Book Review - Outliers: The Story of Success
by Dr. Farid A. Muna
Outliers: The Story of Success
By Malcolm Gladwell Little, Brown and Company, November 2008.
Malcolm Gladwell is the detonation point and the flash of best-selling author. His latest book, solitude, has the New York Times best-selling books for 8 months, were included in the list, because it is published in November 2008. Gladwell's appeal and news writing style and simplify complex issues, his talent, I believe, he is the secret of success. And these are the reason his book is controversial and popular. His latest book is no exception.
Outlier trying to explain the secret of successful people, it recommended that intelligence (IQ) alone is not success in life assurance. However, this view is an already well-known fact has been established in the early 1990s a host of academic research found that success is indeed the need for additional capacity, emotional intelligence (EI) of the well-known. Unfortunately, Gladwell did not elaborate, or even refer to, in accordance with love growing body of literature.
Instead, Gladwell focuses on several other significant and equally important ingredients of success. In fact, his book naturally complements the EI studies and explains the “secrets” of success from a different perspective: by taking into account the personal, environmental, and cultural contexts of success.
In this book review, I will highlight the main secrets of success covered by Outliers starting with the advantage (or luck) of being born at the right time of the year. One example Gladwell highlights is that of Canadian hockey players and Czech soccer and hockey players who are born during the first six months of a year and have a distinct advantage of age and maturity over their teammates. This is due to the eligibility cutoff age of January 1 in those countries. As Gladwell explains, “A boy who turns ten on January 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn’t turn ten until the end of the year – and at that age, in preadolescence, a twelve-month gap in age represents an enormous difference in physical maturity”.
What is the birth of the year? Also explains the impact of being there at the right time, at the right age. Gladwell cites the Silicon Valley tycoons, which were 1953 to 1956 and thus the ideal age born in 1975 to take the advantage of the personal computer revolution. Here are the names and year of birth of some of these successful men: Paul Allen (1953), Bill Joy (1954), Scott McNealy (1954), Steve Jobs (1955), Eric Schmidt (1955), Bill Gates (1955) and Steve Ballmer (1956). Gladwell introduces later that lawyers in New York, was born in the early 1930s, also had a huge advantage when the boom in the number and size of mergers, hostile takeovers and litigation took place in the 1970s, mainly due to the relaxation of state provisions.
Gladwell suggestion is that "10,000 hours of effort and practice rules which may explain why many people have achieved their success." He has provided Bill Joy's contribution to the UNIX, Java and the Internet example, the composition of Mozart's masterpiece, he was in 2001, although he began to write in the 6-year-old music, the Beatles and their Hamburg 8 hours of music to experience one day, 7 days a week from 1960 to 1962, and Bill Gates, who put a computer in the age of 13, thousands of hours of programming. Is not only smart, these people have achieved from 1.0 million hours of practice, first, become what they have done remarkable achievement.
Two other “secrets” are discussed at length in Outliers: culture and education. Gladwell compares the safety record of airliners in the 1990s, and notes that the Colombian captains (Avianca) and Korean captains (Korean Air) in certain cases could have averted plane crashes if their cultures permitted subordinates (copilots and flight engineers) to speak out and warn the captains of impending disasters. These two cultures place a high value on power distance, meaning that subordinates defer to their superiors even when these superiors may in fact be in the wrong. In brief, subordinates were reluctant to speak out because of fear and/or respect; a very dangerous cultural “dimension” when one is flying a passenger plane! In effect, Gladwell argues that it does matter where you were born and what culture you were raised in.
Citing culture again, Gladwell attributes the high scores on mathematics tests in countries such as China, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan to the strong work ethics and the demanding nature in those countries of the all important wet-rice agriculture. Here again, Gladwell fails to mention that rice is also grown in other countries, such as Philippines and Indonesia, whose populations are not necessarily known for high scores on math tests. Gladwell also does not mention the Protestant ethics of hard work which may have contributed to the rise of capitalism and the industrial revolution, or the fact that growing tobacco used to be as demanding as working in the rice paddies.
Finally, Gladwell links the quality of education to success. He cites the longer days and hours of high schools in Japan and South Korea, “the school year in the United States is, on average, 180 days long. The South Korean school year is 220 days long. The Japanese school year is 243 days long”. Finally, Gladwell mentions the vast advantages and opportunities provided by KIPP Academy middle schools which were started in the South Bronx, one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. Students at KIPP excel at mathematics and reading, and a large percentage of them go on to university and “in many cases being the first in their family to do so”. KIPP school days start at seven twenty-five and goes on until five p.m. All students take classes in thinking skills, English, science, mathematics, social science, music and orchestra. KIPP gives its students a chance to work very hard and to excel.
Although it is written with a journalistic, rather than academic approach, Outliers has undoubtedly contributed to the ongoing thinking about success in the corporate world. It highlights the importance of hard work, determination, opportunity and luck, family upbringing, personal circumstances, and culture.
Despite its shortcomings, mainly its lack of academic rigor, Outliers is a highly recommended book for those who want to explore the “secrets” of success, beyond IQ and EI.
Hired Now!You're Talking Yourself Out of Getting a Job by Giving Wrong Answers to Interview Question
by Christian Schoyen, leading U.S. job expert, life architect, and author - ASecondLife.com
Everyone knows that the first step to securing a job is a compelling and convincing resume. But most people don't know that the next step, the job interview, is so important that if you make a handful of common mistakes, you'll blow your chances and walk away empty-handed.
The Problem: You've got the right education, experience, and references, all presented on a well-put together resume. It's getting you job interviews, but no job offers.
The harsh truth: A good resume gets your foot in the door, but the right qualifications (background and experience) are only the first step toward getting the job. A potential employer wants to know what it would be like to have you around the office every day-your personality and attitude. That comes through in your job interview.
The Solution: Being prepared to properly answer the questions you'll be asked greatly increases your chances for success. Knowing what recruiters and potential employers are looking for and how they think gives you a distinct advantage.
The Job Interview Secrets No One Tells You
As the founder of a successful global headhunting firm serving Fortune 500 companies for over twelve years, and author of the books: A Second Life, God is giving you a second chance, and Secrets of the Executive Search Experts, well as self help books on "how to get the job," I have coached thousands of people who have gotten the jobs they wanted. Some of the secrets I shared with them:
Don't talk yourself out of the job!
When a prospective employer invites you to a job interview, it means your skills meet their requirements and your chances of getting the job are great. The rest is really up to you. Nine out of ten people can shift the outcome of an interview toward acceptance, rather than rejection, if they know what to do-and not do.
- Learn the questions and answers before the interview.
Before an interview, practice giving the right answers to the questions you may be asked-which are usually very universal. The potential employer wants to get to know you better; have you elaborate on your skill set; and figure out if you are a high flyer, go-getter, just a "warm body" who will make no additional contribution outside of minimal expectations-or worse than that, a flat-liner who will actually drag down their company.
- Stay on point.
If a conversation appears casual, don't be tricked into thinking you don't need to stay on point and cover key information. Many job seekers are thrown off-balance when a potential employer asks about a hobby, non-work related activity or common interest in the middle of an interview. Answer briefly, but then get back to the real topic at hand: the work done by the company and how you can make a valuable contribution. The reality is: this interview is your only chance to get this job. So don't close your one window of opportunity by screwing up the conversation.
- How to tell them about yourself.
Every company considers it a great test to see how effectively a job candidate communicates. Practice the format and structure of possible job interview situations-meaning how to get to the point and sell yourself convincingly and engagingly.
Don't make the mistake of taking only five minutes to tell a prospective employer about yourself. The interviewer will wonder what kind of life you have if you can describe it in such a short amount of time. Don't focus completely on your skill set and say nothing about yourself as a person, or you'll lose your potential new employer before you're halfway through.
Questions most commonly asked during a job interview.
Here are the eight universal questions usually asked during a job interview, followed by how to effectively answer them:
1. Please tell me/us about yourself.
Answering Question #1: Focus on hard facts that the employer needs to know. First of all, convince them that you can do the job you're interviewing for. Talk about specific relevant job experiences in your background. Companies prefer, for the most part, to hire people who have successfully done the same job, or something similar, elsewhere. If our work experience matches up with what the potential employer needs to have done, then the risk factor that you'll screw up is very limited.
But before hitting the hard facts, share information about yourself as a person. Everyone likes people who start out by saying where they are originally from and a little about their personal situation. Then go on to where you went to school and run through your work history. Big time gaps in work history are not good; neither is jumping from job to job if you don't have a good explanation for why.
2. What do you do outside of work, or what non-work related interests do you have?
Answering Question #2: Companies ask a job candidate this question because most really do want to hire stable people with good, balanced lives.
Incorrect answers are: "I like to hang out at the bars," or "I have no interests except for watching television." Nobody wants to hire a bar hopper or someone who spends all of their spare time glued to the television. On the other hand, having too many outside interests can give the impression that they are likely to affect the quality of your work in a very negative way. I have seen numerous occasions where people say that maintaining their social life with friends is important to them-meaning their weekly outings with friends will always be more important than deadlines at work. A negative impression can also be given when people say they engage in a lot of sports activities, either as a participant or a fan, because it can mean that adjusting their schedule to attend or view a sporting event can interfere with or be more important than any activity at the company.
For the correct answers, the key is to show there is balance in your life. Safe activities to talk about are: going to the gym, spending quality time with family, and going to church, the movies, or the theater, etc. Having a unique interest, such as astronomy or something else mainstream (meaning not bizarre), will always be a positive. And because most companies want employees who have stable lives, being married or having a boyfriend/girlfriend is a great plus.
3. What are your strong points and your weak points?
Answering Question #3: Many job candidates are very comfortable talking about their strong sides, but have difficulty stating weak points. Being unable to do so gives the impression that you are not good at assessing yourself-when you may hesitate because you're afraid you might not get the job. The truth is, everyone has flaws. As a recruiter I don't mind flaws as long as they don't affect the person's ability to do a good job.
If little is revealed, the trick used by many companies is to then ask, "What would your current boss say about your weak points?" And, in most situations, a company that's considering hiring you will do an extensive reference check and may ask your former bosses this question. Bottom line, by being open you will come across as a person who has nothing to hide-but don't be so honest it's ridiculous.
A highly educated young man I considered recruiting a few years ago, nonchalantly answered this question by saying, "I'm lazy. I don't like to get up early in the morning." Needless to say, I didn't refer him for an interview. During over 3,000 recruitments I have conducted as a headhunter, not once has a client said, "Find me a lazy, arrogant job candidate with no drive and initiative."
Some examples of the best way to answer this question is by saying things such as, "I speak only English and wish I had taken time to learn another language," or "I can seem too eager because I get so involved in my work," or "I wish I were better at speaking in front of large groups." These types of answers convey weaknesses that can be overcome. It's very important that your weaknesses wouldn't affect your job performance.
4. Tell me about the previous managers/supervisors that you reported to.
Answering Question #4: N ever talk badly about your superiors or previous superiors (or your coworkers or former coworkers, for that matter). First of all, there's nothing for you to gain by doing so. Even if you feel your previous superior was totally incompetent, saying so will only backfire by reflecting badly on you. Secondly, it's a matter of showing respect. And by giving respect to others, you gain respect yourself.
Also, as a warning, I have seen companies and recruiters get so "buddy-buddy" with a job candidate during an interview that he/she drops his/her guard and speaks the total truth about a previous boss, which later in another setting boomerangs at the candidate in a negative way. To be safe, no matter what, just don't do it.
5. Where do you see yourself in the years to come?
Answering Question #5: This is also a trick question. When you have nothing to say, you come across as having no aspirations whatsoever and if you say too much about big plans, it looks like you're going to leave the job when a better position or opportunity comes along.
The correct answer is: "My main interest is this job. I want to excel at it and do my very best. That's my objective and main focus. As far as the future, I would like to believe that I will become better and better at what I do. If this means I will naturally grow into another position with this company, time will tell. But again, my goal is this job and being the best that I can be in this capacity."
6. What do you know about us?
Answering Question #6: The way you answer this questions indicates whether you are prepared. It's very important to know as much as possible about the company where you are applying for a job. By being able to tell them what you know, they see that you are serious enough to have done some homework before arriving for your interview. Also, by learning as much as possible about the company, you will be able to ask the right questions and engage in an intelligent conversation about the company during your interview.
Learn the most important information that is the size of the company, the structure, products, services, history, market, locations, etc., as well as information about the job you are applying. Also know about all important events associated with the company and the market is active, which were covered in the media. This shows that you date the latest news and stay up-to-what's going on in the world. Plus you will have to be very smart and genuine interest in the company if you can find out what has come ut of the company's competitors and how the company products / services are different (better!) When the rest of the market.
7. Why do you think you are a good match for this position?
Answering Question #7: This is your window of opportunity to put all the hard facts on the table, convey the ways in which you are a very good match and why you are so unique. Remember, just saying that you are a hard worker and a very pleasant person is a given. You need to come up with facts about what you can bring to the table that others cannot. By thoughtfully assessing yourself, your skills, and experience while approaching your job search, you will have a specific answer to this question. The things you say that stand out could determine whether you get the job or someone else gets it. So, think of facts related to your skill set, your experience, a network you may have developed, or strong job-related interests that will bear fruit in the near future.
8. What is your current salary?
Answering Question #8: Talking about salary can be challenging. If the new job is for a more prestigious company than your previous employer, and the new job tasks are more challenging, you may believe at the start of the process that the job is more important than the pay. But when a job offer comes through, most people change their minds, often saying something like, "But that's less than I have been making." Most companies know this will happen, so they pay close attention to the salary question to make sure they are not wasting time on the wrong candidate.
The reality is that everyone, including the job candidate, knows that when they have made a lot more money in the past and accept a big drop in pay for a new job, they are likely to grab the next position that comes along with higher pay and jump ship. This is understandable when someone has a number of years of experience and a certain lifestyle, expenses, and status quo to maintain.
When asked about salary, the trick is to first get the company to reveal a number. Your best approach is to just say, "If you feel I am a good fit for this company and this position, I am sure we will come to terms," or "The main thing is whether I fit the requirements of what you are looking for, and if that's so, I would be very happy to receive an offer from you first, because I am very interested in this opportunity." (Say this even if you are not.) By saying this you keep the focus on getting the job, while not disqualifying yourself because of salary demands. You can negotiate a salary once you know that you truly have their interest-by getting an offer, not before. If they know that in your current job you earn much more than the new position would pay, that's a different story. Then you have to decide whether taking a pay cut is worth it to you, because they're probably not going to meet or exceed your current salary.
When you learn at the start of the job search process that the salary range of a potential new job is below what you currently earn, you need to do some soul searching to decide if you still want the job. Simply ask yourself: Will this job take me further down the road to where I want to be in my career? If so, be prepared to answer their salary question truthfully by saying, "My pay today is 'X' amount of dollars and I know what my expenses are. I am not sure what your pay range is for this position, but I want to emphasize that at this point in my life, I seek to learn more and expand my skill set. This is more important to me than anything else, even if it means taking a pay cut."
On the other hand, if you have no other choice but to accept a salary cut-whether it's due to a bad economy, the chance that your current job may be eliminated, or because you feel unhappy and unfulfilled in your current job-ask yourself if this may be a chance to go in a better direction in life, where you will be experiencing new values and beliefs that can help you grow and evolve. If you believe this is correct, sincerely say to the hiring company that you are venturing into new territory where you genuinely want to try something new and different, and that the position in question is therefore of great interest to you.
Being honest-with yourself and your potential new employer-is the key here. Turn around and imagine that you are a company that is hiring. You don't want to go through the entire hiring process and then shortly afterward see your new employee jump ship. Being honest will never backfire on you.
People need to look at the long term and understand that their own best interests should be driven by seeking knowledge and job growth more than immediate gratification, because the payoff down the road will be tremendously higher than just working for the paycheck and the ego. A hunger for more and more money is such a strong driving force that many people even go into fields/jobs/careers that don't provide them with much fulfillment besides making money. Money is important, in that you should always try to ensure that you are paid market rate. But you should never turn down great opportunities because of greed for a short-term paycheck when the long-term payoff is usually greater when you are driven by a quest for knowledge in areas where your passions can thrive.
A proven system for making your job search more successful is detailed in the life manual, A Second Life, God is giving you a second chance. It contains an extensive chapter with detailed guidance on how to find a job, interview tips, winning the job and creating a job insurance policy once you've got the job. It also tells you how to fully develop all five key areas of life, so that if you are struggling in the job market, you won't feel like the world is going to end. Go to the Web site: ASecondLife.com to download a free book excerpt and articles containing more job/career tips.
Posted in: interview questions| Tags: Interview Question job experience step resume life author secrets yourselfGiving Visual FoxPro a new lease life
Abstract
I read an article on the Internet about what can be done by both Microsoft Corporation and Visual FoxPro programmers to give Visual FoxPro a new lease of life! For example, that article suggested doing away with the Fox icon at the top of the Visual FoxPro application window, reengineering parts of the FoxPro application including doing away with the Windows 95 dialog boxes and so on. This article seeks to contribute to the debate, suggesting additional ideas that the author considers to be critical to not only reviving VFP but also in attracting new developers to VFP cause. The author believes that a certification program (now discontinued for the VFP track my Microsoft) along with a ‘Built with VFP Standard’ Logo are critical to putting VFP back on the map.
Introduction
It is no longer news that Microsoft has announced that they will be no VFP10! Microsoft has since announced that aside from support through 2014, they will be no active marketing of VFP and Microsoft’s actions speak louder than words! In the interim, many new products and white papers have surfaced, advising VFP programmers on how to make the transition to the .NET Framework as well as products that promise to let you code your application in VFP while compiling to ‘IL’ – the primary executable language that enables .NET programs run.
Many Visual FoxPro Programmers have asked themselves what this means and what this will entail! I believe that events have already answered this question! Even before Microsoft announced their intention to stop making VFP, eligible members of the VFP community had already started building enhancements to VFP with the primary goal of making VFP competitive with other contemporary programming languages. These efforts crystallized themselves as VFPx and VFPy on Codeplex, eventually forcing Microsoft to publish their own efforts (Sedna) also on CodePlex!
Therefore it was with great interest that I read?the many opinions?and?ideas?that VFP Developers have on how to improve VFP. While I will not dispute these ideas, I just want to add to them!
I believe that Microsoft’s strategy to ‘kill’ VFP is simple – if VFP Programmers are give an ultimatum to change to .NET, and marketing, support and further development/enhancement of the VFP product line is discontinued then VFP programmers will have no choice but to change over to VB or C# (i.e the .NET Framework). But as programmers, we must ask critical questions! What are the critical performance benefits of non-.NET Framework applications as opposed to .NET Framework applications? Since the .NET Framework? was touted as a platform independent solution, perhaps comparable to Sun Java’s Byte code, on what additional OS’s or platforms apart from Window is the .NET Framework running since inception?
These questions enable VFP Programmers to realize that there is nothing there are missing on the .NET Framework! (Don’t get me wrong! The .NET Framework is a great effort by Microsoft with some truly great features and promises)! This means that since Microsoft has agreed to at least open-source the VFP Environment, it will be up to the VFP community to keep the flame alive, through advertisements. What form might such advertisements take?
What can be done?
One form would be through the publication of new case studies for Visual FoxPro based projects. The Web provides a ready medium for this purpose. Another way will be to produce a new certification exam for Visual FoxPro programmers to replace the Certification exams now dropped my Microsoft Corporation for the VFP product line. To understand why this is important, consider for example, that if you were delivering an Oracle product, it would do you good to be an OCP or ODBA. Similarly, Microsoft retains certification for its other products apart from VFP. The VFP community could therefore setup new certification exams (considering also that in the developing world, this may be the only qualification available to VFP Programmers who are non-degree holders) that VFP Programmers could take. The aim of the certification exam would be to ascertain that a programmer is qualified to undertake and deliver solutions built primary with VFP as the primary development language.
Such certification exams could be structured to deliver credits earned in three levels viz: Certified Visual FoxPro Professional (CVFP), Certified Visual FoxPro Master (CVPM) and Certified Visual FoxPro Enterprise Architect (CVFPA).
The aim of each certification could be of course? decided at a later stage, but for example, the Certified Visual FoxPro Professional examination could aim to ensure that a Visual FoxPro programmer can write workable VFP based applications and desktop applications using VFP. The? CVPM certification could be used to certify that a VFP Programmer could build full-featured pure fox two-tier client/server applications using VFP as the primary application development environment. The CVFPA certification would test a programmers knowledge on how to use to VFP to build top-notch n-tier distributed web-based or windows based enterprise applications.
These certifications would be designed to give VFP Programmers something to hold onto and also publicized attract new programmers into the VFP fold. The trend we have observed in our part of the world is the importance placed on professional certifications of this type as testimony that the professional does indeed possess the requisite professional skills to deliver a solution based on the stated/proposed technology. We have also observed that most people look upon the availability of certification exams as testimony that the technology is current. Why should this be different in the case of Visual FoxPro? While MSCD on the Visual FoxPro track existed, Microsoft ensured that those for Visual Basic and Visual C++ overshadowed these! Now VFP Programmers can setup something on their own and ensure that it is properly marketed to developers!
Of course setting up certification exams would have to come with the full works such as setting up curricular, courseware and approved training materials that students could use to train. Such materials could also form the nucleus of another marketing ploy….marketing VFP as the principal tool to teach Database concepts at educational institutions and making sure people know that VFP educational licenses are available and very affordable.
Yet again another certification and therefore marketing ploy would be to certify VFP product sites as ‘Powered By VFP’ or ‘VFP Enterprise Approved’ or whatever you would want to call it. This would allow organizations that buy solutions built with VFP to be assured that they have received an enterprise solution engineered to the highest standards much as Lucent used to Certify networks sites for their ‘Systimax’ Structured Cabling standard in those days. Of course anyone who has been around would easily know that other cabling standards such as ‘Belkin Structured Cabling’ existed but who was setting the pace and standards and why?
Who would administer such a program?
Efforts such as VFPx and VFPy have already demonstrated the power that a community will can bring to bear. The same spirit can be brought to bear on the ideas contained herein. Perhaps, I will make bold to say that the VFPx Team can be used as a ‘rallying point’ to nominate imminent members of the VFP community with a sound knowledge of the VFP Product technology line to administer a VFP University Product foundation that could then oversee or implement the ideas contained herein, perhaps of course taking care to structure the organization in such a way that it does not violate Microsoft’s trademarks or copyrights but giving a new lease of life to existing VFP programmers while attracting new talent to take-up building solutions with VFP!
Since some of this programmers required to administer this idea would be working professionals working to make a living, the whose thing could be structured still around the idea of VFPx, with a core of professionals coordinating everything, making sure that certifications are properly gazette with both Microsoft and other professional bodies, while allowing VFP community members to contribute their ideas and thoughts on the curricular and other aspects of the organization to ensure that all certifications actually reflect trainings on current industry standard practice.
The VFP University Product Foundation team could:
- Draw up curricular for VFP Certification examinations and promote such certification examinations world-wide through usual VFP Community site and other amenable technology sites
- Publish Training materials that could be used for such trainings and certification study programs
- Ensure that certifications issued are properly accreddited with both Microsoft Corporation and other industry standard bodies (whoever is taking this should know that it is worthwhile).
- Appoint approved training centers world-wide that could offer such trainings
- Provide a means for such trainings to be taken online (much as with other CBT offerings online)
- Certify and rate project sites implemented with Visual FoxPro to ensure that these meet industry standard practice and upon certification, issue an ‘Powered by VFP’ Logo/seal as a mark of quality
- Set and Publish standards for VFP Programmers
- Provide a forum for publication of new case-studies for VFP Programmers and ensure that these are also published in other technology forums (not just the usual VFP ones).
- Promote VFP to educational institutions and foundation to use as a primary tool in demonstrating Database concepts and teaching programming concepts
- etc
The VFP University Foundation would just be just like Oracle University or Microsoft University! Providing critical lifeline of continuing education on the VFP product line; doing what Microsoft is not now doing for VFP, just as Microsoft University does for other Microsoft products and Oracle does for the Oracle product portfolio!
It takes Money! Where will the Money Come from?
Definitely, managing an initiative of this kind need money and financial resources to setup and create Web sites publish educational material, place ads, printing and mailing certificates, travel, etc., but this is not necessarily an obstacle! If programmers are paid a fee to complete the exam and are required to secure a new examination may be taken every two to three years as an integrated new features into the product VFP through voluntary efforts of the community are funds available. It would also certify sites, speaking at community events and son at a nominal fee that runs the resources to bring in not only the foundation but also a sign of compensation for the core of people who coordinate the activities of the university would have happened Foundation . A seed fund would definitely have to be raised through voluntary contributions to the initial spark for the entire effort.
What it all boils down to!
All of the ideas itemized above will not of course obviate the need for improvements and modernization of the VFP product nor do we as a community need to take Microsoft’s place to advertize a product that it makes. This means that as long as the product remains largely close-sourced, many of the things will depend not on the community but on Microsoft! For example, taking off those Windows 95 dialogs and replacing them with new dialogs and so on. However, because we are the ones that use this product and some of us have too huge an investment in this product to start re-writing in another language, we have to take some action to ensure that the VFP product line is not just casually swept under the carpet like that…we do not have to accept a faith accompli!
?This means that the campaign to get Microsoft to honor its ‘Corporate-community’ responsibility to the many VFP programmers who make a living by writing software with VFP, to open-source all of VFP (not just its environment) must be intensified.? Now is as good a time as any for the VFP community to take a definite stance on their beloved venerable development tool of choice!
VFP has a reputation of having a vibrant active, dedicated and loyal user community; something that is the envy of most other products, including Microsoft’s Visual Basic or C#! Now is the time for this community to show its true mettle, taking the VFP Bull by the horns and doing what must be done to keep the product alive! It will require will on our part as a community and we need not be the underdog always! ?‘Yes we can’!
Posted in: java training| Tags: NET Microsoft Application article visual life foxpro vfp lease author