To me this is one of the most amazing discussions on VFP's value. There are several types of developers:

Corporate developers - these types use whatever tool they are told to use by their employer. I don't think anyone in their right mind would argue that if you are in this group, and are not retiring soon, VFP is a good choice. I feel incredibly lucky to be in this group and still be employed.

ISV developers - From my experience, many development shops that fall into this arena are small with few dollars available for research or learning. If you have a company in this area, and sell into the medium to large company arena, why you would want to stick with VFP is beyound me. In some cases, your sales target will have VFP on the "Do not use" list. Why use a product you have to constantly defend. You go on a sales call planning on talking about the feature set of your product, and spend most of your time talking about the underlying technology.....you probably just lost the sale.

Independent developers - These folks are creating software for clients. If the client is a small company, the type of technology you are using won't come up. But as the size of company increases, so does the chance you will spend you time defending your choice of technology.

Many of the folks here appear to be ISV's or Independent developers. If you are in either of these businesses, you need to be part salesperson. I would have to call into your abilities as a businessman if you are willing to pursue a strategy that puts you at a disadvantage right out of the gate.

PF

>Jess,
>
>When you have to start jumping through hoops to convince people that Fox is still supported and that the proof is hard to come by, that should speak volumes.
>
>Seroiusly, what does it really mean to support the product until 2010??? You certainly cannot say it is being innovated or that it is part of the strategic direction of MS.
>
>What I find astonishing is that most people that advance that as a reason to stick with Fox would not accept that one proposition if it applied to some other aspect of their lives. This is the trap people fall in when they only have 1 tool in their arsenal...
>
>And finally, if all you have to hang your hat on is "support until 2010". Just looking at that, isn't accurate to say that .NET, during that same time, will be supported more? On that basis alone, the "go with Fox because it is supported until 2010" argument must fail.
>
>John
>
>
>
>>You know that's the hard part of staying in VFP arena, a proof of support from MS is becoming a norm rather than exception. It seems that VFPers should always have Links, Whitepapers, etc. in hand just to close deals. The impression seems that VFP becoming a weapon that soldiers won't use if there is no certification that it really fires.
>>
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Gerard
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hi, Gerald,
>>>>
>>>>Out of curiosity, what specific reasons do you have for seeking this?
>>>>
>>>>Thanks,
>>>>Kevin