Re: What would be my best alternative to MS Works?

In article <49cc156d$0$1598$742ec2ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
patty1@xxxxxxxxx (Patty Winter) wrote:

I'm a freelance marketing writer, and for more years than I'd
care to admit, I've been using Microsoft Works 3.0 to keep track
of my projects.


(Pause here while everyone stops laughing.)


(Okay, are you finished now? :-))


But seriously, folks, it works for me! I have one database file
where I log the hours for each project, another where I keep
basic information about each project and invoice, and a scratch
spread*** file where I copy and paste the hours to determine
the amount of each invoice. The crossover between files is so
minimal that I don't suffer from the lack of a relational database.

I know the time is coming when, for one reason or another, I'll
have to switch to something else. For example, if this Power Mac
G4 ever dies, its replacement won't be able to run Mac OS 9, so
no more Classic mode and no more MS Works. (And I don't feel like
using my old Power Mac 7500 for more than its current function
as a bridge to my LaserWriter NT. :-)) The question then becomes,
what program should I switch to?

I found a Time Billing template for FileMaker that might do the
trick, although using FM for my purposes seems like overkill.
Once a few years ago, when AppleWorks still existed, I tried
that, but didn't care for it for this purpose. Moot point now
anyway.

Oh, and unless someone can convince me otherwise, Excel isn't
my preferred solution, either. But maybe I've never given it
a fair chance. Since I mostly use Works in list view, I guess
Excel would give me a very similar display.

Are there any small, efficient flat-file database programs
available for Macs these days? (FYI, I'm currently running
10.2.8 on this machine, but of course when I get a new Mac
it will have at least 10.5--or later, depending on when that
is. So the recommended program doesn't have to be one that
will run on 10.2.)


Thanks!
Patty

Get FileMaker. It is well worth it.

I started playing with FileMaker several years ago, with a used copy of
FMP 4. I found it easy to build very powerful, scripted relational
databases for all kinds of purposes. I gradually upgraded to successive
versions, and am now using FMP 9. I run my life very largely with FM
databases, and also build databases for various organizations.

I used to use AppleWorks databases for simple flat-file systems. Now I
would not be without FileMaker.
.