>> If you still feel the way you do, then go ahead and move over to VB/SQL.
>
>There is yet another insidious factor within the VFP vs VB issue, so far only tangentially mentioned. I want to first acknowledge that there are lots of excellent VB developers out there. However, on the other hand, my own observations have lead me to believe that VB is also kind of a "mediocrity magnet", and VFP -- by virtue of its barrier to entry to learn -- is not. VB is an ideal tool for entry-level programmers who can create simple apps. Likewise, IS managers who haven't written any code themselves in years also like VB (and there are lots of IS mangaers like this in corporate America) because it gives a sense of empowerment and being in control. What you have then is a group of people who have weak backgrounds in software technology --- i.e., couldn't write their own quicksort or infix-to-postfix routine if their job depended on it -- yet have a self-delusion of being experts in software development. The end result in a worst case scenario (which I have seen all too
>often) is a passive-agressive group of insecure folks who take a long time to do mediocre work, and are very resistant to change. The last thing these folks want is some VFP-slinging consultant to come in and show them up.
>
>I believe that a smart progammer can do awesome things with either VB or VFP. What troubles me is the politics of mediocrity that VB indisiously slips into the equation of IS decision-making.

I have to agree with you concerning the corporate attitudes towards selecting a development tool. In "Software Magazine for Information Executives" (April 1998, www.sentrytech.com), there is a small article concerning Merrill Lynch's adoption of the DCOM ("Merrill Lynch Digs DCOM", p. 50). The manager states that they selected MS as to an existing talent pool of developers, although he says, "The products may not always be the best, but they [MS] continue to make them better."

So, do managers always make the right decisions? No, they often have to make the politically best decision. Compare the VB site to VFP's. This is the type of information that managers often use to make a decision, not the pure technical issues. That's life in the corporate world.

Consultants and small IS shops do have the luxury of selecting the tool that best fits their situation. However, I believe that the market trends that the larger corporate clients drive will eventually affect VFP developers such as yourself.