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The LA Fox Developer Newsletter
December 1998
The LA Fox Developer is the monthly newsletter of
the LA Fox Developers Group. The purpose is
information sharing among application developers
and users working with FoxPro.

LA Fox Address
LA Fox
Barry R. Lee
714/375-3300
P.O. Box 6624
Huntington Beach, CA 92615-6624

LA Fox Board of Directors
Barry R. Lee, President/Newsletter Editor
Bill Anderson, Vice President/Programs
Twila Miller, Treasurer/Membership
Chuck Williams, President Emeritus
George Dvorak
Bill Seldon
Mike Cummings
Michael Meer
George Porter

LA Fox is the oldest FoxPro developer’s group in
Southern California. The newsletter contains regular
columns as well as articles from other user groups.

XPro User Group
Randy Unruh
310/399-9159
2210 Wilshire Blvd. -#161
Santa Monica, CA 90403

OC FoxPro Developers Group
Mike Vincent
(714)970-9147
Membership/Subscription
The annual membership fee for the LA Fox Develop-
ers Group, including subscription to The LA Fox
Developer Newsletter, is $48.

Disclaimer
Neither the LA Fox User Group, the XPro User
Group, the OC FoxPro Developers Group, their
officers or board of directors or their members make
any express or implied warranties of any kind with
regard to any information disseminated, including,
but not limited to, warranties of merchantability and/
or fitness for a particular purpose.

Opinions provided by newsletter articles, or by
speakers, members, or guests who address the
meetings, are individual opinions only, and do not
necessarily represent the opinions of the group. All
opinions and information should be carefully consid-
ered, and the group is not liable for any incident or
consequential damages in connection with, or arising
out of, the furnishing or use of any information or
opinions. Brand names and product names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respec-
tive owners.
Out and About (Con't from Page 1)

DEVCON puts you face-to-face with the leading FoxPro experts, members
of the Microsoft Visual FoxPro product team, and FoxPro professionals
from around the world. Considering how fast the 1998 DEVCON filled up,
don’t wait too long!! Register soon to assure your admittance and your room
in the host hotel. Get ready for the massive technical training you’ll get at
VISUAL FOXPRO DEVCON, sponsored by Microsoft and FOXPRO ADVI-
SOR magazine. For further information, keep your eye on FoxPro Advisor
Magazine and their website at http://www.advisor.com.
Since We Last Met
Membership Drive. LA Fox is putting its membership drive into “full
speed ahead” mode. We’re now offering two types of membership, Stan-
dard and Premium (see “New Membership Structure”, page 5), and we’re
committed to providing even greater service to our members. You can still
expect the same high-caliber speakers, the monthly newsletter,
etc.. ..except now we’re going to “raise the bar” a notch or two. Expect to
see some changes in the coming months. Also included in this month’s
newsletter, as well as next month’s, is a membership application form.
Please take the time to complete this form when you sign up or renew your
membership. Doing so will give us a better direction in which to point the
group. If you indicate that you’re interested in training in VFP, we’ll keep
you appraised (via e-mail) of both local and national training opportunities.
Please indicate if you’d like to be included in the Member Directory we’ll be
publishing twice a year.
Unofficial Announcement. It’s never too early to start planning your
conference activities for the coming year. Microcomputer Engineering
Services, LLC, sponsors of the Annual Southern California Visual FoxPro
Conference series, has “unofficially” announced that planning is underway
for their third annual conference. Stay tuned to these pages for the latest
news and developments. And keep your calendars open.
A Little Web Humor...
Subject:
Computer Dictionary
by Sue Cunningham
When I went to college in the 1960’s, computers were what the Defense
Department was using to play World War III. Halfway between now and
then, I began hearing a lot of words like “data input” and “beta version.”
They confused me. I wanted desperately to know what people were talking
about, what Big Secret resided in the computer industry.

Now that I’ve worked around computers for the last few years, I’ve gained an
insider’s perspective. I decided to share my knowledge with the uninitiated
by creating the following brief, handy glossary:

ALPHA. Software undergoes alpha testing as a first step in getting user
feedback. Alpha is Latin for “doesn’t work.”

BETA. Software undergoes beta testing shortly before it’s released. Beta is
Latin for “still doesn’t work.”
(Con't, page 4)
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