Re:Please help me kill Visual FoxPro
Hmmm... I work in VFP and more or less i'ma kind of expert on it, with
2000+ clients sucesfully
deployments with it
First, VFP is FAR AWAY the BEST program language for vertical/database
centric application offered by MS (and maybe in general), but bad for
"us" but good for you, this are basic facts about it:
- Is the ugly little sister of the MS tools. Is very KNOW that Vfp have
poor marketing and little support on it. From years, MS have the desire
to switch us to VB(Visual Basic) and now to .NET. In fact, the more prominent VFP
leaders in conferences talk us how *easy* (liar, liar!) is the move to
.NET (and you, borlanders, complain about Borland/Delphi.NET please!!!
is like complain about the color in a shirt and people are die by
starvation!)
- The #1 reason Vfp is good, is the DB engine+language for data
manipulation (how live the world with patetic Sql???). BUT, the engine
is a)Insecure (not have a safe way for protect the database itself, not
users or roles, no password, NOTHING) b) Is unstable...VERY. Is NOT a
sql engine in the normal sense, is more a Acces but well done. EVERYBODY
i know developing real applications with Foxpro use * Sql Server *MySql
or Firebird * Oracle because this simply reason alone. And if not use
the DB engine, the power of FoxPro is less.
- Hard to find controls, because FoxPro is not build for do applications
like games, GUI controls, Zip tools, Web Servers, Skins, Network
components, ActiveX controls, Word procesors, etc...
Some of this things are doable, with thricks, and is possible call the
API but in comparision to Delphi, is a unfair comparision: Delphi have
everything a FoxPro application want/need (except for the powerfull DB
language). In foxpro, you need something else, you need ActiveX/COM...
final point.
- FoxPro development is really slow. I mean, keep the buzzword in FoxPro
happend TOO late. COM+ is only good with VFP 7/8 , and this happend when
.NET enter the world...too late. Forget ActiveX. VFP have syntax
coloring only in 5, and InteliSense in 7 (2-3 years after VS have that).
Only have basic tools in the MS world like a object inspector (for
COM/ActiveX) in 7. The report engine keep the old way from version 3 to
8 (only in 9 is remade) and the Menu engine is procedural at this point.
The WebService support is very poor (aka: Use Soap Toolkit), build a xml
parser native is only possible in 7/8....
- The principal, main argument against VFP today is: Vfp have NO WAY to
.NET. Is not possible, nor probable that VFP go to .NET. Is more, the
market startegy for VFP is use that for the DataLogic/BussinesLogic in a
application and do the rest in other tools.
In fact, except if the company need leverage VFP code is a BAD move go
to FoxPro today, really all VFP companys in my area (in my area/country
VFP is VERY strong) are moving to .NET or other tools by now.
You can do a practical argument if simply think in the application
non-db tools you build in Delphi, like Zip backups or any network tool.
Ask the VFP guy do that with VFP only: I know for sure, is impossible.
I'm very sad for this guy, not have the support of a VFP team, not have
a company with the Fox spirit and need figth against Delphi... Very sad,
very sad ;)
