Mid-range database company FileMaker Inc has now delivered the expected update to its mid-range database product, FileMaker Pro 5 (CI No 3,715). That product ships immediately, but FileMaker also detailed three other products in the family for release later this year and early next: Developer, Server and Unlimited. Three software houses, Adobe Systems Inc, Allaire Corp and Macromedia Inc, said they would be extending their products to work with the database.
FileMaker, previously known under the name Claris Corp, and still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer Inc, says it’s no longer interested in the low-cost entry-level market, a market it’s occupied for years. Nor will it attempt to compete with high-end enterprise databases from Oracle Corp and its competitors. Instead, FileMaker is concentrating on what it calls the workgroup market: from a few to a few hundred users, for business environments which need to share information, and for use by subject matter experts rather than IT managers. The company does have a few large customers, however, including the Pepsi Cola Co and the National Institute of Health, which has a 20,000-seat installation.
Pro 5 adds to FileMaker’s existing web publishing features support for cascading style sheets, so that a database can be edited and viewed via a browser. Although the majority of Filemaker sales are still shipped to the Macintosh world, FileMaker says its Windows sales have doubled over the past two years. Pro 5 is said to be Windows 2000-ready and has a new user interface that fits in more closely with Microsoft Office. It uses the same menu structure and organization as Office, and has a new ODBC driver. XML, JDBC and Active X are also supported. Shipping now, it costs $250, or $150 for upgrades.
FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited, a new option, enables users to share databases with an unlimited number of web browsers. It also includes a new Web Server Connector, supporting web servers such as Microsoft IIS and PWS, Netscape Enterprise Server, WebStar, AppleShareIP and Apache, through Java servlet and the SSL secure socket layer. FileMaker Pro Server 5 adds support for up to 250 concurrent users. And Developer 5 offers design tools for XML, JDBC and other APIs. The Unlimited and Server products are due later this year, both priced at $1,000. Developer 5 is due early next year, for $500.
Macromedia said its would collaborate with FileMaker to integrate its Dreamweaver software with Pro 5, so that web authors could create custom web interfaces to the database based on XML technology. Adobe (for its GoLive publishing tool) and Allaire (for the Cold Fusion Web application server) announced similar agreements.
