Simpler workaround for non-US FileMaker woes? [UPDATED]

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 30 October 2007 12:12

Business IT - Technology

A related issue is that FileMaker's statement that "We have not tested earlier (pre-FileMaker 9) versions of FileMaker software on Mac OS X Leopard and do not intend to release updates for earlier versions" has caused much angst among owners of FileMaker 8.5, which is a year old at most. (FileMaker Pro 9 was only released in July.)

Some users are calling for the company to continue what they say was its previous practice of providing updates for the current and previous version.

McManus said he has been with the company for 15 years, and updates have only been provided for the current versions. "We will look at doing a patch" to make FileMaker 8.5 compatible with Leopard, but stressed that was not a promise or commitment to deliver one as it would take "huge resources" at a time when the company was giving "top priority" to fixing version 9.

He does expect the company will publish a list of known issues with FileMaker 8.5 under Leopard.

Some users report success in running versions 5 and 6 of FileMaker on Mac OS X 10.5, but again McManus counselled against this practice as the software has not been qualified on the new operating system. "Databases are particularly difficult... you have to be spot on," he warned.

Around 70 percent of the Australian installed base is on annual licensing, he said, and as they automatically receive new versions of the software they are not faced with any extra cost to upgrade from version 8.5 to 9.

"In three or four weeks, people will look back and say this was a storm in a teacup," McManus predicted.