I just had a potential student ask the following question:

>> the rumor I hear from other I.T. people is that the
>> long term health of crystal is suspect and
>> that its future is short for this technical world …

Here is how I responded:
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I am probably not the best situated for a ‘big picture’ view, and it is devilishly tricky to predict the ‘long term’ in regards to anything technical, but I sure don’t see any basis for that opinion.  CR has changed hands several times and each time the new owner didn’t change it at all but expanded it and usually built their product line around it and its name.  SAP is a big gun and they have invested heavily in CR.  Plus there is a huge ecosystem built around CR which gives it staying power.

True there are lots of competitors springing up, all with a ‘brand new approach’, but none of them yet can do what CR can do and they still have to hit critical mass.  I think CR is currently at the top of their game.  Granted it has had a 20+ year run, but  I think of long term in technology as 5 years and I don’t see CR going away in 5 years.

Besides, even if CR is replaced the skills needed to use the replacement won’t be much different.  I came to CR from another tool in 1995 and most of what I had learned in the other tool still applied to CR.

Feel free to comment here, or in this Tek-Tips thread.