Hi,



I would like to build a desktop
application to run in Windows.  And I am looking to the future... 10
years, if that is possible.



With mobile computing (smart phones)
starting to emerge, and a possible future dominance by Apple devices,
I would like to try to prep for that too.



25 years ago I learned dBaseII and
liked it. For that time is was very feature rich and very powerful. 
Then I followed with dBase+, III+, FoxBase+, FoxPro DOS and Windows,
and finally Visual Foxpro.  Really enjoyed that 13 year run.  M$
bought VFP and now it is almost dead.



I moved to Perl for a short time, ASP
for a short time, and then PHP, where I am now.



Looking back I can say I learned one
major lesson - be careful what sills you build and maintain.



So I am needing to learn a new skill to
create this simple Windows Application.  I was thinking of C++ 
because no matter where the market goes C will more than likely be
useful on Windows, MAC, and Linux. 




Then there is Java.  The write once run
everywhere language.  Nice thing about Java is I can build web apps
with it as well.  As phones become smarter, I suspect there will be
some real need there also.  Then I also hear the rumor of OSX running
on phones.  Nice!



So when the day is done and gone I do
not want to spend a bunch of time learning a new language and the
development tools that go along with it and find I wasted my time.



Any Suggestions?



Thanks in advance!






------------------------

Keith Smith



2 Chronicles 7:14 (New International) : if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.