fpgroups.com: Revised chat room

[fp at casabellagallery.com]

JP posted:

> | I am very exited about this - I can't wait to see you guys actively
> | chatting in the fpgroups.com chat room.
> 
> Whatever for, Jose?

Please don't spank for feeling exited about something ... :)

> 
> Why shouldn't we continue to use John Esak's generous live chat and text
> message facility?
> 

I am not advocating one should not.

> As Brian posted last week, you're trying to promote another variant of
> something which already exists.  Why split and divert the filePro
> adherents that way?  It's a disservice.
> 

I respect both Brian's and your observations but I think you both are 
missing the point.  This is one of those cases where more is better. 
While it is not the case for you or Brian, it just might be for others.

I know from personal experience that companies have dropped filePro because
it is limited to a closed circle of people that is and has been very hard
to break through.  No enough options out there!

The way I see it, the more the better.  We should all have a web site
promoting our filePro tool-box, products and services.  No only filePro, but
anything we care to.  If we make enough noise, we will be heard and we will
know more about each other.  I am really not intending to divide, split nor 
undermine what we have had all these years; I simply believe that it is time
we break loose and expand our horizons.  As it stands right now, all searches
for filePro (that are realated to filePro as we know it) lead to the same 
dozen or so places (and I am being generous with that number).  Do same for ASP, 
.NET, Adobe, PHP, PyThon, SOAP, Apache, JavaScript, C#, VisualBasic, C+, C++, etc.

I know of companies that have stopped using filePro based on how they feel
about the list or the people in the list.  I have argued that that was not
fare and that they should give filePro a chance as an application but it
always came back to "its community or lack there of".

So you see, I recognize a void and hope that others can be sincere to 
themselves and get involved to fix it before whatever air filePro has is
gone.  No, I am not claiming that I am out to "safe" filePro and its 
community (that is totally out of my power - be it knowledge, skills,
money or personal interest), I am simply voicing what I believe many of
us have quietly said over and over again within our offices and with
others off list.

I am one of filePro's youngest programmers and I am almost 40.  If we do
nothing to attract the younger generation, filePro will simply fade away.
I can still program for another 40 years so, I think I want it to stay
around for at least that long.

Again, I am not after to replace anything.  I am more for more options!

fpgroups.com is getting an average of 40 hits a day.  That is nothing to 
speak of but yet, I feel as though success is within reach.  That is 
evidence that there are those that will use it.  They are still much
behind curtains but there will be a time where they will understand that
they do not have to hide as they will not be a target and that advanced
filePro knowledge is not a requirement to be an accepted member.

Heck, some one from Honduras registered.  I have not seen Honduras in a
signature in the list ... 21 Individuals have registered in total.  There
is a combined download count of over 100.  If this means that at least
1 person have obtained something of value to him or his company, the
effort is well worth it.

Just as you posted your comments here, I have received private messages
from others expressing their appreciation and complimenting the site and
its value.  I ask them to send their remarks through the list since it
will give fpgroups.com a nice plug but they are afraid to be identified
with the project (Hum, I wonder why?)  You see, the community is already
divided.

Tell me, why then do you post unix stuff on your site when so many other
sites already have same stuff?  I am sure you are not intending to divide
the unix community, you simply do it!

I know, there is a million unix users for every one filePro user.  There
are also a million site for every one filePro site.

Regards,


Jose Lerebours