Coda and Notion beat the crap out of Airtable, and Filemaker is doomed due to their dinosaur management and pricing insanity. It's truly sad as Filemaker is the best database ever invented. Filemaker Pro should be FREE for single use, and then let people graduate to server or more licensing when they know they need/want it. And just for the record, Filemaker Pro developers are the last group of people Filemaker/Claris cares about, the very last. So last that they don't even care at all.
I think Claris does care about their developers. They are realizing these are the people who make their business run. I've also looked into many of the "recent trends" when it comes to software like Coda and Notion. You have to be aware of what you control when you make a choice to go with something like a SaaS. With FileMaker, you control BOTH the environment and your data. With a SaaS you only control your data, not the environment. Without forethought, giving up control over the environment produces a "locked in" situation. This can be very hard to get out of or migrate from. Primarily because your data was structured in the way the environment imposed. This flexibility offered by FileMaker should not be overlooked. But, that's just my opinion about choosing a software environment.
Actually, there are a few of us who want to hear someone rant about FileMaker for 2 hours. 😉Thanks for sharing your helpful and informative perspective.
Matt, Shawn said it perfectly as I enjoyed the insight! After watching the Q&A last week, Peter Nelson definitely made a wonderful impression. Your thoughts from our side of the market were perfect and greatly appreciated!
I am another 30 year developer that has enjoyed my long ride with FileMaker. I thoroughly enjoyed the frank and transparent way in which you communicated your opinions, Matt. I have subscribed with you from the beginning and this just may be my favorite video. As you said, FileMaker has a lot to be proud of. A lot. Let's just hope that they use wisdom in making decisions that will affect our options in the future.
Thanks for the reply Michael and, as always, thanks for the support! Without all of the loyal subscribers I would not have been able to continue providing resources - which I love to do!
Thank You Matt. Why you are not part of Claris board? That surly would be beneficial for Claris future and like you said, after 30 years of experience with FileMaker you surly have something to offer. Cheers
As a previous FileMaker developer (now Xojo) all of this is extremely hopeful but the elephant in the room is the pricing model - without drastic changes to the licensing model they have no chance.
You really have my interest. Can you please point to examples for me, a Microsoft Access expat, to use Xojo to replace and expand what I used to know about developing in Microsoft Access? I definitely used Access way beyond what it was designed for. I made a system to manage my legal cases that connected to the Courts' systems directly, siphoned info through web scraping, wrote all that info into a database, downloaded PDF files, turned them into text and crammed that also into the database. But that sweetness ended when the Chilean courts upgraded their systems and Internet Explorer (used through COM automation) wasn't up to the task anymore. So, I decided to switch... to FileMaker. But I'm evaluating Xojo, and I really don't know where to start! So please, lend me a hand.
This is from an intermediate 'developer'. I volunteer creating a database for NFPs that track what they wish to keep track of. The database is small, and it is a one-off. It is not income for me; it is a service to low-cost volunteer organizations. But more importantly, seriously important, is where I am located. Like approx a third of the country, I am in an internet desert. I literally can not depend on any - ANY - web-based application. So I need to be able to have stand-alone applications. The NFPs here likewise do not depend on anything web-based. Moving FM to web-based will end this. And from a UI-development standpoint, the chance to create something the user finds acceptable means a whole lot to the user; needing to 'accept' HTMP / CSS / Java interface that is difficult to change would be frustrating, I believe, and not worth my volunteer time . I am definitely in a conundrum, and will need to keep a watch on what Claris is moving toward. Thank You, Matt. I am a dedicated watcher of your videos; they are seriously helpful.
I wholeheartedly agree with your position that an offline DB is also a critical part of their environment. I think, when they mentioned a strong web focus two years ago, that really jolted a lot of people. BUT, if they are going to keep the Draco engine (local storage) and put it on top of a web based DB then they'll have a good solution. Syncing stuff is hard, but, if that's part of their plan, then it shouldn't impact those in situations like yours. Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks Matt! Important great video! and yes to rebranding! 👍🏻 I started 1989 with FileMaker and it has been my main income as a developer and entrepreneur since 2001.
Thanks Matt, very informative and slightly reassuring. Having learnt to program in two now defunct applications Macromedia Director and Flash i felt sick when I saw the title of this video. Importantly you have articulated the essence of what make FMP (in it's current form) a wonderful product for creatives like myself who are not natural born programmers but need open unrestricted access to structure and format as well as the ability create unique functionality.
We are kindred. Used Director and Flash extensively. And also other now-defunct tools: Hypercard, Lightwave, Authorware. Joys and pains of Tech life cycles.
@@craigwall6071 Ha, yes ... Hypercard and Authorware definitely also a database called Paradox when I went over to windows for a few years. All so clunky now. Hope you're enjoying FMP
Well done, well presented, big question you asked about the future. As a fellow 30+ year FM developer, my question is why would any young person want to learn such a software. I would love to retire, however cannot find anyone who is willing to learn and not just make a quick buck.
As always Matt, you get it right on the spot for the new version. And it since a while, I told that the name is the most popularity problem! "FileMaker" don't tell what the software is doing. I am a developper too since the 90's, and I really love that platform, but they accusing some delays on the GUI interactions and "responsivities" for the common users. This is why I tried to get myself more web knower since early 2000. But like you said, they have not to lost their layout tools facilities. Maybe a like filemaker tool layout in web based form, should be the answer?
That was one of the fears a lot of developers had when they first showed what they were calling "FileMaker Next". It was feared that a web only dev environment would be a replacement and in order for them to even come close to what the current development environment has in feature set, it would take them another 10 years (at least 5 if they threw a ton of money at it). So... if they don't abandon the current dev environment and instead really leverage it, then they won't loose one of their key assets, which is the number of loyal developers who have committed their livelihoods to knowing and using their technology. Here's to the future!
Thank you for the video and thought expressing. I am on my 6th year developing as my primary source of income. I am living my dream to be able to support my family with this. I was drawn to FileMaker by its graphical and intuitive developer interface and led me to believe "I can do this" from a person who never did programming in education or career prior. I position myself as the business to focus on rescuing other businesses from the draught of no software to use and with the tools FileMaker provides, I am the alchemist to cook up something for them to use. I was initially a bit overwhelmed by script and calculation because it wasn't the part that caught my attention before I came onboard. But not long after I immerse in, I realise it is absolutely essential to materialise business logic in to automation. Hence I find "no code" baffling. How can that achieve any meaningful time saving (or automation)? As you said, if onboarding is the weak spot, fix that and don't chop off its strong arm.
This is one of FileMaker's hidden secrets. You can start at low code but it does not limit you from going all the way up to pro code. It's a wonderful tool for those who start out and respond well to incremental gains, which is what's needed when learning to program. This is absolutely something Claris needs to capitalize on. If they simply dumb down the UI builder but ignore all the power in their current IDE then it would be a big mistake in my opinion.
Fantastic video. Very insite full and helped me see things from FM’s perspective. I started when it was Claris works and have always felt like the company didn’t care to much for its developers. Still I’ve built a business off of the platform and love it. I’m hoping they make the right decisions for all parties involved for the future.
I know Bento did not live up to it's massive end user penetration goals. But, it was easy to use for most users and small projects. If there had been hooks to server or cloud they may have had a much bigger base who would grow Filemaker's developer base.
As spoken out of my mouth, Matt. It's really important that Filemaker keeps being a playground for us creatives that also understands data. I've been a Filemaker developer since 89 (and my first solution still works) - and I love the way my daily work is comparable to playing with LEGO. Javascript can do a lot and I really welcome it aboard the platform as a second option - but it will never be as intuitive as the editor. Re-branding, yes please. Bring it on. With a Danish accent, the word "file" is pronounced with a J: "fejl" - which just happens to be the Danish word for "error". Hence the name Filemaker becomes "FejlMaker" meaning the maker of errors 😁 So Claris is a God given change for the better - and it makes me crave for a bottle of Chianti...
Legos - Exactly! I played with those things for literally HOURS and HOURS. It's a very good analogy. As opposed to pure text with a round trip within the browser having to know three or more technologies, you get immediate feedback from using their provided tools. This immediate feedback is what keeps a person engaged. I know it would be a VERY hard decision for them, but it would almost need to be done if they want recognition as having and supporting the newer technologies they will be integrating. Like all things that become old, you can't always keep calling them the same thing. I imagine it would be pretty hard for me to sell something in the women's fashion market and call them bloomers. It's a word from the past it just doesn't jive with the current market.
filemaker was one of the first low code software back then. solid solutions with a minimum of work. now they missed the cloud approach completely. it is too expensive and too complicated to build an integrated filemaker portal for a distributed team. why not onboarding people with a free plan and integrate a cloud distribution feature that is easy to set up?
Hopefully, their cloud approach will account for the variety of ways that people want to use FileMaker. With regards to "free" offerings I'm right there with you. I think they've missed the target when it comes to their licensing strategy. FileMaker was always that app that could fit into the budget of many smaller businesses. They sort of gave up on that market by going with the minimum of 5 and no free & easy way to get started. Continually upping your product pricing for greater returns isn't as great of a strategy as some others. If they follow their new line of thinking about the developer being their primary customer, then it should occur to them that getting that low hanging fruit (businesses with 1-5 employees - those only needing a few licenses) are opportunities that segues into more opportunities. Those developers move to other positions (maybe into larger companies) or their businesses grow. The best advantage any tech company can have is a large number of people both understanding AND using their technology. I get the balance of revenue to free offerings, but in an open source world with the variety of freely available technology (just think about how easy it is to do things with JavaScript libraries) they need their technology to be adopted as much, as easily and as widely as possible!
Great to hear your thoughts about the coming transition. I love where they want to go. My concern is that they want something else in 1 or two years. They tried workplace innovation, apparently didn't work. If NoSQL will be a miss, they will change again. Today I make decisions on what I know. And I don't know if i have to wait for making big changes to my current apps, or if I better wait for the new NoSQL thing. And when I choose for one or the other, Claris will change their mind and I am left with the choices I had to make today. Of course it's inherent when big structural changes will be make to the FileMaker line-up. But because the NoSQL thing is all just a Proof of Concept or even less than that, Claris can easily change their mind. I wonder if it was wise of them to make this all known to the world in this early of a stage.
I agree with how much they go back and forth chasing after things. I think, in the past they adopted good technology, but they didn't execute in an open fashion. Some of the best technology is when you allow it to be easily extensible. Using technology which provides a high degree of leverage. One of my best examples of how they have not done this well is Regular Expressions. Free libraries have been available for decades and I don't know a single development environment which does not support it. FileMaker does not. If they adopt an extensible mindset when they implement, then I think we've got a good thing coming!
I used FM extensively in my business for 25 years. After selling it, I considered doing FM dev work. When I saw that the average dev was my age or older, it became clear that investing time and energy into FM would be a waste.
It always depends on what you want as an outcome. There are needs for development at various levels. You don't have to be a JavaScript master and able to integrate D3 charts and graphs in order to implement a highly usable FileMaker system.
Video was all good even 2 hours or 3 hours. They should just leave the UI and just make modules that you can install. And bring back run time. Keep it simple and expand the use of ipads and connectable sensors and tools.
A seamless web client, that works with what you build for desktop. Rich Internet Application (RIA) Faster sort and find, without elaborated techniques. Possibility to track where a script is being used, on the fly. Layout - Object or Trigger. Also for a a field in the table view. More DB connectivity. More mobile clients.
Yes, if they crack the scalability nut really well... Then the sky's the limit! Their UI builder is one of the most comfortable ways to create software and the biggest holdback has always been scale relative to what the web can do. If they hook into the web well, leverage a capable backend and capture that it would be great.
Insightful video, Matt. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I, too, was impressed and excited by the content and interaction of Brad and Peter. I am curious what they have in mind when they say they want to make the product more scalable. Does that mean more new users, as you described? More concurrent users? More gigabytes of stored data? What do they mean by scalability?
I'm close to 99.99999% sure they are talking about conventional scalability. Meaning being able to handle more load which is simply more users while keeping a lower latency as user count increases. This isn't possible with their current ACID approach and all the round tripping that FileMaker currently does. The eventual consistency that Peter was talking about is more about how the current web works with a lot of systems. I made a comment somewhere in here with a link to the Wikipedia article about Eventual Consistency. Storage has never really been an issue for FileMaker (what, something like 4TB within one field as a limit?) It's always been a speed/delivery issue. This is FileMaker's biggest road block to larger scale use.
16:23 The ease of use for the business logic is key to FileMaker; for the FileMaker developers. Any designer can paint on the interwebs with CSS or otherwise.
Anyone reading this: 1. Go and look at a framework like Vuetify. 2. While on their website choose a component from the left hand side 3. Imagine you could drag that component onto layout mode in filemaker as a new "component object", double click it and then specify the properties, e.g colour, title, data source. 4. Imagine If you wanted to customise further (or even create your own) you could then edit the components code in layout mode using a syntax highlighted code editor. Thats where i want to be with regards to javascript integration in filemaker e.g everyone working/coding to similar standards and letting filemakers in built UI translate the complexity (for users who don't want to learn javascript)
Thanks for the head up about Vuetify. I've not looked at that framework before. I really like the naming conventions they use. I'll adopt some of them for my FileMaker themes. If FileMaker made the web version of their UI "pluggable" and you could choose this vs some other framework then that would be awesome. It's the data binding that is always hard because connecting the UI to the logic which managed the data for the backend is the part that creatives don't want to do as much. But the people who like the backend stuff need as much help as possible with the frontend UI stuff. Nice comment!
@@filemakermagazine yes, i can understand how the data binding can be daunting, which makes me think/ask why claris havent hired a team of long term (in house) javascript devs to make their own simplified verion of a framework like vuetify instead of outsourcing to Geist? Just a note, i love Geist and their software, but as you highlighted the code for the kanban (and other components) have noticeably been written for functionality, not for ease of use/ease of modification. Even before the latest news from engage, i became impatient waiting and have actually make a vuetify integration which uses filemaker layouts to setup each component. The long game/idea is to make a tool for dynamic web code creation using filemakers standard UI using tables/records to store the components. if you'd like i could send you a little preview of what i've done so far when i get a moment?
Very informative video, nice job Matt. Can the new FileMaker architecture provide a "localhost" home for web pages that can then be played through webview objects in normal FileMaker? That could be a GameChanger.
I don't know exactly how much exposure they'll give to the local implementation of node. The big question will be how much they may allow developers to extend the UI they build for that part of the product. In the past they kept everything locked down and you couldn't extend what they put in place. Maybe this time will be different? Only time will tell.
Interesting take. I never really considered WordPress as a development tool and more of a CMS. But I've worked with Drupal and I can see how it would fulfill a lot of needs. Especially in the area of forms and how that's fundamentally what a lot of customers want - just a way to capture data.
WordPress is an excellent platform. Easy to fire up. Runs on the web. Open Source. It's a competitor now. Did Claris just discover the web is a space where people want to be? Good for them. Congratulate whoever slipped a note under the door of the cupboard they've been hiding in.
@@malcolmfitzgerald1733 "Did Claris just discover the web is a space where people want to be?". Instant Web Publishing, PHP Site Assistant, WebDirect. All things that have brought "FileMaker to the web" over the past two decades. But sure, poke fun...
@@fmcommunitylive8147 I've been using FMP as a platform for web publishing since 1998. Back then it was export->transform->ftp. Then came CDML, CWP, IWP, etc. I've coded for all of them. As I write this I have a list of 21 community organisations on my desk with the same need: distributed workforce and online engagement. They are all opting for google forms, jotforms, and airtable. I could still make a case for FMP, but they have all started out with a gsuite account, a few zaps and a trello board. So, yes, I'm poking fun but also expressing a lot of disappointment.
Filemaker should be inspired by the philosophy of Python and its ecosystem. Python is ridiculously easy and powerful. The difference is that those who use Python do not want to be programmers: they want to be data scientists, work with deep learning or write the next library that will help an artist come up with better ideas through artificial intelligence. And since it is popular with university students and researchers, language is relegated to the background. This contrasts with those we see in Filemaker where it seems that the platform is the protagonist and not the ideas of those who want to work on it. And a word of advice Matt: take a survey on the length of your videos.I think they are a bit long and excessively slow ;-)
True, they are longer and I do belabor some explanations. I've done this on purpose because I don't want to assume that all viewers already know what I know. For a while I did shoot two different videos. One as a longer version and then a shorter version. But the amount of work wasn't worth the effort. Fortunately, they do have the speed setting and I've been told by a few that I'm a great presenter at 1.75x the speed. ;)
Coda and Notion beat the crap out of Airtable, and Filemaker is doomed due to their dinosaur management and pricing insanity. It's truly sad as Filemaker is the best database ever invented. Filemaker Pro should be FREE for single use, and then let people graduate to server or more licensing when they know they need/want it. And just for the record, Filemaker Pro developers are the last group of people Filemaker/Claris cares about, the very last. So last that they don't even care at all.
I think Claris does care about their developers. They are realizing these are the people who make their business run. I've also looked into many of the "recent trends" when it comes to software like Coda and Notion. You have to be aware of what you control when you make a choice to go with something like a SaaS. With FileMaker, you control BOTH the environment and your data. With a SaaS you only control your data, not the environment. Without forethought, giving up control over the environment produces a "locked in" situation. This can be very hard to get out of or migrate from. Primarily because your data was structured in the way the environment imposed. This flexibility offered by FileMaker should not be overlooked. But, that's just my opinion about choosing a software environment.
Actually, there are a few of us who want to hear someone rant about FileMaker for 2 hours. 😉Thanks for sharing your helpful and informative perspective.
Matt, Shawn said it perfectly as I enjoyed the insight! After watching the Q&A last week, Peter Nelson definitely made a wonderful impression. Your thoughts from our side of the market were perfect and greatly appreciated!
I am another 30 year developer that has enjoyed my long ride with FileMaker.
I thoroughly enjoyed the frank and transparent way in which you communicated your opinions, Matt. I have subscribed with you from the beginning and this just may be my favorite video.
As you said, FileMaker has a lot to be proud of. A lot. Let's just hope that they use wisdom in making decisions that will affect our options in the future.
Thanks for the reply Michael and, as always, thanks for the support! Without all of the loyal subscribers I would not have been able to continue providing resources - which I love to do!
Thank You Matt. Why you are not part of Claris board? That surly would be beneficial for Claris future and like you said, after 30 years of experience with FileMaker you surly have something to offer. Cheers
As a previous FileMaker developer (now Xojo) all of this is extremely hopeful but the elephant in the room is the pricing model - without drastic changes to the licensing model they have no chance.
You really have my interest. Can you please point to examples for me, a Microsoft Access expat, to use Xojo to replace and expand what I used to know about developing in Microsoft Access?
I definitely used Access way beyond what it was designed for. I made a system to manage my legal cases that connected to the Courts' systems directly, siphoned info through web scraping, wrote all that info into a database, downloaded PDF files, turned them into text and crammed that also into the database. But that sweetness ended when the Chilean courts upgraded their systems and Internet Explorer (used through COM automation) wasn't up to the task anymore. So, I decided to switch... to FileMaker. But I'm evaluating Xojo, and I really don't know where to start!
So please, lend me a hand.
Thanks Matt for your comments. It's appreciated!
This is from an intermediate 'developer'. I volunteer creating a database for NFPs that track what they wish to keep track of. The database is small, and it is a one-off. It is not income for me; it is a service to low-cost volunteer organizations. But more importantly, seriously important, is where I am located. Like approx a third of the country, I am in an internet desert. I literally can not depend on any - ANY - web-based application. So I need to be able to have stand-alone applications. The NFPs here likewise do not depend on anything web-based. Moving FM to web-based will end this. And from a UI-development standpoint, the chance to create something the user finds acceptable means a whole lot to the user; needing to 'accept' HTMP / CSS / Java interface that is difficult to change would be frustrating, I believe, and not worth my volunteer time
. I am definitely in a conundrum, and will need to keep a watch on what Claris is moving toward. Thank You, Matt. I am a dedicated watcher of your videos; they are seriously helpful.
I wholeheartedly agree with your position that an offline DB is also a critical part of their environment. I think, when they mentioned a strong web focus two years ago, that really jolted a lot of people. BUT, if they are going to keep the Draco engine (local storage) and put it on top of a web based DB then they'll have a good solution. Syncing stuff is hard, but, if that's part of their plan, then it shouldn't impact those in situations like yours. Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you, Matt. I've been a FMP dev. for decades, but I also feel like it's starting to lose to newer tech. Love your work!
True, but based on what they've said. If they can blend the multiple technologies well then they'll have gold. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks Matt! Important great video! and yes to rebranding! 👍🏻 I started 1989 with FileMaker and it has been my main income as a developer and entrepreneur since 2001.
Thanks Matt, very informative and slightly reassuring. Having learnt to program in two now defunct applications Macromedia Director and Flash i felt sick when I saw the title of this video. Importantly you have articulated the essence of what make FMP (in it's current form) a wonderful product for creatives like myself who are not natural born programmers but need open unrestricted access to structure and format as well as the ability create unique functionality.
We are kindred. Used Director and Flash extensively. And also other now-defunct tools: Hypercard, Lightwave, Authorware. Joys and pains of Tech life cycles.
@@craigwall6071 Ha, yes ... Hypercard and Authorware definitely also a database called Paradox when I went over to windows for a few years. All so clunky now. Hope you're enjoying FMP
Thank you for your insight, Matt. I value your perspective.
Well done, well presented, big question you asked about the future. As a fellow 30+ year FM developer, my question is why would any young person want to learn such a software. I would love to retire, however cannot find anyone who is willing to learn and not just make a quick buck.
i've been forced to learn it my employer :)
Matt, great video. Your hopes and concerns align exactly with ours.
As always Matt, you get it right on the spot for the new version. And it since a while, I told that the name is the most popularity problem! "FileMaker" don't tell what the software is doing. I am a developper too since the 90's, and I really love that platform, but they accusing some delays on the GUI interactions and "responsivities" for the common users. This is why I tried to get myself more web knower since early 2000. But like you said, they have not to lost their layout tools facilities. Maybe a like filemaker tool layout in web based form, should be the answer?
That was one of the fears a lot of developers had when they first showed what they were calling "FileMaker Next". It was feared that a web only dev environment would be a replacement and in order for them to even come close to what the current development environment has in feature set, it would take them another 10 years (at least 5 if they threw a ton of money at it). So... if they don't abandon the current dev environment and instead really leverage it, then they won't loose one of their key assets, which is the number of loyal developers who have committed their livelihoods to knowing and using their technology. Here's to the future!
Thank you for the video and thought expressing. I am on my 6th year developing as my primary source of income. I am living my dream to be able to support my family with this. I was drawn to FileMaker by its graphical and intuitive developer interface and led me to believe "I can do this" from a person who never did programming in education or career prior. I position myself as the business to focus on rescuing other businesses from the draught of no software to use and with the tools FileMaker provides, I am the alchemist to cook up something for them to use. I was initially a bit overwhelmed by script and calculation because it wasn't the part that caught my attention before I came onboard. But not long after I immerse in, I realise it is absolutely essential to materialise business logic in to automation. Hence I find "no code" baffling. How can that achieve any meaningful time saving (or automation)? As you said, if onboarding is the weak spot, fix that and don't chop off its strong arm.
This is one of FileMaker's hidden secrets. You can start at low code but it does not limit you from going all the way up to pro code. It's a wonderful tool for those who start out and respond well to incremental gains, which is what's needed when learning to program. This is absolutely something Claris needs to capitalize on. If they simply dumb down the UI builder but ignore all the power in their current IDE then it would be a big mistake in my opinion.
Fantastic video. Very insite full and helped me see things from FM’s perspective. I started when it was Claris works and have always felt like the company didn’t care to much for its developers. Still I’ve built a business off of the platform and love it. I’m hoping they make the right decisions for all parties involved for the future.
I know Bento did not live up to it's massive end user penetration goals. But, it was easy to use for most users and small projects. If there had been hooks to server or cloud they may have had a much bigger base who would grow Filemaker's developer base.
As spoken out of my mouth, Matt.
It's really important that Filemaker keeps being a playground for us creatives that also understands data.
I've been a Filemaker developer since 89 (and my first solution still works) - and I love the way my daily work is comparable to playing with LEGO.
Javascript can do a lot and I really welcome it aboard the platform as a second option - but it will never be as intuitive as the editor.
Re-branding, yes please. Bring it on.
With a Danish accent, the word "file" is pronounced with a J: "fejl" - which just happens to be the Danish word for "error". Hence the name Filemaker becomes "FejlMaker" meaning the maker of errors 😁
So Claris is a God given change for the better - and it makes me crave for a bottle of Chianti...
Hehe yes. In Sweden we can say failmaker too sometimes just because we know how you pronounce it in Denmark. 😃
Legos - Exactly! I played with those things for literally HOURS and HOURS. It's a very good analogy. As opposed to pure text with a round trip within the browser having to know three or more technologies, you get immediate feedback from using their provided tools. This immediate feedback is what keeps a person engaged.
I know it would be a VERY hard decision for them, but it would almost need to be done if they want recognition as having and supporting the newer technologies they will be integrating. Like all things that become old, you can't always keep calling them the same thing. I imagine it would be pretty hard for me to sell something in the women's fashion market and call them bloomers. It's a word from the past it just doesn't jive with the current market.
filemaker was one of the first low code software back then. solid solutions with a minimum of work. now they missed the cloud approach completely. it is too expensive and too complicated to build an integrated filemaker portal for a distributed team. why not onboarding people with a free plan and integrate a cloud distribution feature that is easy to set up?
Hopefully, their cloud approach will account for the variety of ways that people want to use FileMaker. With regards to "free" offerings I'm right there with you. I think they've missed the target when it comes to their licensing strategy. FileMaker was always that app that could fit into the budget of many smaller businesses. They sort of gave up on that market by going with the minimum of 5 and no free & easy way to get started. Continually upping your product pricing for greater returns isn't as great of a strategy as some others.
If they follow their new line of thinking about the developer being their primary customer, then it should occur to them that getting that low hanging fruit (businesses with 1-5 employees - those only needing a few licenses) are opportunities that segues into more opportunities. Those developers move to other positions (maybe into larger companies) or their businesses grow. The best advantage any tech company can have is a large number of people both understanding AND using their technology.
I get the balance of revenue to free offerings, but in an open source world with the variety of freely available technology (just think about how easy it is to do things with JavaScript libraries) they need their technology to be adopted as much, as easily and as widely as possible!
I loved runtime...
Great to hear your thoughts about the coming transition. I love where they want to go. My concern is that they want something else in 1 or two years. They tried workplace innovation, apparently didn't work. If NoSQL will be a miss, they will change again. Today I make decisions on what I know. And I don't know if i have to wait for making big changes to my current apps, or if I better wait for the new NoSQL thing. And when I choose for one or the other, Claris will change their mind and I am left with the choices I had to make today. Of course it's inherent when big structural changes will be make to the FileMaker line-up. But because the NoSQL thing is all just a Proof of Concept or even less than that, Claris can easily change their mind. I wonder if it was wise of them to make this all known to the world in this early of a stage.
I agree with how much they go back and forth chasing after things. I think, in the past they adopted good technology, but they didn't execute in an open fashion. Some of the best technology is when you allow it to be easily extensible. Using technology which provides a high degree of leverage. One of my best examples of how they have not done this well is Regular Expressions. Free libraries have been available for decades and I don't know a single development environment which does not support it. FileMaker does not. If they adopt an extensible mindset when they implement, then I think we've got a good thing coming!
Great input! Thanks
I used FM extensively in my business for 25 years. After selling it, I considered doing FM dev work. When I saw that the average dev was my age or older, it became clear that investing time and energy into FM would be a waste.
It always depends on what you want as an outcome. There are needs for development at various levels. You don't have to be a JavaScript master and able to integrate D3 charts and graphs in order to implement a highly usable FileMaker system.
Video was all good even 2 hours or 3 hours. They should just leave the UI and just make modules that you can install. And bring back run time. Keep it simple and expand the use of ipads and connectable sensors and tools.
A seamless web client, that works with what you build for desktop. Rich Internet Application (RIA)
Faster sort and find, without elaborated techniques.
Possibility to track where a script is being used, on the fly. Layout - Object or Trigger. Also for a a field in the table view.
More DB connectivity.
More mobile clients.
Yes, if they crack the scalability nut really well... Then the sky's the limit! Their UI builder is one of the most comfortable ways to create software and the biggest holdback has always been scale relative to what the web can do. If they hook into the web well, leverage a capable backend and capture that it would be great.
Very insightful Matt. Thank you
Insightful video, Matt. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I, too, was impressed and excited by the content and interaction of Brad and Peter. I am curious what they have in mind when they say they want to make the product more scalable. Does that mean more new users, as you described? More concurrent users? More gigabytes of stored data? What do they mean by scalability?
I'm close to 99.99999% sure they are talking about conventional scalability. Meaning being able to handle more load which is simply more users while keeping a lower latency as user count increases. This isn't possible with their current ACID approach and all the round tripping that FileMaker currently does. The eventual consistency that Peter was talking about is more about how the current web works with a lot of systems. I made a comment somewhere in here with a link to the Wikipedia article about Eventual Consistency.
Storage has never really been an issue for FileMaker (what, something like 4TB within one field as a limit?) It's always been a speed/delivery issue. This is FileMaker's biggest road block to larger scale use.
@@filemakermagazine Thanks Matt. Well explained.
16:23 The ease of use for the business logic is key to FileMaker; for the FileMaker developers. Any designer can paint on the interwebs with CSS or otherwise.
Anyone reading this:
1. Go and look at a framework like Vuetify.
2. While on their website choose a component from the left hand side
3. Imagine you could drag that component onto layout mode in filemaker as a new "component object", double click it and then specify the properties, e.g colour, title, data source.
4. Imagine If you wanted to customise further (or even create your own) you could then edit the components code in layout mode using a syntax highlighted code editor.
Thats where i want to be with regards to javascript integration in filemaker e.g everyone working/coding to similar standards and letting filemakers in built UI translate the complexity (for users who don't want to learn javascript)
Thanks for the head up about Vuetify. I've not looked at that framework before. I really like the naming conventions they use. I'll adopt some of them for my FileMaker themes. If FileMaker made the web version of their UI "pluggable" and you could choose this vs some other framework then that would be awesome. It's the data binding that is always hard because connecting the UI to the logic which managed the data for the backend is the part that creatives don't want to do as much. But the people who like the backend stuff need as much help as possible with the frontend UI stuff. Nice comment!
@@filemakermagazine That is a really good point. Hopefully FM is scrolling through this comments section (but quite unlikely).
@@filemakermagazine yes, i can understand how the data binding can be daunting, which makes me think/ask why claris havent hired a team of long term (in house) javascript devs to make their own simplified verion of a framework like vuetify instead of outsourcing to Geist?
Just a note, i love Geist and their software, but as you highlighted the code for the kanban (and other components) have noticeably been written for functionality, not for ease of use/ease of modification.
Even before the latest news from engage, i became impatient waiting and have actually make a vuetify integration which uses filemaker layouts to setup each component.
The long game/idea is to make a tool for dynamic web code creation using filemakers standard UI using tables/records to store the components.
if you'd like i could send you a little preview of what i've done so far when i get a moment?
Very informative video, nice job Matt. Can the new FileMaker architecture provide a "localhost" home for web pages that can then be played through webview objects in normal FileMaker? That could be a GameChanger.
I don't know exactly how much exposure they'll give to the local implementation of node. The big question will be how much they may allow developers to extend the UI they build for that part of the product. In the past they kept everything locked down and you couldn't extend what they put in place. Maybe this time will be different? Only time will tell.
Video no longer available. Any other option to watch it?
Great thoughts.
I think you mean MongoDB?
Yeah, if I mentioned something else then it's my fault.
Many are using WordPress as a low code development platform. I believe will be a major competitor over time.
Interesting take. I never really considered WordPress as a development tool and more of a CMS. But I've worked with Drupal and I can see how it would fulfill a lot of needs. Especially in the area of forms and how that's fundamentally what a lot of customers want - just a way to capture data.
WordPress is an excellent platform. Easy to fire up. Runs on the web. Open Source. It's a competitor now.
Did Claris just discover the web is a space where people want to be? Good for them. Congratulate whoever slipped a note under the door of the cupboard they've been hiding in.
@@malcolmfitzgerald1733 "Did Claris just discover the web is a space where people want to be?". Instant Web Publishing, PHP Site Assistant, WebDirect. All things that have brought "FileMaker to the web" over the past two decades. But sure, poke fun...
@@fmcommunitylive8147 I've been using FMP as a platform for web publishing since 1998. Back then it was export->transform->ftp. Then came CDML, CWP, IWP, etc. I've coded for all of them.
As I write this I have a list of 21 community organisations on my desk with the same need: distributed workforce and online engagement. They are all opting for google forms, jotforms, and airtable. I could still make a case for FMP, but they have all started out with a gsuite account, a few zaps and a trello board.
So, yes, I'm poking fun but also expressing a lot of disappointment.
Yes, they should rebrand. The name has always bothered me. How about DBMaker ?
Great idea
Filemaker should be inspired by the philosophy of Python and its ecosystem. Python is ridiculously easy and powerful. The difference is that those who use Python do not want to be programmers: they want to be data scientists, work with deep learning or write the next library that will help an artist come up with better ideas through artificial intelligence. And since it is popular with university students and researchers, language is relegated to the background. This contrasts with those we see in Filemaker where it seems that the platform is the protagonist and not the ideas of those who want to work on it.
And a word of advice Matt: take a survey on the length of your videos.I think they are a bit long and excessively slow ;-)
True, they are longer and I do belabor some explanations. I've done this on purpose because I don't want to assume that all viewers already know what I know. For a while I did shoot two different videos. One as a longer version and then a shorter version. But the amount of work wasn't worth the effort. Fortunately, they do have the speed setting and I've been told by a few that I'm a great presenter at 1.75x the speed. ;)
No sound ?
It might be your computer. Sound showed good on all my meters when recording and plays back well on my devices.
FILEMAKER IS TOO EXPENSIVE