>>Still no explanation for ProgrammersParadise.ca`s mysterious ommission of VFP 8... again i think its simple not enough people wanted it...but they did want VFP 5 and 6. No explanation for the low retail book sales levels for VFP 8 as compared to vfp 6....
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>ProgrammersParadise already refuted by Jim Nelson. Books for VFP 5 & 6 sold because there was such a quantum leap in improvements from VFP3. Books for 7 and 8 are primarily maintenance [What's New].

And because MS VFP 5 and MS VFP 6 were such quantum leap improvements they sold better (the database software not the books). MS sold more copies of VFP 5 and 6 because they were and are great products.

>>With IT spending down relative to the dot com bubble years and MS's refusal to market VFP outside the Foxpro community I conclude that VFP 8 is not selling as well as VFP 5 and 6. It provides a simple and direct explanation for the other events I've discuss previously in this thread.
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>MS never marketed FP or VFP outside the community for any version, so how is that relevent to your conclusions about VFP8 versus 5 or 6?

From 1995 to 2000 IT spending increased a great deal. All boats rise in a rising tide. MS marketed Visual Studio outside of the Fox market. At the time VFP was in Visual Studio. That marketing marginally increased Fox's exposure. Now that outside the community exposure is non-existant.

When no outside of the community marketing is combined with an over all decrease in IT spending it means lower sales for VFP 8 compared to VFP 5 or 6.