Installing Visual FoxPro 9.0, just how to go about it

[Dan Musicant]

I believe I remember seeing some posts here advocating various things to
do to get VFP 9.0 off the ground and running optimally, including
service pack(s). This included what add-ons to install, what utilities,
Fox community created stuff, and etc. I can't find the posts. Please
chime in here. What's the latest? Thanks!

Dan

PS I'm installing VFP 9.0 on two laptops, one having XP Pro, the other
Windows 7 64bit Ultimate.



Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

[Dan Freeman]

I don't think there's any particular list since everyone will use a
different set of addons.

Installl VFP9 and SP2. Then go over to vfpx.codeplex.com and graze.
(PEM Editor is almost a must-have.)

Dan

Post by Dan Musicant
I believe I remember seeing some posts here advocating various things to
do to get VFP 9.0 off the ground and running optimally, including
service pack(s). This included what add-ons to install, what utilities,
Fox community created stuff, and etc. I can't find the posts. Please
chime in here. What's the latest? Thanks!
Dan
PS I'm installing VFP 9.0 on two laptops, one having XP Pro, the other
Windows 7 64bit Ultimate.
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

[Gene Wirchenko]

[reordered to chronological]

Post by Dan Freeman

Post by Dan Musicant
I believe I remember seeing some posts here advocating various things to
do to get VFP 9.0 off the ground and running optimally, including
service pack(s). This included what add-ons to install, what utilities,
Fox community created stuff, and etc. I can't find the posts. Please
chime in here. What's the latest? Thanks!
Dan
PS I'm installing VFP 9.0 on two laptops, one having XP Pro, the other
Windows 7 64bit Ultimate.

I don't think there's any particular list since everyone will use a
different set of addons.
Installl VFP9 and SP2. Then go over to vfpx.codeplex.com and graze.
(PEM Editor is almost a must-have.)

There were two releases of SP 2. If I have it straight, the
second was a minor adjustment for the splash screen. The builds are
5721 and 5815.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

[Dan Musicant]

On Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:34:16 -0800, Dan Freeman <***@dfapam.com> wrote:

:I don't think there's any particular list since everyone will use a
:different set of addons.
:
:Installl VFP9 and SP2. Then go over to vfpx.codeplex.com and graze.
:(PEM Editor is almost a must-have.)
:
:Dan


OK, I sleuthed my VFP.dbf table, where I tuck away stuff (sometimes it
works better than my brain, that's why we have computers, right?) and
found this by you:
- - - -
Understand up front that VFP9 SP2 was one of the most botched product
releases in the history of Foxpro (and it's right up there in the
history of Microsoft). The original release of SP2 was so bad even the
splash screen was screwed up.

To make sure you have the "good" SP2, you must start by completely
uninstalling Foxpro. Blow it all away. Then:

* Install Foxpro (no SP, or SP1 only)
* Download the *current* SP2 installer and install it

Then go here and get the THREE hotfixes:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb264582.aspx

Then go to vfpx.codeplex.com and get the community-corrected help file
to regain the ability to search help.

Then you're good to go.

Dan Freeman
- - - -

That's what I was thinking of. Is that still "current" and up to date?
Looks similar to what you wrote above. Thanks!

Dan

PS That was late October of last year, 2009 in this newsgroup.


Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

[Dan Musicant]

On Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:43:27 -0800, Dan Musicant <***@privacy.net>
wrote:

:Then go here and get the THREE hotfixes:
:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb264582.aspx

I just did the first 2 of these 3 hotfixes. Isn't it redundant?
Replacing those 4 files (i.e. the VFP 9 executable, the runtime file and
the two DLLs with newer versions shouldn't necessitate doing it three
times. Can't you just do the last hotfix? That should obviously
incorporate the previous two. Well, I have one more to do (it's
downloading right now), so I obviously have to go through the process
again. Just saying. I imagine I can just forget about the previous two
hotfixes in the future and do the last. It seems inconceivable that they
didn't incorporate the first two into the last, right?

Dan


Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

[Dan Freeman]

Post by Dan Musicant

Post by Dan Musicant
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb264582.aspx

I just did the first 2 of these 3 hotfixes. Isn't it redundant?
Replacing those 4 files (i.e. the VFP 9 executable, the runtime file and
the two DLLs with newer versions shouldn't necessitate doing it three
times. Can't you just do the last hotfix? That should obviously
incorporate the previous two. Well, I have one more to do (it's
downloading right now), so I obviously have to go through the process
again. Just saying. I imagine I can just forget about the previous two
hotfixes in the future and do the last. It seems inconceivable that they
didn't incorporate the first two into the last, right?
Dan
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

I'v seen conflicting information about that. ::shrug::

Dan

[Dan Freeman]

Post by Dan Musicant

Post by Dan Freeman
I don't think there's any particular list since everyone will use a
different set of addons.
Installl VFP9 and SP2. Then go over to vfpx.codeplex.com and graze. :(PEM
Editor is almost a must-have.)

:Dan
OK, I sleuthed my VFP.dbf table, where I tuck away stuff (sometimes it
works better than my brain, that's why we have computers, right?) and
- - - -
Understand up front that VFP9 SP2 was one of the most botched product
releases in the history of Foxpro (and it's right up there in the
history of Microsoft). The original release of SP2 was so bad even the
splash screen was screwed up.
To make sure you have the "good" SP2, you must start by completely
* Install Foxpro (no SP, or SP1 only)
* Download the *current* SP2 installer and install it
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb264582.aspx
Then go to vfpx.codeplex.com and get the community-corrected help file
to regain the ability to search help.
Then you're good to go.
Dan Freeman
- - - -
That's what I was thinking of. Is that still "current" and up to date?
Looks similar to what you wrote above. Thanks!
Dan
PS That was late October of last year, 2009 in this newsgroup.
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

I'd forgotten about the hotfixes but, yeah, that's pretty much the lot.

Note that the hotfixes were for (IIRC) obscure reporting bugs that will
only show up if you push the RW *real* *hard*. Not really urgent, but
Murphy will see to it you need them if you don't install them.

Dan

[Zootal]

Post by Dan Freeman
I'd forgotten about the hotfixes but, yeah, that's pretty much the lot.
Note that the hotfixes were for (IIRC) obscure reporting bugs that
will only show up if you push the RW *real* *hard*. Not really urgent,
but Murphy will see to it you need them if you don't install them.
Dan

Obscure bugs make my life hell - I always seem to run across them. We
almost cancelled a project and flushed hundreds of thousands of dollars of
development effort because of the need of a hotfix. The reporting engine is
quite the kluge, and we found a severe integrity bug in it that made it
unusable. Fortunately, there was a hotfix that fixed it.

[Dan Musicant]

On Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:01:59 -0800, Dan Freeman <***@dfapam.com> wrote:

:Dan Musicant brought next idea :
:> On Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:34:16 -0800, Dan Freeman <***@dfapam.com> wrote:
:>
:>> I don't think there's any particular list since everyone will use a
:>> different set of addons.
:>>
:>> Installl VFP9 and SP2. Then go over to vfpx.codeplex.com and graze. :(PEM
:>> Editor is almost a must-have.)
:>>
:> :Dan
:>
:>
:> OK, I sleuthed my VFP.dbf table, where I tuck away stuff (sometimes it
:> works better than my brain, that's why we have computers, right?) and
:> found this by you:
:> - - - -
:> Understand up front that VFP9 SP2 was one of the most botched product
:> releases in the history of Foxpro (and it's right up there in the
:> history of Microsoft). The original release of SP2 was so bad even the
:> splash screen was screwed up.
:>
:> To make sure you have the "good" SP2, you must start by completely
:> uninstalling Foxpro. Blow it all away. Then:
:>
:> * Install Foxpro (no SP, or SP1 only)
:> * Download the *current* SP2 installer and install it
:>
:> Then go here and get the THREE hotfixes:
:> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb264582.aspx
:>
:> Then go to vfpx.codeplex.com and get the community-corrected help file
:> to regain the ability to search help.
:>
:> Then you're good to go.
:>
:> Dan Freeman
:> - - - -
:>
:> That's what I was thinking of. Is that still "current" and up to date?
:> Looks similar to what you wrote above. Thanks!
:>
:> Dan
:>
:> PS That was late October of last year, 2009 in this newsgroup.
:>
:>
:> Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
:
:I'd forgotten about the hotfixes but, yeah, that's pretty much the lot.
:
:Note that the hotfixes were for (IIRC) obscure reporting bugs that will
:only show up if you push the RW *real* *hard*. Not really urgent, but
:Murphy will see to it you need them if you don't install them.
:
:Dan

I don't believe in Murphy, but I installed them anyway, one, two, three.
Seemed silly, not just because the fixes were for things I'm extremely
not likely to miss but because overwriting the VFP9.exe file, the
runtime file and those two DLL's 3 times seems idiotic in the extreme.
It would only make sense if you needed a feature not offered in the
previous ones and could forgo a feature only a previous one offered but
preferred the one(s) in the latter. Wacky! MS must have told the
developers they had 6 hours to do it, period. Very shoddy for MS,
utterly weird.

Dan



Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net

[Dan Freeman]

Post by Dan Musicant

Post by Dan Freeman
I'd forgotten about the hotfixes but, yeah, that's pretty much the lot.
Note that the hotfixes were for (IIRC) obscure reporting bugs that will
only show up if you push the RW *real* *hard*. Not really urgent, but
Murphy will see to it you need them if you don't install them.

:Dan
I don't believe in Murphy, but I installed them anyway, one, two, three.
Seemed silly, not just because the fixes were for things I'm extremely
not likely to miss but because overwriting the VFP9.exe file, the
runtime file and those two DLL's 3 times seems idiotic in the extreme.
It would only make sense if you needed a feature not offered in the
previous ones and could forgo a feature only a previous one offered but
preferred the one(s) in the latter. Wacky! MS must have told the
developers they had 6 hours to do it, period. Very shoddy for MS,
utterly weird.

The thing that torques me off about the whole hotfix situation is that
you have to *hope* that your app will run with the hotfixes you
developed with. You can distribute the runtime, but what about the
client that has another app using a runtime that has different hotfixes
applied? Do you whack that other app? And when the user calls that
developer, does he re-apply his own runtime whacking your app?

Bleh.

Dan

[Gene Wirchenko]

Post by Dan Freeman

Post by Dan Musicant

Post by Dan Freeman
I'd forgotten about the hotfixes but, yeah, that's pretty much the lot.
Note that the hotfixes were for (IIRC) obscure reporting bugs that will
only show up if you push the RW *real* *hard*. Not really urgent, but
Murphy will see to it you need them if you don't install them.

Are these bugs only connected with the Report Writer? (I never
use it.)

Post by Dan Freeman

Post by Dan Musicant
I don't believe in Murphy, but I installed them anyway, one, two, three.
Seemed silly, not just because the fixes were for things I'm extremely
not likely to miss but because overwriting the VFP9.exe file, the
runtime file and those two DLL's 3 times seems idiotic in the extreme.
It would only make sense if you needed a feature not offered in the
previous ones and could forgo a feature only a previous one offered but
preferred the one(s) in the latter. Wacky! MS must have told the
developers they had 6 hours to do it, period. Very shoddy for MS,
utterly weird.

The thing that torques me off about the whole hotfix situation is that

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Better wording would be "gets me hot under the collar". You do
want to keep the metaphor consistent, no?

Post by Dan Freeman
you have to *hope* that your app will run with the hotfixes you
developed with. You can distribute the runtime, but what about the

There is also the matter of finding them. Microsoft's VFP page
does not have them (or they are hiding).

Post by Dan Freeman
client that has another app using a runtime that has different hotfixes
applied? Do you whack that other app? And when the user calls that
developer, does he re-apply his own runtime whacking your app?
Bleh.

Agreed. I am glad that I do not have to worry about that.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

[Zootal]

Post by Dan Freeman
The thing that torques me off about the whole hotfix situation is that
you have to *hope* that your app will run with the hotfixes you
developed with. You can distribute the runtime, but what about the
client that has another app using a runtime that has different
hotfixes applied? Do you whack that other app? And when the user calls
that developer, does he re-apply his own runtime whacking your app?
Bleh.
Dan

Put the runtime files in the application directory. IIRC VFP will check
there first. That way you can have different apps with different runtime
versions.