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
©2004 Ken Levy |
