Desperate plea to FP Tech...

[John Esak]

Just a quick note... not meant in a "defensive" way... but I see that
everyone want more screen space. I will just say... that even if I *had*
it... I would *never* use it. The 80x24 scheme is perfect for what we do.
When the user fills any screen and wants/needs to add more data, other
screens are popped-up or switched-to with ease. Sometimes displaying other
important data from previously finished screens. This would be
hard-to-impossible with vertically scrolling screens. I *like* the full
control and use it to very good advantage. I have never had complaints about
speed/visibility of data or anything regarding the 80x24 limitation. I just
think it is important to voice my decidedly different approach.

I feel much of why people want more screen space is because of the spate of
controls available on GUI screens. Listboxes, buttons, radio buttons,
checkboxes, etc., all take up lots of room... and though they shrink and
expand at the pull of a window corner... new stuff does not appear.

Now, as for scrolling fields... YES... that would be great. Not only for
viewing, of course, but for data entry. Now seriously... these are available
in filePro itself in at least two places (Define Edits, and Print Code
Maintenance.) Can't this be easily mushed/pushed/programmed into filePro
itself? Ken, I hate to call you to task... :-), but in late after-hours of
one of the town meetings, you inferred/implied/hinted/as-much-as-said that
*we* the users don't have this scrolling field ability yet, but *you* do.
:-) Does this mean that this feature is not far away from being added to
filePro should it be brought to a front burner?

And this brings up I have to say... what I think is the absolute _crux_ of
*all* the list traffic for the past week or so.  In a succinct nutshell...
and the subject of this message. How about if everyone just lets me ramble
on for a moment... and then instead of adding thousands of more words to
what I'm going to propose... everyone restrains themselves no matter what it
takes and just puts a simple reply to this suggestion of "Yay" or "Nay". If
this can happen, I think FP Tech will be benefited greatly... by seeing a
clear petition approved by the members here in overwhelming agreement... and
this as you read on and see, will get us all what I think we need. Here I
go...

Now, and I really mean *now* is the time for FP Tech to release a list of
what you have coming up in the forefront for new filePro features. Please,
please, please... send out to the web site, or to this forum or to
anywhere... a prioritized list of what will be coming in 5.6, 5.7, 6.0...
onward. All I can hear are what sound like desperate screams and pleas from
dedicated filePro developers for *some* idea of what is going to happen. I
know there have been problems in the past with promises of features and then
non-delivery causing huge hassles... ODBC going 5 years after promise date
being the single and main real problem there... but forget that! I believe
filePro is at one of those watershed moments which is going to strongly
influence its future. You need to forget the dare I say it... *stupidity*...
and *mismanagement* of the people who ran things in the past. Get out there
*now* and tell everyone *directly* what it is you are doing, what you have
in mind... and what we can *hope* to expect for our chosen product in the
near and even distant future. People are telling you over and over again if
you don't give them some idea and relative time frames, they are going to
jump ship now!  Stop them, by doing this... please???????  I'll cc this to
filepro at fptech.com as Ken's suggestion to ask things like this on this list
is not appropriate or beneficial. I only put it here to see if I'm not wrong
that this is the *current* central issue ... and ... getting such a
*prioritized* list isn't a damn good way to answer and *resolve* the issue.
It may not be the only way, but I can't think of anything else at this
point.

<if_you_need_an_analogy>
It's much like Bush just letting the "liberals" lambaste him and his policy
in Iraq forever without saying one word in his own defense. *Finally*, he
got out there and reminded people why we are there... basically to bring
sanity and civilized behavior to a critically *needed* region of the world
that somehow haven't been able to find it themselves in 10,000 years of
human history. If the region wasn't *critical* (oil) I realize we wouldn't
be there, and there is no one on the planet who hates more as much as I do
(and I would guess Bush hates it as much or more than I do... having the
responsibility on his head for all the horrible, senseless death and
injury)... but until we can have a stable and fair society over there that
doesn't treat 50%  of its population (the women) like dogs... and 98% of it
worse than that (the non-Saddamists). There isn't going to be any stability
as to who is guarding the pump at our life's blood well... again oil.
Whenever opposition gets over-the-top in its criticism... he has to stand up
and defend what he (and we) are doing over there. It's a tough explanation,
because most people don't want to hear how neccessary the sacrifice is...
but nevertheless he has to do it.

In the same way, it's time... really very, very past time (okay pasta time
:-) that FP Tech divulges a game plan... and a pretty darn clear one at
that. If there are things filePro will *never* (like font-size changing),
state them. If there are functions that can not be implemented because the
basic engine of filePro can't do them, state that... but for God's sake,
state some of the things filePro can and will do inthe future... for those
of us married to a character-based system... you are the only game in town.
We have to know what to expect. We can decide if the sacrifice will be too
great. You have to let the chips fall where they may and let the people who
can see the larger picture of things agree or disagree. They will stay or
leave whether or not you make this plan disclosure... but be pro-active and
put it out there and I'm betting less will leave.
</if_you_need_an_analogy>

>From my point of view... you *know* I have already purchased 5.6... and I
will purchase any upcoming release after that. For developmental planning,
however, like everyone else who is screaming for it here... I need to know
what I can expect. Not just along the 80x24 screen size issue, or the
printing memos issue, or the subscripts for *port values issue... not for
any individual's pet idea of what would make filePro perfect program... but
the whole future of this long-lasting (maybe *ONLY* everlasting)
character-based development program. What can it do, what will it do...
approximately when.

Please FP Tech and PTB, have a couple meetings. Do some conference calls.
I'll offer you a private room in my conference center on-line (one I and no
one else can see or hear) if money for conference calls is out of the
question (and probably is). But, get together somehow, soon, and lay this
all out for us. Don't do it for us, though. Do it for yourselves... I
believe honestly that the future of filePro and its current user base depend
on this happening.

--
John Esak
(570) 384-2444

Author of:
The filePro Survivor Series
Complete Video Training For FilePro On CD
See samples at: www.valar.com/training