My situation: A history of dead ends

I have a long history of choosing great technologies that get left behind too quickly.

It started with Apple. My first computer was an Apple //c which I saved by mowing many, many lawns. I eventually did the same to buy the Apple IIgs, only to find that "Apple II Forever!" was marketing hype. I didn't resent that Mac, but there was no path to follow for transitioning. By the time they came out with an Apple II card, I was long gone. I have not used an Apple since.

I sold the GS and bought an Amiga 500. Again, I upgraded to the higher model: an Amiga 3000. Then Commodore went bankrupt. My friend tried to talk me into switching to Atari. I passed - It would have been a fun, short ride, but eventually would have ended in the same heartbreak.

Enter the PC: I obtained a 486 running Windows 3.1. I remember the thrill of upgrading to Windows 95 and 98. I skipped ME (fortunately) because I was studying for 2000 certification. XP arrived along with Windows Server 2003.

Throughout this journey, I have come to know MS software quite well -- and it drives me crazy. I'm always stunned by the needless changes in each new version: features are renamed, locations of options are shuffled, etc. I'm also stunned by the things that don't change: no option to keep any given window on top of the others, many windows that should be resizable aren't (which forces lots of horiz/vert scrolling), etc. It's the little things, needlessly persistent, that can drive one over the edge.

I miss the excitement of computers. Foxpro has it -- Vista doesn't. I love programming in VFP, but the fact that no one knows whether or not those programs will work post-Vista is disconcerting.

Although proprietary software is usually of the highest quality, there also that inherent risk from having all of your eggs in one basket. Honestly, I have no interest in .NET. It's another opportunity to get burned by Microsoft.

I'm interested in Open Source, but that domain doesn't offer a Fox equivalent either. So, what's the next best thing?

My mission is to get a feel for the pulse of VFP and to seek out worthy alternatives.