>Hi Claude,
>
>>SNIP... Unfortunately, this sort of product doesn't generate as much revenue as VB+Access.OR.NET+SQL+ all the other tie-ins that the other products generate. Therefore, IMO, MS does not market it out of fear it will eat into the other areas.
>SNIP
>
>An interesting and oft-repeated hypothesis for sure, but one that could end up back-firing badly on MS!
>
>By MS' own yardstick they set the "small/medium business market" at 8,000+ employee companies.
>Now I think we all agree that this number leaves PLENTY of businesses that fall somewhere between 1 - 7,999 employees. That is, plenty for products like VFP (an all-purpose product).
>
>MS is marketing the hell out of .NET and SQL Server and wilfully neglecting VFP, marketing-wise. BUT THE TWO MARKETS ARE DIFFERENT, even by MS' own admission.
>In other words eating into their target market is a silly notion - NO amount of VFP marketing will even dent the massive dollars spent advertising .NET.
>
>In the meantime, though, there is the constant growth of Linux. What market is most likely to adopt Linux in the nearer term?... I'd have to guess the 1-7,999 employee market is THE logical one.
>So MS runs far more of a risk, in my opinion, neglecting this market or force-feeding .NET down the throats of people whose decisions are funded directly from their own pocketbooks. When more and more people in this market choose Linux MS will loose far more than it can ever imagine.

Perhaps after some studies made by MS (market research) they don't want to have nothing to do in the future with those small (1-7,999) businesses. It happens frequently with big businesses. If the small guy complains that big business won't give him the time of day. But with their BIG corporate friends they'll even lick their boots if needed.

So the new strategy could be something like "No time wo waste with the little guys."

80% of your business is made with 20% of your customer and the remaining 20% of your business is made with 80% or your customers. Perhaps they decided to flush the 80% <vbg>