Right, I think there are those of us who have no real use for Filemaker right now, and no serious computer expertise in our groups. There's a pretty long learning curve to being comfortable with many programs. I'd way rather spend my time learning to use our new GIS program than Filemaker. We use ebase to do the job it does so we can get on with our mission. I am the one who uses it for the group, and I am very happy with what it does for us. If it printed labels right, I'd be in heaven, generating the thank you letters outside ebase is no big deal. One more problem with the labels: Even when I cut off the top and sides of my label sheets (a royal pain), part of the address doesn't print if the address is more than three lines long. We have 150 members so we can deal with it for now, but I need to spend some time figuring a solution to that.
I'm very grateful for the run-time version of ebase, and appreciate this tech support list, it is really great. I'm glad that there has been more discussion recently from people who only use the run-time. Sally >Sally: > Our organization is also small, we have about 155 members. I >did go our and purchase Filemaker Pro 5 but it was beyond my >abilities to do any customization >of the data fields. I am using it as is. I got frustrated in trying >to fix the mailing labels and finally just cut 1/2 inch off the top >of the 5160 labels and now >they print just fine. In my case, the purchase of Filemaker 5 was >wasted money but to each his own. Pro's won't agree with me but so >what, the original run-time >feels our needs. > >Larry Bednar wrote: > >> There's actually more benefit to using Ebase than just the low cost. Much >> of the economy and advantage of using a database comes not from using >> computers and software, but from using a disciplined, consistent, >> systematic approach to handling your data. This makes it easier and more >> efficient to manage and use your data. In the long run there are big >> payoffs. I'd say that the bigger benefit from using Ebase is that it >> provides much more consistency and "system" than most organizations adopt >> as they continually improvise new data solutions out of their data >> management system. >> >> Now, for the metaphors...Typically, organizations build data management >> systems through in-route modifications/improvisations, like building >> additions to a house room-by-room without a long-term plan. Ebase provides >> a thoughtful overall framework for the whole house right up front, so when >> you make those single-room additions, they actually build towards a nicely >> coordinated system. If you can afford the luxury of a long-term view of >> costs and benefits to your organization, this translates into a much bigger >> gain than the $200 savings from not needing to buy FileMaker. >> >> This doesn't mean Ebase is perfect, and it doesn't mean that other >> applications couldn't provide similar benefit, but this definitely is a >> real benefit of adopting Ebase... >> >> >I thought the whole point of ebase was that it was free! Our small >> >organization, with a small budget has been using the run-time version >> >for about 5 years and we are willing to just grumble at the inability >> >to generate custom thank you letters and line up our labels, if we >> >don't have to buy filemaker. We really don't need filemaker. Call >> >us foolhardy, but we are just strapped for money and appreciative of >> >the free software. >> > >> >Sally >> > >> >Sally Zaino >> >The Manada Conservancy >> >P.O. Box 25 >> >Hummelstown, Pa. 17036 >> > >> >> ************************************************************** >> Larry F. Bednar >> Consulting in Statistics, Quality, Data Managment >> Portland, OR 503.493.8542 [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> ************************************************************** >> >> ------------------ >> Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to > > http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and >enter the email address you used to subscribe to the ebase support >list:: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; > name="glscheil.vcf" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Content-Description: Card for George L. Scheil >Content-Disposition: attachment; > filename="glscheil.vcf" > >Attachment converted: Macintosh HD:glscheil.vcf (TEXT/ttxt) (0001384E) >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Content-description: footer > >------------------ >Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to >http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and enter >the email address you used to subscribe to the ebase support list:: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org >--------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Sally Zaino The Manada Conservancy P.O. Box 25 Hummelstown, Pa. 17036 http://www.manada.org "The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces" --Aldo Leopold ------------------ Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and enter the email address you used to subscribe to the ebase support list:: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------
