··· HISTORY ···
··· ANATOMY ···
After 29 years of working on dozens of FoxPro apps for clients of all sizes, I’ve noticed a similar pattern over and over:
··· CHALLENGES ···
So, why is it so hard to migrate from FoxPro? Well, FoxPro is a database-oriented Rapid Application Development (RAD) platform, so the nature of its code is quite specific and is unlike anything else. Below are the two most popular migration approaches:
Approach #1: Gathering specs from code
Approach #2: Gathering specs from users
Even if business logic is somehow collected and/or extracted from code, the client would still have to redesign the whole app: front-end, reports, and possibly the back-end (with the exception of where most of the data has already been moved to SQL/Oracle). The front end is always highly outdated and sometimes inconsistent, as many developers “enhanced” it over the years without a coherent plan. The reports are limited by the capabilities of FoxPro’s own built-in viewer.
··· WHY MIGRATE? ···
FoxPro offers lots of advantages – however, in the modern world, it also lacks some potentially crucial features:
··· SERVICES ···
I will provide your company with an initial and ongoing consultation that could save you millions of dollars and years of frustration. Whether you are thinking about FoxPro migration or already actively working on it, these consultations will surely prove to be absolutely invaluable. Over the years I’ve seen many companies of all sizes continuously make poor decisions in this regard. Collectively, just some of my clients who initially did not consult with me wasted over 300 man-years and tens of millions of dollars in migration costs and ended up with a worse application or no application at all.
All the work will be performed remotely, so I would need full access to your application. We can sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). Whether it takes me 10, 100, or 1,000 hours to get your company on the right track, I charge a flat rate of $175/hr. My services are in high demand, so I can provide consultations in accordance with my current bandwidth. I will outline my current availability prior to commencing. Below are some highlights of my services:
··· ABOUT ···
Timothy J. Maxwell
FoxPro Guru
I have been programming computers for 33 years with 29 years in FoxPro and Visual FoxPro. Over the years I’ve participated in every aspect of FoxPro migration from design to writing specs to development to quality assurance. I’ve seen many attempts of FoxPro migration to a variety of technologies utilizing all combinations of local, distributed, and offshore resources.
All of that experience coupled with my business and financial background allows me to evaluate systems quickly and efficiently and choose the right direction for your application.
··· CLIENTS ···
Over the years, I have consulted for dozens of companies of all sizes (from 12 to nearly 300,000 employees) in many industries. Most clients, interestingly, have been in either the financial or healthcare field. I think that’s because FoxPro is particularly well suited for those business sectors. Some of my recent clients are shown below:
··· FAQ ···
I’ve been often asked to talk or write about the future of FoxPro. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions I receive:
A. It depends on a number of factors. However, one very rough rule of thumb would be – $10/line of code. So, an 300,000 line (PRGs, SCXs & VCXs) app would cost approximately $3.0 million (including testing & UAT). However, this implies great planning and near perfect execution.
A. No. All major FoxPro applications are extremely custom. I’ve never seen a replacement software that would offer more than 30% of required functionality, which would make it completely unusable.
A. No. While you might be able to convert some forms / reports, the functionality will not be converted properly, interface will still look outdated and you’ll end up in a technology that wouldn’t bring any benefits anyway.
A. No. As long as you keep upgrading your hardware and software, but the Windows OS version on your PCs is still fully compatible with the 32-bit applications, your FoxPro program should function fine (with minor exceptions).
A. No issues for the most part. I’ve run a lot of tests and the only potential issues could be some printing problems, third-party DLL registrations and other quite rare cases.
A. Yes, using Chinese unofficial C++ compiled 64-bit VFP “version 10” kernel.
A. Yes, utilizing a special technique.
··· PARTNERS ···
In September 2018, we have partnered with Macrosoft Inc – a leader in Visual FoxPro migrations. Now we can handle migrations of any size.
Macrosoft is an ISO 9001:2015 certified software design, development, and consulting company based out of Parsippany, NJ. They have a powerful combination of 25 years of business experience and cutting-edge technological expertise that provides clients with best-in-class solutions in software development projects. Macrosoft specializes in Migration Services and has developed a unique migration methodology along with homegrown automation tools coupled with an ironclad testing process. Macrosoft currently has over 350 technical employees worldwide and has had a Microsoft Gold Partner designation for software development for over 10 consecutive years.
