John,
It's a common sense issue:
You don't sell Hydrogen-Cell cars in a town that makes money off gasoline. You don't sell reading glasses in a home for the blind. You don't sell white walking sticks to people that can see!

The guy in Dallas will learn that "real" jobs are about as permanent as "contract" work. Once he understands that his skills and ability to solve problems is what the user is buying, and not [neccessarily] his affiliation with VFP, he will look at contract work or developing a small market of his own.

You know it - you've got skills - the market buys solutions, not a toolbox. Linux and open source are coming! I know you've got a lot vested in MS server technologies - and I know the convolution in the OS market is scaring a lot of you guys with MS certificates after your name. The future of .NET and ASP may also be in doubt.

It's not [just] VFP - MS is loosing ground across the board. Most of the splits MS Stock gave in the nineties have been taken back. Do you you think crying about whatever VFP issues you have will assure your investment in an MS only world? Things change - and everything MS - as my ignorant butt see's it - is suspect. Fortunately, MS is not a market maker - they are a market follower- so MS will [probably] adapt a a few faltering shortfalls. Isolating on VFP won't put where we want to be. .NET wont it - is suspect. Dateline Thailand: where Linux has just bumped MS from the top of the heap. China, Korea and Japan are developing Linux language modules. IBM is pitching Linix - and on - and on! The center of the world is moving east. Don't get caught in the future with 2ed world skills:-(

Next time you dust clean the panes on your MS certificates or dust off your ASP/NET/XP-2003 books - maybe you need to take an honest look at your position and the reality of the market place. VFP translates to these changes. That makes me happy - Besides - there is FlagShip and othe xBase platforms out there. So - if MS won't let VFP go that way - our skills will still be vialble. Will yours?

PS
We still love you:-)