Terry,

>David, make a pronouncement, "VFP is dead!"
>Then, in a small paragraph, under that declaration, tell me what there is to learn from that conclusion. Then, say it again, and again, and again, and again, ....

I don't speak for Rod or John or anyone else. I speak for myself and I'm not saying that VFP is dead. I still use it every day for various types of data access, data analysis, etc. I have also learned some .NET and use that regularly as part of my tool set. I use Web Connection with VFP code and I use ASP.NET with VB.NET.

As for what you can learn from someone saying that VFP is dead: you learn that that person has that opinion. If you hear enough people also stating that opinion, you might begin to take note of trends, unless you prefer to block out opposing viewpoints. If you hear people here talking about the VFP market improving, you take note of that and factor that into your world view.

If you search the job listings and find that most Fox work being advertised is for maintenance of old apps or conversion of them to some other tool, you learn from that.

If your market niche is a vertical market app or a handful of clients who need custom work, and none of those care what tool you use, you let that shape your choices. If, however, the people you code for DO care about or specify which tools to use or not use, then your choices are different (take the job or find another).

There is not one answer that fits all -- that's why a gathering place for the community serves some of its best purposes when it allows open discussions of differing opinions, even if they are repeated over and over again.

Some people prefer to choose their direction based on what they are accustomed to -- some prefer to be pioneers on the bleeding edge. Some look ahead 3 to 5 years and make calls now based on where they think things are going. To each his own. But, let's not try to funnel everyone here into a narrow view that just says "You must pledge 'VFP forever!' or go somewhere else."

>An opinion would be, "STORED PROCEDURES are more efficient than GUI issued SELECT STATEMENTS"
>
>Chanting "VFP is dead" is not an opinion! It's a chant - a mantra [maybe] - but not an opinion. It's not a dissenting view point either. It's a declaration with no way out but the "squash". It only needs to be said once - doesn't it?

No, you're wrong. "VFP is dead" is just an opinion and it is a dissenting viewpoint from those who think otherwise, no matter how it is said or how often. There is certainly more than one way out other than "squashing" the person saying it.

So, I ask you again, does the amount of VFP usage qualify or disqualify someone from participating as part of the VFP community? Is there a certain amount of loyalty to the tool that qualifies someone to continue posting here?