Migrate from VFP9

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Migrate from VFP9

Postby btiguy » Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:03 am

MS is dropping VFP in 2014 (I think thats the date) and I am wondering what the VFP developers are migrating to to replace their apps written in VPME. I know that the language can be functional for many years later, but there will be a time that VFP won't run on any current os. I am not looking for an internet app such as PNP, etc. However, we do sometimes use terminal services.

Any suggestions will be helpful for our planning calendar.
TIA
Don
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby Stephen Ibbs » Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:47 am

We have looked at Servoy (backed by Ken Levy) but the licensing model is not suitable. We have also looked at Lianja but it is only in beta.

Ideally we would like ProMatrix to produce something ... ???
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Data Developments
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby cti2 » Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:48 pm

There will be a time that most apps won't work on a specific OS.
I have never even used MS support for DOS FOX or VFP - in the last 20 years - so MS stopping support for VFP is a very unimportant thing to me.
VPM work fine with VFP and I expect to stay with VFP9/VPM9 for many years, and I am OK that it may not work in 10+ years.
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby ChuckASI » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:17 pm

I am with you on that cti2.
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby btiguy » Fri Apr 06, 2012 5:39 pm

I'm not concerned about support either. However, I don't think VFP5 will work on Win7 and that's my concern. (Am I wrong on this??) In the somewhat near future, I suspect VFP9 won't work on a new MS OS.
TIA
Don
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby cti2 » Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:35 am

VFP5 works just fine on Win7
I have a local manufacturing company where I do all their software, hardware, servers and networking. They have about 50 WorkStations. Half the workstations are XPSP3 and the rest are all Win7. All new W/S purchased are Win7. Each W/S runs DOS FOX and VFP apps sharing the same data on Server2008. Works just fine.
HTH, Pete Ryder
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby stecenko » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:07 am

Pete,

Do you have a setup.exe to register the runtime library? do you have any activeX controls?

More importantly, do you have a network administrator who is under 30 and figures Russian and/or Nigerian hackers are trying to infiltrate his network and has configured every security feature Microsoft has come up with. When I ask the administrator of my 'problem' client to use regsrv32 to register the ocx, he looks at me like I'm some sort of dinosaur.
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby stecenko » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:11 am

The problem isn't going to be writing programs; it's going to be installing the programs on the users' computers.

I'm having a terrible time installing a VFP 9 application on a client's network. I keep getting VFP Library not found and there's an OCX that doesn't seem to register.

Stephen and I worked on a project that used some really nice 3rd party controls, but we pretty much gave up on them because of the difficulty of getting them installed.

I'm not prepared to abandon VFP/VPME entirely. Not now anyway. My plan is to do more and more work with MySQL as the back-end. And then figure out what front-end I'm going to use.

Another aspect of the problem is succession. I'm 63. Maybe, I'll retire soon. That raises the question: what will happen to my clients?

Let's accept the fact that only old guys are using VFP. Will my clients be trolling the halls of some retire home looking for still coherent VFP programmers?

If I hang outside any institution that trains programmers and ask if they want to join me and take over my client list, they'll laugh. Imagine, if 20 or 30 years ago, when you first started with the Fox and some old guy said "hey! sonny, I have all these clients using punch cards. Will you support them?"

So this question: what language should we migrate to? is age-dependent.

Pete, how old are you? Are you just planning on working for slightly under 10+ years?
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby stecenko » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:23 am

Here's another aspect of the problem.

I wrote a little application to keep track of people buried in cemeteries. There are many rural churches closing down and the cemetery records are in shoe boxes.

I wrote this cheap application so one of the volunteers could enter the names, date of death, plot location. It was really nice.

I bought a good setup.exe creator and had a downloadable demo copy on my web site. Purchasers could buy directly from the web site with a charge card. I figured I'd be rolling in money.

But, no. I was rolling in grief. I was getting calls about problems installing on Vista, on Windows 7, on Commodore 64s. I spent more time tweaking my setup.exe creator than I did writing the application. I haven't sold a copy in years and yesterday one of the purchasers phoned for help because his old XP broke down and he's trying to install my app on an old Windows 7 computer that his brother-in-law isn't using. It turns out that his brother-in-law isn't using it, because the hard drive is jammed, it's too slow, the screen is 600x800. In other words, it's a piece of junk. But, my client paid me $100 about 4 years ago and wants me to help him.
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Re: Migrate from VFP9

Postby cti2 » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:50 pm

Richard:
You are right about most of your posts.
I turn 62 tomorrow (Easter Sunday) along with my former womb-mate Paul (twin brother).
Anyway, yes probably just old timers like us are using VFP.
I am not in the least concerned about this. I have tackled almost anything my clients have asked me to do with VFP/VPM. It does everything I need and more - so why should I learn a new language - so I can tell others about my conquests - no. I'm perfectly satisfied and they are too.
I have 3 large vertical apps that I wrote and maintain. They have grown over the last 15 years and are still robust and viable. I don't like to piddle with small apps because of the problem you mentioned.
I can't see myself flipping a switch and retiring at a fixed point in time. My cleints still expect me to continue although I have given them due warning to get someone into training. Likely I'll slowly cut back. I have a 35 second commute to work.
I maintain all my apps remotely and have given full support while away from home while travelling. I spent 4 weeks in Hawaii 2 years ago and maintained everything remotely. My wife and I have travelled to all 49 other states and all but one Canadian province in our motorhome - while giving full support to my clients.
Life is good - so I'm going to open a good bottle of wine and enjoy the Masters golf tournament.
Pete Ryder
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