>Load time is slower. No argument. But not a big issue if you mean IPL time. Development time??? I just will not accept this and no other decent OOP programmer would either. I also won't argue on the interface response time *in most cases*.

Since there is no quantitative way to compare development environment, I will merely offer you my opinion and hold my tongue. It may be that due to a) the learning curve and b) your experience with VFP that VFP would provide you with the fastest immediate gains. I terms of development environment, I can offer two testimonies:
1) Experiment with the design interface. You will notice an immediate difference in your the speed at which you are able to flow between modules, forms, etc. Also, the code editor is the most advanced I've seen to date (and believe me, I've seen it all from punch cards to point-and-click)
2) Look at the subjects of discussion in VB forums and compare it to FoxPro forums. The topic of VFP threads more often then not is of the "How do I make VFP do this or that" while the response is usually "Well, it wasn't really meant to do that, but you can make it work by performing steps X, Y, Z, and Z'".
2a) Search the VB forum for messages written since Jan. 1, 1998 containing the word "workaround" (9 messages). Then search the VFP forum for the same (183 messages)

Just another two of my cents!