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Southwest Fox 2018 - VFP in the 21st century

Southwest Fox is gearing up for a new year in October and once again, it looks like a great set of sessions.

For those naysayers that say VFP can't compete in the current world of application development, existing applications are still holding their own and can continue to do so for years to come.

One of the challenges desktop developers always face is how to make their application look more modern. I was going to say how I'm not quite sure drag/drop would count as 21st century technology but then that would be 2000 so I'll go with "early 21st century" --- which sounds weird even as I write it - but offering slicker interfaces and more advanced error handling is always welcome.

When you've got an application that has been working for years but faces challenges with newer versions of Windows, troubleshooting can be a real challenge.

Another hot topic should be the running of FoxPro apps as services. As modern development techniques turn to web responsive design and javascript frameworks, the ability to migrate core VFP processes into Windows services is a great way for monitoring applications or queueing longer running processes.

I've always been in awe of how well West-Wind web connection has been able to handle all of the new technologies. Rick Strahl has constantly kept the framework relevant and up to date. While Rick has always done Web Connect training at Southwest Fox, Phil Sherwood's session on using Web Connect for Saas looks particularly intriguing as it delivers a real-world web application with reporting and more.

While the pool of FoxPro applications and developers may be shrinking slowly,  there's a great wealth of information to be given at Southwest Fox this year. Mark your calendars for October 18-21, 2018




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