>> I'm starting to get the impression that some of this "good advice"
>> is all about buying into their ".NET tools/courseware", or trying to
>> get others to validate their decisions.

Hm, interesting.

Well, this couldn't be true in my case, as I am not selling and courseware or frameworks.

You know, I got into the position I am in right now by giving people a lot of free tips and advise, without expecting any benefit for myself. So I do not think I have to start doing that now. After all, if I could pick any benefit right now, I would probably choose to watch a movie or sit by my pool, rather than reading the UT <s>.

What is happening here is that some people that are taking part in this thread (including myself) have decided a few years back that .NET is a very interesting platform that is worth investigating. Now that we have used this platform for a while, we can share our experience and also (as in my case), our excitement about the new abilities. On top of that, we are now starting to see business pay-off. The economy seems to be recovering, and new job inquiries are coming in. And you know what: Although EPS is most known for VFP work, not a single inquiry we have gotten this year was for VFP, but all very specifically for .NET. Kinda interesting, don't you think?

The bottom line is that we have the freedom to make these decisions and investigate new platforms whenever we feel like it. At the same time, it is perfectly OK with my if you decide to go a different route. After all, this freedom of opinion is what makes life so interesting. All I am asking for us to be met with the same level of tolerance.

One of the main reasons for this message board to exist is for professional software developers to share their experiences and knowledge. Is it therefore surprising that people will share the good experience they have had with .NET? I think not. Whoever part takes in these discussions should expect people discussing new platforms every so often. Whether it is right to see those people as traitors, is an entirel different question. (As you can imagine, I have a strong personal opinion about that...). Are these people really sorry little bastards who constantly need the re-assurance and approval of the community? Are they insecure about their decision to have two or three tools in their toolbox instead of one? Hmmmm.....

Markus