They have invested a lot of money in VFP over the past 15 years and a lot of VFP technologies are used in other Microsoft tools - especially RushMore optimization and, I believe, also parts of the VFP ISAM and its CURSOR engine. So even if MS do not want to develop VFP any further, it is unlikely they would release it to a potential competitor.
As I said elsewhere:
Viewed objectively this is no surprise at all. About the only thing that would make any sense for a new "VFP 10" version would be a complete re-write from the ground up to make it a full 64-bit application. Given the revenue model for VFP (i.e. ZERO!!!), and the fact that Microsoft's preferred strategy is to sell SQL Server Licenses, that would make no financial sense whatsoever, and there really isn't (from Microsoft's perspective) a business case for a desktop database. Remember, Microsoft is NOT a software company, it is a primarily a Marketing company in the business of making money!
And before we start the "Sky is falling" chorus, just consider how many people are still using VFP 6.0 (never mind 7.0 or 8.0) - a version that was released 8 years ago and is no longer even supported. Now add in those who still use FP DOS, and FP 2.6W (products that died 12 years ago) and explain to me why this actually matters?
Just because Microsoft say they won't release a Version 10 doesn't mean any of the following:
- that VFP is going to stop working
- that its data handling and integration capabilities have gone away
- that the reasons that you chose VFP as your development tool to begin with have changed
- that you can no longer create and distribute royalty free EXE data-based applications
- that the capabilities and extensibility that make VFP the most powerful desktop database have changed
I have always tried to use the best tool for the job at hand. I will continue to do so, and as long as the best tool is VFP then that is what I will use!
...The sky is not falling, the sky is changing ... just that. And us as developers must adapt to the change. Now is a new ocassion to see what is out there, to think in new possibilities, to see the world from a new perspective. Since two days, now I'm considering cross platform products (Win, *nix and Mac OSX) thing I never planned before ... so this can be a good opportunity to see that live is out there.VFP will still be the best desktop database development environment. People will still develop in a good product like VFP. We will have time for see alternatives to Fox.
But now things are changing.
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Access is not the answer. It is morphing into some kind of Sharepoint database.
FoxPro type queries are already coming in .Net. Look carefully at LINQ. It does VFP type queries and more.
Also, keep a close watch on the next two or three versions of VB.Net. You'll be very surprised by how much it looks like VFP.
---If microsoft are going to desert there long serving user base then I for one will be deserting Microsoft and will look at a non microsoft replacement.
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That's a very unprofessional response. Many years ago, Ford discontinued producing the Escort, even though at the time, it was the best selling car in the world. Did that mean people should stop buying Ford?
You should use the current tool that is best for your customers.
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I don't disagree that you should use the current tool that is best for your customers, but your customers are also sometimes other businesses with IT departments or someone on staff who will say "We don't want any FoxPro apps from a dead language" From the standpoint of being as marketable as possible FoxPro does me little good. It's actually a hinderance in some cases since so many people who really know little about FoxPro cringe when they here it's name mentioned. Whether I like it or not in order to continue my career as a programmer it's either .NET or Java.
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You Guys are just wrong….
You do NOT use the best language for your client! You use the best language for your business. That entails the ability to resell and extend any code you write for YEARS to come. Foxpro was no longer that language as soon a MS announced it would never go 64 bit.
I cannot and will not build my business in such a way that I can only support my current clients and can’t take on new ones. I must plan for the future. By the time 2015 comes around Foxpro 32 bit will be what Foxpro 16 bit is to day.
Good luck selling a new client on any DOS app today, Good luck selling any client on a 32 App in 10 years, regardless if they heard of FoxPro or not.
Its time to move on……. In fact we’re VERY late.
Ps : Sedna is joke….. It’s just a scam to get FoxPro programmers to learn .NET.
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That's why alot of VFP developers are now considering Open Source. It just doesn't seem right that a company can pull strings with a development language like VFP. Such a thing could not be done with PHP, Perl, Ruby-On-Rails,etc. because no one company controls them. Gee, it would be nice if VFP were like this too. And what if MS decides VB.Net is not "strategic" in 3 years and it would be sooo nice if they only had 1 language, C#?
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We cant stop times... VFP it'snt the language of future... I know only vfp, but now i MUST learn not only another developer language but "how" developer... The future is programs that run in a browser but are quick as a stand-alone procedure. Programs that run on all platforms (OS and DB) and integrated with most distributed software... (Print in pdf format and in RTF, export in excel/openoffice, send email with mapi method and with HTML Mail) VFP is sufficient now for this, but the future needs another structure.
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