Re: Disabled Color for input tag

Well, thank you for setting the record straight <grin>.

I feel much better now.

I guess I came into this at a time when things seemed slow. I Looked at the Foxweb forum, noticed the dates on the messages and could ( and still can) scroll down a few inches and be looking at messages from this past summer. That gave me the impression that not much was being discussed on the forum. I still wonder about that.

But anyway ...

Your comments about Westwind hit very close to home. I was ( and to be honest still am) looking into the Westwind product. However, after fooling with it for some time, it became apparent to me that even though I did not question the power of the product, it came at a heavy price of having to go through a steep learning curve. I also shy away from too much unnecessary complication and I felt it with WW.

Foxweb seems very straight forward in how it works and I feel very comfortable working with it. And I agree with you that I would like to see Foxweb promoted more highly. The more users, the better for everybody.

Sent by Alan Harris-Reid on 12/11/2002 05:16:26 PM:

>>...I like foxweb but am not convinced that there is going to be a continuing product down the road.<<

I do not get that impression. Foxweb 2.0 was quickly followed by 2.1, which is (IMO) an excellent and very stable product. The Foxweb team have introduced the message-board and regular modifications in the last year and are often hinting about features that may be included in future versions. Hardly the stuff of a project which may be ditched in the foreseeable future! VFP on the web has a big future, and as far as I am concerned there has been nothing to convince me that Foxweb will not be part of that future.

>>There has not been an update in almost a year...<<

To my mind, lack of annual (or more frequent) updates are not a sign that a product is about to die. Would you expect at least one update per year of Visual Foxpro, XP, Excel, Word, etc.? I certainly wouldn't! Where would I get the time to install and test all these upgrades to all the software I use on my pc?

I would rather have fewer upgrades, but be sure (as one can be) that the product is thoroughly tested and stable. Except to fix serious bugs, too frequent updates suggests 'knee-jerk' reaction, or not a thoroughly thought-out marketing policy. There are many examples of well-known software that has been released earlier than it should have been (probaly to apease shareholders), only to be followed-up within months with a service pack to cure bugs which probably wouldn't have been there if the product hadn't been rush-released.

>>... I do not see any specific hype aimed at the next version<<

Not so long ago, Microsoft used to precede new releases of operating-system software with lots of marketing hype, notices of new features, courses, etc.. and much of it never happened, was delayed, or release dates were promised, but overran. The term 'vaporware' was quite a common sight in the computing press.

I am wary of hype. The very word itself suggests marketing spiel, economies of truth, and all the nice-bits that people want to hear. Hype, by definition, suggests an image that does not equal reality. It's nice to know what features are coming up in a new version, but the absence of hype, for me anyway, is preferable to the promise of things that might not happen.

>>I think these are signs of a dying product.<<

I have to disagree. The progress I have seen with Foxweb and its support over the last 18 months does not give me that impression at all.

My biggest complaint about Foxweb is that the publishers do not promote it enough. It's unfortunate that Web-Connect (can we use those words on this board? ;-)) has the largest market share and profile in this area, but that is because they push it in the Foxpro press, messageboards, demonstrations, etc.. IMO Foxweb is a more user-friendly product, better value for money, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, but I don't see any evidence of an advertising campaign that I'm sure would be successful if targeted correctly (Foxweb support, are you reading this?)

Regards,
Alan