>I must say, for a lawyer, you don´t read very well.

I don't read very well, or is it just well??? The very is superfulous. Actually, the only thing they teach us is how to multiply an award by .35 (the amount of a typical contingency fee!!)..

>
Depends on the definition. There are few opportunities to use CRM/ERP solutions when you compare to general purpose solutions. It means specialisation. What is few. If there are a one or few hundred thousand developers developping in VFP each and every day, is this few ? Personally I don´t see many opportunities in Holland to use .NET either. So what does it mean?
>

I'll tell you what it doesn't mean - it doesn't mean you addressed the point.

>
By your definition that would apply to about 90% - 95% of all applications out there which are written in a variaty of languages and platforms. Are all those languages dead or insignificant ? Your talking as if 80% of all opportunities out there is for .NET or VB. That certainly is not the case. about 5 - 15% might be a better estimate.
>

Again...the language in .NET is not even secondary. Tertiary is more like it. I was not the one who made the VB vs. VFP distinction - I am merely responding to the point made by somebody else.


>Who was talking about a VFP\DBF solution.

You were - when you discussed the new SQL features in Fox.

>>
Why are you ruling out VFP/SQL?
>>

I least of all - would not. Then again, if one uses SQL as a backend - a full/robust SQL language has ALWAYS been available...

>
A VFP/SQL solution can be far more data centric than a VB/SQL solution because you don´t have to rely on every data operation on the SQL server, you can do your calculation on VFP cursors on the workstation in stead of loading the SQL server with unneccary stuff. Agian you twise the argument.
>

The "data-centric-ness" of a solution has NOTHING to do with where the work is performed. Can we just stipulate that data-base apps - by their nature - are data centric? And for that matter - aren't 90% of the applications out there - to one degree or another - data centric? Or, you are confusing data-centricity with data-munging? I think you are. Even if that is the case, data-munging is just as easily dealt with in SQL Server. Hate to (not really) burst your bubble on that...

>
See the VFP homepage. This is exactly saying this. We all know the lack of knowledge about VFP within MS internally. Nothing new here.
>

And that is not on purpose.......??????


>
You´re failing to see that VB has crap support for data centric solutions. This is a design thing and really has nothing to do with bad or good developpers.
>

VB has crap support for data centric solutions??? How so? Because I can'tdo a replace??? Because I can do a scan..endscan? For a tool that has "crap support" for data-centric solutions - there seems to be a lot of successful VB-Data-Centric solutions out there....


>
Facts, my dear, facts. Give me the numbers.
>

I don't need to give you specific numbers. I admit it, my evidence is based on anecdotal/circumstantial evidence - and first-hand observations.

>>
You base this conclusion on the noisy people who were always exploring the new technologies/opportunities devellopping developper tools like frameworks etc. You´re assuming too much and are drawing conclussions on data on which you cannot draw conclusions. We all know that the number of practising VFP developpers is shrinking, but how many? What are the reasons for that?
>>

Dying product..because there are no compelling reasons to use it...


>
What are the motivations? I did not see any reports scientifically laying out this trend. Does .NET play a role in this? sure. But how and why ? What kind of people are moving to .NET? why? A lot of questions but no answers.
>

The answers are there. Bill G as much told ME and a few others as much 7+ years ago...

I believe the term that applies to you is "willful blindness"


>
Your conclusion of that VFP is dead, is totally beyond me. It must be a lawyer thing in drawing irrational conclusions.
>

ROFLMAO!!


>
So you are saying that about 90% of all applications are living on the scarheap irrelvancy?
>

No...people like you who continue that people should live in the past...


>
I went to crystal a long time ago, and I doubt that you´ll find many people up here that has a much experience with the tool as I do. But I can say that a VFP report writer is still a very welcome thing as it gives you some features that are not possible or difficult to implement in crystal. For example giving the end-user a royalty free tool to make your own reports.
>

Not saying the VFP report writer is not good - just saying that as far as output is concerned - and scaleability to other platforms - it has severe limitations.

>
Well there are solutions in VFP also. It is not impossible. I wrote a little DLL years ago, to handle these kind of situations. But of course a native solution is always better. Too late, why too late. Better late than never.
>

Really... better late than never.. If it does not make a difference - how can it be better....Walter, nothing is impossible. And yes, it should have been native 7+ FREAKING YEARS AGO!!!

>
This function was never an argument in the future of VFP, so this is irrelevant.
>

Nonsense...you brought it up - touting it as a major new enhancement. This is where you get B-Slapped - for getting proven WRONG - and not having enough intellectual honesty to just suck it up and say OK - and then move on. But I agree, it is totally irrelevant as to the future because whether it gets added or not - it will not change a thing...

>But they failed to give us this feeling before.

Get the heck outta here..... The VFP has always been around - listening...


>What good is it, when they listen and do nothing with it ?

Your argument was they don't listen.....


Cheers!!

John