has a very real effect on people. Corporations should consider who they're hurting when they put bigger business agendas before loyal business relationships.

Respectfully,
/lee