[AccessD] The future of Access, .NET and SQL

>>This translates into constantly changing software 
>>(and "new" technologies with STEEP learning curves) 
>>that never end - just so Mr. Gates can sell more 
>>software and generate more revenue and profits ...

That touches a nerve for me too, Alan. The Art of Programming, the gist
of it, has changed very little in decades. That alone takes years to
learn. We all must adapt to the normal pace of technological change -- a
given in this industry -- which means a constant burden of new things to
learn. 

But what I have trouble accepting is the planned obsolescence of
perfectly good languages and platforms. The idea of spending the time to
master the intricacies of a particular language, which could take the
better part of a decade, only to be told it is not viable by its maker,
really rubs me the wrong way. 

One thing is certain, though: in 30 years, Microsoft will have us
working in languages that will be completely unrecognizable to us today.
But there will still be Perl programmers. One shining advantage of
Open-Source, publicly-spec'd languages is that once they achieve
critical mass, you can be assured that your investment in learning will
not become obsolete.

One small hope: Microsoft has made the C# spec a public standard, which
could give it the longevity required to attract a long-term following.
It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will stick to the standard, or
try to subvert it, in the coming years.

-Ken

PS -- Have a look at Nemerle, a new .NET language that has a C#-like
syntax, but offers the convenience of type-inference, along with ML-like
functional constructs, and Lisp-like meta-programming. Still early in
development, but very intriguing...

http://nemerle.org/Main_Page