Dear WAMUG'ers,
For those interested in databases for the Mac platform I suggest a quick
look at this interesting article:
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08018
If the author's name was not given I would have sworn that it was written
by our very own John C!
Regards,
Philippe
For those on the list who don't know who Philippe is referring to, I
am the John C "nutter" who happens to believe that Panorama is a
more versatile data base than FMP for many if not most purposes .
If you need a multi user data base or one which can readily be
searchable on the Web you may have to wait until June. There are
ways and means of doing both these things with the current version
however they have relied on third party software which has been sold
and allowed to wither on the vine.
Jim Rae proprietor and program writer has been working on the OS X
version of Panorama which was launched last year. Concurrently he
has been working on the "enterprise" edition which will build into
Panorama multi user and interactive web facilities.The beta version
exists and is being tested by the gurus. Jim has promised its launch
June or July this year.
Panorama being RAM based is blazingly fast. Unlike FMP and other disk
writing data bases it does not assemble its reports by retrieving
data from the disk on the basis of indexed fields.
eg I have a data base of some 40,000 records of descriptions of
photographs and other details held at the Aviation Heritage Museum .
I can search and find all the records which begin with, end with,
contain , equal etc. etc. in 50 fields
(none of which are burdened with indexes) in a split second with
scanned images if required. How much space does this file occupy?
5.3 mbs.
Having found the information I want I can display or print it in pre
designed forms (list or card) or if I wanted a one off presentation
I could design and print a form on the fly which may be discarded by
not saving the data base when I close.
The background to the Tidbits article is a review of Panorama V
which appears in the April ? issue of US MacWorld The reviewer one
William Porter is apparently a long time FMP developer who has a
number of books on FMP to his credit.
This was not revealed by MacWorld and has not unnaturally called
into question the motives behind the faint praise and flawed review.
My one great regret as a member of WAMUG is that I have not
persuaded a single member to give Panorama a go.
I assure you that is my fault not Panorama's.
Like Apple and Microsoft it is a David and Goliath situation
unfortunately in this case Apple is the Goliath .
PROVUE is along with Microsoft the only surviving software company
from the inception of Macintosh .
Check it out at http://www.provue.com/
Cheers
John
