Most of the upcoming features in Europa (next version of VFP) are

outlined in the recent letters at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/letters). Be sure to read the past

months letters linked in the Archive section. For people asking about

support for VFP, refer to

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/productinfo/faq/default.aspx:

Q. How long will Visual FoxPro be supported by Microsoft?

A. The latest version of Visual FoxPro is 8.0. Microsoft is

currently working on the next version of Visual FoxPro. Visual

FoxPro 8.0 is supported by Microsoft until 2010 in the developer tools

lifecycle support plan.

As for XML and XML web services, it turns out that 20% of VFP polled

world-wide say they use XML Web services in their VFP development. The

use and interest of using XML is increasing as well, among VFP

developers and other. Over half of web developers use XML. I don't

know of people using XML as a data storage as you mention, but as a

mechanism for moving data, describing data, serializing data, or even

configuration data, it has been and is working successfully for people

and the trends show the use and success rate keeps increasing. Every

company I've talked to working with XML Web services with VFP has

succeeded with them, whether they use ASP.NET as a wrapper or not, if

they talk to VFP or .NET solutions, or Java solutions, it is all

compatible.

You may not need any of these new technologies, but just know that it is

real and not vapor. I talked on the phone today with a company that has

24 developers, almost all are VFP developers, and they are using VFP 8.0

for their solutions, they are using ASP.NET integrated as well and offer

a solution with SQL Server 2000 as their data storage connected to VFP.

They use XML to communicate to/from VFP with ADO.NET datasets, and plan

to expose those web services to other systems (could be any

platform/language) since that is what their customers are asking for.

The two biggest things they are looking forward to in Europa are the

enhanced report writer features and the expanded hierarchical XML

support we are working on (in fact, the XML stuff was more important to

them than the report features). You don't have to criticize these

existing and functional technologies in order to justify not using them

in your own solutions.

Related to the Europa inquiry. So you know, in June we plan to post a

public beta of Europa on msdn.com for anyone to freely download and use.

Ken Levy

VS Data Product Manager

Microsoft

-----------------------------------------------

Subject: VFP 9 - any 'public' info

Author: Charlie Coleman <colemanc At acm D.OT org>

Posted: 2004/02/19 14:07:00

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Is there any 'public' information on VFP 9? E.g we've been hearing about

it, but it doesn't look like there is any info on it on MS's site

(surprise). I've got a client that would like to use the information as

reference material to shut up the idiots in his IT department that say

VFP

is not supported by MS.

As an aside, bizarre, observation - doesn't it seem the computer

industry

has more than it's fair share of blithering idiots? I mean supposedly

'certified' professionals don't know the basics of computer and

communication functionality. They think .Net is some magic box. They

think

Web Services are some new magic communication system. They believe XML

is

the only valid data storage format. Of course, when you ask them to go 1

or

2 levels down in understanding and technical detail (e.g. what is the

actual communication protocol used by .Net and Web Services, etc), they

get

the 'deer-in-the-headlights' stare. God. Sometimes I feel completely

hopeless.

-Charlie