FILEMAKER LEFT ME HIGH AND DRY. Now I need a simple Database to use temporarily until I can explore and decide which Database to go with. I would never ever use Filemaker again. Any ideas anybody? Thanks
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SIMPLE DATABASE WANTED
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Apache OpenOffice - Official Site - The Free and Open Productivity Suite
The official home page of the Apache OpenOffice open source project, home of OpenOffice Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base.
The freeware Open Office has a database package that might work for you.
And it works quite well, too.. I used it for years while running Linux. Though I think LibreOffice has replaced it?Apache OpenOffice - Official Site - The Free and Open Productivity Suite
The official home page of the Apache OpenOffice open source project, home of OpenOffice Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base.www.openoffice.org
The freeware Open Office has a database package that might work for you.
I believe the old openoffice.org fizzled and they gave OpenOffice to Apache who still maintains it. From their blog it looks like they released an update last September.
Was there some bug/misfeature that has been generally reported where a FileMaker update rendered previous data unusable?
Didn't you have backups?
Surely, there is some version of FileMaker and/or 3rd party app(s) (after 30+ years, I'd think so!) that can read/recover the data from backup files?
Why the Star Wars video when text will do?
I dunno that I would call FileMaker "a database". (And anyway, that term is way too generic and overloaded.) Most of the techies/developers will will read "database" as e.g. MySql, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, etc. None of those will replace FileMaker.
You want a user-friendly app for stuffing recipes and receipts. (This is what my non-techie friends are always looking for when they say they "need a database"...) That would broadly include any spreadsheet program, Google Forms/Sheets, etc. etc. etc. Broaden your search terms, carefully consider WHAT kind of information you are storing.
And find the backups so that we can help you get your data back.
No backups? No sympathy.
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BTW, "site comments" is - unsurprisingly - for comments about this site (MacRumors). Presumably, mods will find the appropriate place and move.
Didn't you have backups?
Surely, there is some version of FileMaker and/or 3rd party app(s) (after 30+ years, I'd think so!) that can read/recover the data from backup files?
Why the Star Wars video when text will do?
I dunno that I would call FileMaker "a database". (And anyway, that term is way too generic and overloaded.) Most of the techies/developers will will read "database" as e.g. MySql, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, etc. None of those will replace FileMaker.
You want a user-friendly app for stuffing recipes and receipts. (This is what my non-techie friends are always looking for when they say they "need a database"...) That would broadly include any spreadsheet program, Google Forms/Sheets, etc. etc. etc. Broaden your search terms, carefully consider WHAT kind of information you are storing.
And find the backups so that we can help you get your data back.
No backups? No sympathy.
---
BTW, "site comments" is - unsurprisingly - for comments about this site (MacRumors). Presumably, mods will find the appropriate place and move.
Um, no.
OP needs a user friendly application for stuffing data and getting it back conveniently.
google “like FileMaker Pro”, “FileMaker Pro alternatives” etc.
i learned a long time ago that when your neighbor/relative/friend says that they need “ a database” useful answers do not include MySQL, MongoDB, “just write a little Electron app” etc.
It would help to know what kind of things were stored in said now apparently unrecoverable database.
I‘d guess something like EverNote might do the job. Most people who think the need “a database” just need a way of organizing notes and/or files.
But if running a small business, managing a collection or hobby, maybe something genuinely database-like is indicated.
It without knowing how to is used hard to make useful suggestions.
Sorry for the loss of your dear wife and the diagnosis that you received. With such heavy burdens to bear, little things in comparison can feel oppressively heavy. I have personal and business data going back to the late 70's and I know how challenging it is to be able to continue to access data as technology changes.
Were you using Filemaker for its relational database capabilities or as a more simple flatfile database? For relational database needs, I agree with the recommendations of LibreOffice.
Hmm, prior to that they hadn't been doing much with it. I read a couple of years ago that OpenOffice was dead and everyone had moved to LibreOffice. Indeed my copy of OpenOffice was getting more and more unstable. I kept waiting for releases and they never came so I went to LibreOffice too.
I have MS Office too and I mostly use that, but in areas LibreOffice/OpenOffice is actually better than MS Office.
I use file maker pro 11 on sierra. It is the last version of the program I paid for. It will not run on high sierra or higher. The new versions are subscription and I do not use it enough to pay for it. I keep my 2012 laptop at sierra so I can still use it. It is good enough for my purposes.
With the use of folders and tags, that would probably work. Not sure how he would be able to "recover" his old files this way.
An option if you have a Windows license is to run a Windows VM (Virtual Machine) via Parallels with Windows applications not available on the Mac.
I currently use Parallels to run Windows XP, Windows 10 and High Sierra VMs. I have PC licensed versions of Visio, CS6 and Office 11 (includes MS Access database). I use XP for Visio, Office 11 and CS6 32 bit, Win10 for CS6 64 bit, and High Sierra to use Cover Flow which was abandoned starting with Mojave.
I can have all running simultaneously in different windows and easily exchange or access direcly files between each if desired. My platform is an iMac 4.2 GHz Intel Core i7, 24 GB memory, and a 1TB SSD.
All the VMs and apps open quickly and run much faster than on my original PC laptop. I don't know your setup, but I had been a heavy user of MS Access and Visio. The Parallels solution has made the transition to MacOS seemless.
I currently use Parallels to run Windows XP, Windows 10 and High Sierra VMs. I have PC licensed versions of Visio, CS6 and Office 11 (includes MS Access database). I use XP for Visio, Office 11 and CS6 32 bit, Win10 for CS6 64 bit, and High Sierra to use Cover Flow which was abandoned starting with Mojave.
I can have all running simultaneously in different windows and easily exchange or access direcly files between each if desired. My platform is an iMac 4.2 GHz Intel Core i7, 24 GB memory, and a 1TB SSD.
All the VMs and apps open quickly and run much faster than on my original PC laptop. I don't know your setup, but I had been a heavy user of MS Access and Visio. The Parallels solution has made the transition to MacOS seemless.
If I recall correctly LibreOffice has a front end to connect to various sql back ends (meaning it interfaces with MySQL and a few others by design). This might be a good option and, if you check the internet there are various suggestions and methods to transfer data from Filemaker to SQL. Unfortunately it is unclear as to the exact usage which would determine perhaps the depth of knowledge you will need at some point.