Visual FoxPro's birthday

[Mike Lewis]

I'm surprised no-one has commented on the signficance of the date. July 2005. Visual FoxPro is ten years old this month.



__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Sorry, Mike, we were too busy with Canada day celebrations here. ;-)


Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[craigsboyd]

Happy Birthday Visual Foxpro!!! Who knew?

SweetPotato Software Website
My Blog

 

[craigsboyd]

Wait a minute... I just did some searching to find out the exact date of release and it appears that most of the sources I could find said that it was released in September of 1995. So which is it, July or September?

SweetPotato Software Website
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[Mike Lewis]

Craig,

So which is it, July or September?

Good question.

I received my boxed copy of VFP 3.0 in July 1995. I wrote a review of it for the British magazine, Computing, which was published in the same month. The review included prices, which it wouldn't have done if it had been a pre-release copy. That's why I think it was July (of course, it might vary by country).

Actually, it's a bit embarrasing reading my review today. Apart from a few embarrasing mistakes, I enthused about things that weren't really that wonderful, and ignored points that I should have mentioned. Ah,well ...

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[TheRambler]

This timeline says it was in June of 1995.

1995 (June) Visual FoxPro 3.0, FoxPro evolves from a procedural language to an object-oriented language . Visual FoxPro 3.0 introduces a database container, seamless client/server capabilities, support for ActiveX technologies, and OLE Automation and null support. Its prerelease codename was Taz.

 

[KoenPiller]

Mike,

When is a fox borne?
Googling around for FoxPro 3.0 in Discussion Groups I read this article by Steve Chadbourne in comp.database.xbase.fox dated 26 Jan 1995: "Visual Foxpro 3.0 from FoxForum on Compu$erve."

Anyhow its good to know Fox is grown-up today.

What is the eldest VFP running PJT APP or EXE?

Regards,

Koen

 

[Mike Lewis]

I just re-checked my old files.

It turns out the my review of 3.0 (the one with the embarrasing mistakes) was based on a beta version, which I received in April 94. The review appeared in Windows User, June 95.

I did a later review for Computing, but have no record of when it appeared.

But I'm pretty sure I received my boxed copy of VFP in July. I remember that it was the first Windows 95 product I owned, and that it was available a full month before Windows 95 itself was released.

If anyone's interested, I'll post my original review somewhere -- just for passing historical interest.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[Mike Lewis]

I have posted the review, at

http://www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk/foxst-37.htm

Promise you won't smirk at the mistakes.



__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[Dan Freeman]

Smirk? THIS crowd? ;-)

One reason there are so many confusing dates is because MSFT themselves often refer to the "Launch Date" when they mean "RTFM" or whatever.

I remember they were under tremendous pressure to get it out the door before the release of Win95 because THAT would tie up every CD manufacturing facility in the country for several months.

 

[GriffMG]

Mike,
Love the article - period.

Do you still use the command window?

(I do)

Martin

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

 

[Mike Lewis]

Griff,

Love the article - period.

Thanks.

Do you still use the command window?

All the time.

I first thought that the project manager was such a wonderful tool (compared to how it was in 2.x), that I would never again do a MODI COMM or anything similar from the command window.

It turned out that I nearly always drive my development sessions form the command window, especially now we have Intellisense to cut down the typing.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[GriffMG]

Likewise, although I sometimes find Intellisense a bit annoying (the 'Set order to to..' problem!).

I do sometimes use the project manager to help document older Clipper code, I have a huge app that can't be done with Snap! anymore, and (bar a few problems) VFP documents it quite well...

Ah well, back to the grind.

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

 

[Mike Lewis]

Griff,

the 'Set order to to..' problem

There's an easy workaround for that. See "Switch off unwanted Intellisense expansion", at

http://www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk/foxst-34.htm.

That said, I decided I would train myself not to type the extra TO, and I would recommend others to do the same.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[GriffMG]

I, like you, prefer to try and remember.

Part of lifes' rich tapestry

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

 

[alan232]

Hi,

Just thought I'd add my two cents...

I've evolved from many different programming styles and languages and always find myself going back to vfp. I seem to get the most work done the fastest. I've used vfp since before it was vfp. I sometimes wonder how it would currently be if the orignal authors of Foxpro 2.XX had not sold it to MS. I also wonder how long MS will continue to support such an excellent product when it clearly competes head and shoulders above (in my opinion) their other less sophisticated or polished offerings. (MS has a way of killing some good things--OS2).

Just a thought,
Happy Birthday VFP!

 

[Mike Lewis]

Alan,

I sometimes wonder how it would currently be if the orignal authors of Foxpro 2.XX had not sold it to MS.

I suspect it would not have survived. If you look back at all the other XBase products of the early 1990s -- Clipper, dBASE, etc. -- none of them successfully made the transition to Windows.

I also wonder how long MS will continue to support such an excellent product

Well, at least until 2014, if you believe Microsoft's stated long-term plans ("roadmap", to use the trendy term).

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My sites:
Visual FoxPro (www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk)
Crystal Reports (www.ml-crystal.com)

 

[alan232]

Mike,

Thanks for the info. 2014...Seems like about the longest run of any software I can think of...After all the languages I've gone through, the idea of learning another is not appealing...I wonder what MS hopes to replace vfp with...or maybe the installed vfp base can survive for another decade or so without formal support ?

(maybe even smalltalk will come back...and we will all talk to our machines anyway? Just a thought. I'm not a great MS fan, sorry.)

Best wishes,
Alan

 

[alvechurchdata]

Seems like about the longest run of any software I can think of

Strangely enough I'm just talking about a Fox interface to a Fortran system. I was doing Fortran ten years before I met FoxBase.

Geoff Franklin

http://www.alvechurchdata.co.uk