Laurent Daudelin said: > I personally use AppleWorks. It has the same >hurriedly ported to OS X feeling but it's easy to modify and use, and it was >free with my PowerBook!
But it's not a proper relational database (AW has a flat database only) and unless your demands are extremely simple, that means its close to useless. Relational database app 4th Dimension (4D) is free for students and teachers, though the more advanced developer license does cost a little. Typical FM users would make do with the basic package. If one pays for their software, loike in a commercial outfit, I think the money and time is better spent on 4D. If I compare FM to 4D, 4D does have an initial learning curve, one reason the massive amount of learning material, but FMs initial learning curve does not beat 4D by much. The difference is that 4D can deliver much more advanced solutions than FM can, and I'm sure that is still so with FM 7. FM is really only simple for simple solutions. 4D is definitely simpler to manage for advanced solutions. At least those are possible. One free alternative solution can be the CompleteMySQL distribution as a database engine and CocoaMySQL as a developer interface and browser as a user interface. But this hardly fits everyone. Regarding Helix, it's my understanding that Helix as viable database development platform is over. Pretty sad actually. I've been following it since 1996. "FileMaker seems like it was written by someone who has never had any formal database training at all, but just kind of worked it out as they went along." -- PeterD in newsgroup comp.databases.filemaker (2003) -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
