Georgaras,

If you're able to sustain a career on Fox, that's great, more power to you. FoxPro has always been a tremendous tool. Having said that...

1) Building small apps for work, church, and personal use is fine - but hardly the basis for a business model. Many don't fly under the radar of clients/organizations that require use of tools receiving strategic focus. (Those 'darn DBA's and WEB server guys' to whom you referred). Some are actively planning to move out of FoxPro.

2) By the way, another back-end database alternative is MSDE. I used it for a .NET project where $$$ was an issue, and it works fine and is free.

3) Yes, .NET has a learning curve. All the more reason to spend some time with it (or Java) now, as opposed to waiting. Managing/planning a career sometimes means enhancing one's skills before the critical point hits. It's also a little easier to learn .NET now than it was 2 years ago, because of the growth of online resources.

4) I do agree, in locations where $$$ and existing hardware are major factors, FoxPro will likely continue to be the viable alternative.

5) .NET is growing, and will continue to grow. Each passing quarter more and more companies are searching for people with .NET skills, or VFP people who have worked with .NET, as part of a long-term goal. It's not just big companies. I know of places with 25 people, 100 people, and 150 people that have moved to .NET.

6) The overall trends for VFP are downward. It will still be around for some time, as there are lots of VFP apps out there.

Again, if you want to use Fox, if others want to use Fox, fine.

But...a projection of .NET becoming .HISTORY first isn't consistent with the facts - it's more a hope based on personal beliefs/wishes than any type of analysis.

Kevin