Ted, I don't mean to speak badly of Linux/Python/Dabo at all, and I hope I haven't come across that way. When Linux started to be a hot topic, I went out and bought a copy of Red Hat. But I've only got 4 machines and each has a purpose, and I couldn't spare one to install it on ... that led to considering converting a machine to VM ... And then priorities got involved, so I put it on the shelf and it's still sitting there.
<clipped> > As Garrett remarked, you are an amazing optimist. I don't > have any "secret inside info" you do not, but I have come to > a far different conclusion. As mentioned, I installed my app in a small bus location recently, and going through the install and usage exercise with the owner and her manager, nobody even thought to ask "what language is this written in?", and therein, I think, is where the rubber actually meets the road. Let me take an aside to observe that selling to small business customers isn't a matter of selling VFP over some other language, but of convincing them of the strategic value of databases versus their old way of keeping, essentially, lists. They must cross mental bridges of acceptance that information systems have to have structure, that garbage in means garbage out, and a properly functioning backup/recovery system is an absolute precondition for success. These are matters of discipline and this puts us in the position of being harsh taskmasters in order for them to succeed. I think we more wrestle with these people-issues then the technicalities of languages. All of this presupposes the system itself is properly designed for the tasks at hand and has been well tested, well documented and is properly supported, but these things are language-independent. > > It's not that I don't think about the future, but Windows still has > > that brass ring, and I don't see a PC OS in sight that meets or beats > > standards set by IBM and OS 390, so I figure now isn't the best time > > to shop for a platform change. Maybe in this decade there will either > > be such a machine or it will be on the horizon. > > Well, I think AT&T and UNIX gave them a run for the money, > and IBM's support of Linux as an OS for every machine they > make is a pretty clear statement to me. "IBM recommends > Windows XP" is something MSFT has to pay them to print in > their advertising. I'm trying to keep an eye on IBM's strategy with Linux, but can't say I'm really up to date with it. The thing I'm looking for is whether IBM will harness the (Linux) OS with the same kind of control system used for OS 390 (the SMP approach; whereby the OS is represented in metadata in the SMP database, and SMP is used to install the OS, applications, and ongoing maintenance for both; making SMP compliance - and not the whims and dictums of MS - the center of the universe). > > OS independence, like Ed and Paul (and yourself?) are getting with > > Dabo has the obvious allure, but it's a huge investment, and there is > > a gamble there on Python's future OS compatibility and the prospect of > > brand new "latest and greatest" competitors. > > There will always be another language out there with golden > promises. The grass is always greener. I remember an entire > IT shop getting their panties all in a bunch about > PowerBuilder when it came out. Same for dbXL and rBASE. Today > the buzz is Ruby, but Ruby (eleven years old > itself) is yet another growing and maturing language. Perhaps > after I'm more proficient with Python I'll take a look. The > great news is that there is choice (outside of the MS Box, > anyway). They key is to chose a platform that can do what you > want NOW, as well as having a lively community and a promising future. > > As for OS Compatibility, as Ed indicated, that's a strawman. > Python (and Perl and Ruby and a million others) run on nearly > every OS ever made. Anything with a C compiler on it can > build any of those languages from source. I would counter that only assembler (machine language) will survive the (digital) ages, and that innovative ways to express machine language in shorthand will not end with C. I nodded all the way through Kerrigan and Richies C bible when it came out, because it made perfect sense, but then I marveled at xBase too. Are people working on "C-squared" or natural language compilers as we speak? Probably. Then it becomes a matter of whether Python (and xBase, for the matter) methods of expressing logic will be ported forward or replaced altogether. I'm trying to look out in the distance, obviously, just to make the case - that we've all learned the hard way - that what we think is enduring today may not be so tomorrow. It's arguably unfair to blame MS for setting the PC stage this way, but I point a finger at them anyway. > As for the size of the investment, any switch will entail a > big investment. I chose my target carefully. You're going to > need to make a choice, sooner or later. I like stretching my > payments out over a longer term. I've re-written expressions of logic one too many times already, so I'm like a mule now. Maybe one day I'll be able to push a button and convert my app to another language, or perhaps wind up managing people using a different language, but - and this thread is bringing it out - the prospect of another re-write makes me shudder. > > But this whole business is gamble! What else is new? > > Not much, really. This isn't a choice between "Stay the > Course," "Stand and Die" or "Cut and Run" -- change itself is > the only fundamental of this business we can count on. We go > through media - paper, magtape, floppy, hard disk and flash - > and units of measure (who ever thought they'd say terabyte > with a straight face?) and methodologies - structured, OOA&D, > agile. It's the nature of the industry. Change is good. > Change is necessary. Change is essential. > > And if Change is essential, which way do we go? Not "Where do > you want to go today?" I want Choice. Freedom of Choice. > Freedom to choose the language(s) and platform(s) suitable for my client's needs. > Not a one-size-fits-all-but-none-very-well monstrosity, but a > scalable, modular, componentized set of technologies with > clearly defined APIs and interfaces to plug in, develop, > modify, discard, replace and enhance. > > When you choose to stand with FoxPro, you choose Not Change. > Deferred investment in your future. Increasing risk. That's a > risk I can't afford. When I make the deposit that pushes my bank account over the 1 million mark, you'll hear me crowing all the way to New Hampshire <g>. > > I understand and share the angst over MS. > > Angst is several steps earlier in the progression. I've been > through anger, denial and negotiation. I've been through > depression. I am at the acceptance stage. It feels good. I may be standing on the rail of the VFP ship as it sails off, but it's hull is holding, and there are many ports of call in this large world with suitable dockage for even older ships. Bill > Ted Roche _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
