Hi Kevin

Again I hear what you are saying and am inclined to agree with your main sentiments, however....

Vfp in the last 3 years has come out with Vfp6,7,8,9.... sounds to me like a product that's being supported as well as being Innovated.. whatever you may say about the future...

You obviously have experience in both VFP and Dot Net , and I would appreciate your comments/advice.
I am about to start on a small stand alone project, which I could probably do in VFP in about 3 days. I am considering seriosuly doing this in Dot Net.

How long do you reckon this will take ?
Any performance or other limitations doing this in dor net ?
Is there any particular path I should go down for my first Dot Net App.

Regards,

Gerard





>Gerald,
>
>I realize my last line may seem strong ("promoting VFP for an entire 5 year plan is negligence"), but I don't think it goes too far. It reflects the direction of the product.
>
>To some, it may seem "too far" because comments concerning Fox are sometimes viewed as a threat to its history, as opposed to the present state of affairs.
>
>While I don't know the specifics of your client situation, I've been in general situations like the one you described, and wanted to give you some things to prepare for and to think about.
>
>Please don't misinterpret my comments that I think you should scrap everything and re-write in .NET in a matter of months. That's unrealistic. I think I mentioned that you need to be thinking about some type of transition plan.
>
>Many Fox->.NET transitions take a year or longer because the Fox app is usually enhanced along the way while the .NET app is being constructed. Also, Dave Stephenson gave some good advice on transition, and about determining requirements. I even know of one company that is modeling their re-write based on Whidbey, and is continuing to maintain their existing app for another 12-18 months until they move into the new technology (yes, it requires a good budget to do so). This is a good plan for shops that want to maximize the benefits of the next version of .NET when it's released next year.
>
>But considering the 'writing on the wall' that John and I have mentioned:
>
> - it is harder to find quality VFP talent
> - it is not part of MS' strategic direction
> - other factors, like DevCon attendance dropping significantly the last several years-
> - subscription base for FoxTalk in general decline (not a shot against the publication)
> - several VFP names moving to .NET
> - Book market for VFP has declined
> - VFP will be supported while other tools will be innovated
> - Each passing year sees more and more companies rebuilding/re-architecting their VFP apps in .NET
>
>...Fox is a technology on the downturn, with these trends likely to continue. 3-5 years from now, it will be even harder to find Fox talent. I know many Fox developers who are learning either .NET or Java, because they see the writing on the wall. It's simply good business to look at the trends and plan accordingly. Any long-term technology plan should acknowledge that.
>
>Kevin