What would be your first choice? Mysql? Personal Oracle? Both are pretty ugly to setup and get going and neither have a good front end for searching and displaying all sorts of data.
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FileMaker 18 for macOS Launches With Improved UI and More Security Controls
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No idea. Since FileMaker 11 still does just about everything I need, I haven't bothered to look.
My first encounter with FMP started with 2.1, at a company that hired a developer to create a new DB solution to manage one of their important projects.
Over time, as we became more and more versed in FMP ourselves, it took on a greater role, and I learned to appreciate what a great tool FMP was; capable, flexible, but still friendly to use. One of the company owners even eventually pivoted and created a business to sell the industry-specific solutions the he originally developed for our own internal purposes.
I still use the DBs I created for personal use during that time, but sadly, FMP's current business model isn't aimed at individual end users. I still had access to the FMP when Bento was a product, so I didn't pay much attention to it, but it would sure be great to have a modern day version. I can't justify $540, or even $270 for a current license, so I'll solder on with 11, as long as it continues to work, but that's getting harder, and other factors that dictate newer OSes will put an eventually end to that.
Sadly, I don't think there's much of a market for personal database tools that don't serve specific and readily identifiable purposes. Most people didn't know what to do with HyperCard when it was free and bundled with Macs, and they're certainly not going to spend money on tools like it, Bento, FMP, etc.
Over time, as we became more and more versed in FMP ourselves, it took on a greater role, and I learned to appreciate what a great tool FMP was; capable, flexible, but still friendly to use. One of the company owners even eventually pivoted and created a business to sell the industry-specific solutions the he originally developed for our own internal purposes.
I still use the DBs I created for personal use during that time, but sadly, FMP's current business model isn't aimed at individual end users. I still had access to the FMP when Bento was a product, so I didn't pay much attention to it, but it would sure be great to have a modern day version. I can't justify $540, or even $270 for a current license, so I'll solder on with 11, as long as it continues to work, but that's getting harder, and other factors that dictate newer OSes will put an eventually end to that.
Sadly, I don't think there's much of a market for personal database tools that don't serve specific and readily identifiable purposes. Most people didn't know what to do with HyperCard when it was free and bundled with Macs, and they're certainly not going to spend money on tools like it, Bento, FMP, etc.
I am still running Sierra on my Macs and have had zero issues with FileMaker Pro 11. Does it break under newer versions of MacOS?
I don't recall the specifics, but the common occurrence with each new FMP version was to have one little thing or other break when used on a newer OS. Some are even officially acknowledged, but it's mostly trial and error, as is true for all software.
But v11 is 32-bit, so Mojave is definitely the end of the line.
There have been a lot of cool things come to the platform since version 11. If you're happy with a current solution that won't need much changing, by all means hang on to it. But for ongoing and evolving systems that have a lot of users in front of them, I recommend upgrading.
Nice to see FMP still being updated, but I'm old school and while I deal with relational databases at work, I much prefer flat-file databases for personal use. I'm still using Bento 4 but I know that I'm on borrowed time.
Hello -
As there are quite a few experienced Filemaker users and developers on this thread, I wonder if any can answer what are probably some very basic questions, the answers for which the FL website seems designed to obscure.
— My Use
I’m currently happy with FM12. I use it everyday — that is, the “app” I made for myself in FM12, a complicated non-relational multi-view database.
But to upgrade my Mac OS (which I have to do to have Apple even answer a support question), I have to upgrade Filemaker.
I have to pay more than $400 *just to keep using the database I made for myself.*
I think that is inherently wrong on Apple’s part, especially as I can’t even simply buy a new version of the product I use every day. I have to buy the advanced/developer version, which costs twice as much.
(I could, I guess, pay a developer to take my FM12 file and produce (Save As) a single-use FM17 version, but I like to/need to tweak it often.)
Also: Do I understand correctly that I can’t use the new version on all my computers, as I currently do?
If that is true, there is no way I can afford to pay to use it on each device.
So my first question: do I have that right, the current Filemaker license is per computer, not per person? If I want to use it on my desktop and my laptop, I have to buy two copies?
— Client Use
No, I’m not a developer, but a friend has asked me about making a database for her business’s use.
Again, the language on the Filemaker website leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to basic clarity.
Please help me understand if I have this right:
1. If I make a database / app for her company, she will have to buy a license from FM to use it?
2. She will have to pay a monthly fee to use it?
3. She will have to pay separately for each device she uses it on? (She uses her current web-hosted database on her office computer, home computer, laptop computer, and her phone, all without extra charge.)
4. If she wants her employees to use it, she will have to pay those charges for each employee?
If it’s a web-hosted app:
Does FM provide a simple solution yet, or do you still have to buy still another product, AND pay each month to host it somewhere?
And if it’s a web-hosted app, does that go around the added per-user and per-computer costs?
— If there’s a web-based front-end to the app, can it be accessed by the business owner on all her devices without aded costs?
— Can her employees access it without added costs?
— Can would-be customers online access it without any more costs?
I don’t want to take too much of anyone’s time — I hope all this can be answered with maybe 2-3 Yeses and Nos.
Thanks,
Paul
As there are quite a few experienced Filemaker users and developers on this thread, I wonder if any can answer what are probably some very basic questions, the answers for which the FL website seems designed to obscure.
— My Use
I’m currently happy with FM12. I use it everyday — that is, the “app” I made for myself in FM12, a complicated non-relational multi-view database.
But to upgrade my Mac OS (which I have to do to have Apple even answer a support question), I have to upgrade Filemaker.
I have to pay more than $400 *just to keep using the database I made for myself.*
I think that is inherently wrong on Apple’s part, especially as I can’t even simply buy a new version of the product I use every day. I have to buy the advanced/developer version, which costs twice as much.
(I could, I guess, pay a developer to take my FM12 file and produce (Save As) a single-use FM17 version, but I like to/need to tweak it often.)
Also: Do I understand correctly that I can’t use the new version on all my computers, as I currently do?
If that is true, there is no way I can afford to pay to use it on each device.
So my first question: do I have that right, the current Filemaker license is per computer, not per person? If I want to use it on my desktop and my laptop, I have to buy two copies?
— Client Use
No, I’m not a developer, but a friend has asked me about making a database for her business’s use.
Again, the language on the Filemaker website leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to basic clarity.
Please help me understand if I have this right:
1. If I make a database / app for her company, she will have to buy a license from FM to use it?
2. She will have to pay a monthly fee to use it?
3. She will have to pay separately for each device she uses it on? (She uses her current web-hosted database on her office computer, home computer, laptop computer, and her phone, all without extra charge.)
4. If she wants her employees to use it, she will have to pay those charges for each employee?
If it’s a web-hosted app:
Does FM provide a simple solution yet, or do you still have to buy still another product, AND pay each month to host it somewhere?
And if it’s a web-hosted app, does that go around the added per-user and per-computer costs?
— If there’s a web-based front-end to the app, can it be accessed by the business owner on all her devices without aded costs?
— Can her employees access it without added costs?
— Can would-be customers online access it without any more costs?
I don’t want to take too much of anyone’s time — I hope all this can be answered with maybe 2-3 Yeses and Nos.
Thanks,
Paul
That part is very clear on the FileMaker website: https://www.filemaker.com/purchase/store/faq-individuals.html
"FileMaker Licensing for Individuals lets you license FileMaker Pro Advanced for a one-time charge per computer. Each computer requires a separate license."
I thought the whole point of the developer version was that you could make standalone apps? Don't know for sure though, because my old version of Filemaker can't do that.
As for the rest, assuming that your computer can still run an operating system that supports your version of Filemaker, just get an external SSD and install that operating system on it. You can then boot from the external drive to use FileMaker. I have a SSD with Mountain Lion for the times when I need some other very expensive legacy software. You can get a 250gb Samsung T5 for about $100 for example.
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If you upgrades every 5-7 years, even $500 isn’t that bad. That’s how I justified it I bought it back in 1996. My husband bought it 6 years ago. As a non profit I got 2 for the price of one $340. So I bought it for my non profit and gave the other to my husband at the local nonprofit University. We both got 2018 mac minis (that we both love) which shipped with Mohave, requiring the upgrade :/
I bought it back in 1996. My husband bought it 6 years ago. As a non profit I got 2 for the price of one $340. So I bought it for my non profit and gave the other to my husband at the local nonprofit University. We both got 2018 mac minis (that we both love) which shipped with Mohave, requiring the upgrade :/
If you want to use it on more than one computer, like Paul and I, then the price is ridiculous. I use it on two Macs and one PC. So, unless the FAQ that I posted above is wrong, it would cost me $1620 to upgrade.
My first choice would be for you to read what I already posted.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ecurity-controls.2182287/page-2#post-27386935
AppleWorks/ClarisWorks had this. It looked very similar to FileMaker but was very different "under the hood", everything was loaded into RAM instead of being written directly to disk as you worked. LibreOffice opens my old AppleWorks spreadsheets and word processing documents, but I have have never tried using the database module.
I have been using FM for over a decade. I have developed numerous applications but now mainly use it for data maintenance. I have stuck with FM15, now running under Mojave because of the high cost of a subscription (covering 2 Macs) for newer versions.
However this interests me:
File-based script steps -- Create scripts that read, write, and manage external data files to write log files or export data in a custom format. Replaces the need for many file-based plug-ins.
This might overcome my biggest frustration with FM - the lack of a high-level programming language for manipulating data. I had that in 1985 with DOS product called Open Access 4 - it uses SQL and relational tables with an exceptional high-level language and run-time compiler. I still use OA4 from time to time using a DOS emulator on a Mac.
However this interests me:
File-based script steps -- Create scripts that read, write, and manage external data files to write log files or export data in a custom format. Replaces the need for many file-based plug-ins.
This might overcome my biggest frustration with FM - the lack of a high-level programming language for manipulating data. I had that in 1985 with DOS product called Open Access 4 - it uses SQL and relational tables with an exceptional high-level language and run-time compiler. I still use OA4 from time to time using a DOS emulator on a Mac.
Dumb question so I apologize. It seems FM is now designed as a server so aren’t we buying expensive server software for 1 computer and seats to access that server at a much reduced price? So wouldn’t you either find a server to put it on that is accessible from r=the web/internet/cloud and connect to it then with the per seat accounts?If you want to use it on more than one computer, like Paul and I, then the price is ridiculous. I use it on two Macs and one PC. So, unless the FAQ that I posted above is wrong, it would cost me $1620 to upgrade.
I don't know, but the answer is probably on their website. When I used it at work, we had to buy a separate filemaker server package, then the regular version of Filemaker for each computer that needed to use the server. The web version was still pretty new when I retired in 2011, and wasn't really a substitute for running Filemaker on a client computer.
FileMaker is insane. I have accomplished so many great things pretty quickly using it. Quite astonished that it hasn't taken off given it is a RAD platform with great UI potential and simple coding language. I think one of the problems is that the solutions that citizen developers create are sometimes weak which gives the org a lesser understanding of what the platform is capable of.