Completely off-topic, but I trust the judgment of people here: Does
anyone want to recommend database software for me?
System: I'm on Mac OS X.4.11. No plans to upgrade, but my PowerBook
is getting pretty old, so it might not be too much longer before I
get a new one, at which point I assume I'll move up to whatever the
current OS is.
Needs: I actually don't have any specific project that I really
*need* a database for. It's just that I have the sort of collector/
record-keeper personality where I like to track things. I can think
of a few things I'd enjoy tracking on a database, and once I had the
software I'd probably come up with more.
Currently I'm using Excel for this sort of thing, but I'm well aware
that in most cases what I really want is a real database, not a
spreadsheet. Larger projects would potentially grow to ~3,000 records
with ~30 fields of various types. At the moment, I don't envision
anything bigger than that, but you never know.
Experience: Many years ago I had FileMaker Pro and I was very happy
with it. I was thinking to buy that again now, but it's pretty spendy
for something which is more a toy than a tool for me. I'm wondering
if there's something cheaper out there that I might be just as happy
with.
I definitely want to be able to define my own files and fields. I
liked being able to custom-design input screens and output report
formats, too. I do like having lots of control, but I'm sure I never
came close to using all of FM's features. I do have rudimentary
programming skills, but I prefer not to dig too deep into anything
resembling actual programming.
Any thoughts? Is it worth it to cough up the $300 for FileMaker, or
is there something else cheaper (or even free?) that might make me
happy?
thanks
mdl
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