Perry,

A less healthy/unhealthy talent base - Unfortunately this is easily witnessed by the number and quality of resumes for VFP jobs. I have personally seen both the quantity and quality decrease over the years.

Yes, it is increasingly difficult to fill VFP jobs because there are so few VFP newcomers- I first made that point in 1996. Those who do apply for VFP jobs are often the desperate unwanted few, unfortunately. But do they represent the "talent" in the VFP gene pool? I hope not.

Re innovation: there is technical innovation and business innovation. Technical innovation drives the geek in many of us, allowing us to tinker with cool new stuff and get the "wow" factor. Whether that translates to "innovation" for our customers is debatable. Does dotNET truly alter a business process in a way that is not possible with other tools? I don't see it yet. Java certainly did at first, but everything else caught up quickly.

Unfortunately, the people behind these developer companies are not the driving force behind the industry.

Agreed. as the market segregates, those who see themselves as "the driving force" have to be driving at the front of one of the herds. But I still don't think that says anything about talent. Heck, I'm currently in a tiny country at the end of the earth that still produces enough talent to make movies like LOTR and King Kong. Talent has little to do with being part of the main pack.

Those employees are in for a world of hurt with FP DOS as the major selling point of their resumes.

Don't get me wrong: All of us need to be watching and learning. The suggestion that only a handful of prophets have said that is a self-serving conceit by certain people IMHO. But "learning" needs to be more than just pounding uncritically on a "dotNET,dotNET" party line. Talented people do not just follow the Pied Piper, which is why there are so many of us left here.

A couple of years ago I suggested that people start looking/practicing new skills like design and project management where VFP skills can be leveraged. People don't have to switch language; they can switch role and become one of the new IT aristocrats who will be the planners and designers who really do get a chance to innovate.
Well, apparently some people appreciated that advice as I have received some very gracious communications and invitations as a result. Their advice would be "Only dead fish go with the flow. Be innovative. Look for ways to change your business, not just for new ways to do the same old job."