Terry,

>I did not know that - you did do a stint at EPS:-) It's good to know a VFP laureate/emeritus is still in the trenches, getting the hands dirty and ginding out VFP projects like the rest of us slugs!

While I currently depend on VFP for my living, I also philosophically do not depend on it. I depend on my experience and my entrepreneural, generally-optimistic attitude more than anything. I also keep in touch with (and bid on projects that might use) other tools.

For example, currently I'm reading up on SQL Reporting Services because there is a possible rush job around the corner for some web-based reports with drill-down capability against SQL Server. While I could do it in Web Connection, the customer's web platform would not easily support that and already is running some ASP.NET projects.

I don't know what I'll be using on the next project either, but the current one that occupies most of my time for the next month is re-engineering a VFP app to run on Citrix. What I'll be doing (other than the FoxTalk gig) two months from now is anyone's guess.

Bottom line: Today I'm dependent on VFP for my two part-time paychecks. But I don't see myself as permanently "dependent" on VFP -- my world would not cave in if I had to use something else, because it's the analysis, design, logic, data structure, and so forth skills that are most important -- along with people skills and a touch of business sense.

When I was out of work at the first of the year, I sold lots of misc stuff on Ebay, applied for various jobs, called recruiters, met with VFP developers in Tampa Bay to investigate maybe starting a user group, called up everyone I knew to ask about perhaps writing white papers or doing some freelance editing, considered starting up an internet business, looked into book publishing, initiated a lunch meeting with someone I saw posting on the UT, and generally told myself every day, "Something is going to break through." After a couple of months, several things did. That's what I depend on... along with a trust that God will take care of me and my family if we honor Him.

That said, I still love VFP and enthusiastically support the VFP Team's efforts to keep improving it, and I hope I'll have opportunities to continue using it every day.