By David Weiss Talk database applications for the Mac, and the discussion usually begins and ends with FileMaker. The longtime Mac developer, now a subsidiary of Apple, enjoys a virtual monopoly over the database software market. If the latest version of FileMaker Pro is any indication, the trick is to update the software to run natively in Apple's next-generation operating system. But FileMaker Pro 5.5, released on Monday, is not only Carbonized to take full advantage of OS X but also souped up with quite a few new features. Aqueous Data Running natively in OS X, FileMaker Pro 5.5 uses the Aqua interface.
Buttons pulsate and dialog boxes fly out of menus like magic carpets.
But the OS X-related changes go deeper than that. You'll be able to append these movies to existing records, and play through them using Forward and Back controls. FileMaker Pro 5.5 is spruced up for OS X and can now import PDFs as QuickTime movies. The 5.5 update adds new features to FileMaker Pro that any Mac users can take advantage of, regardless of the version of Mac OS they use. Before, it was possible for FileMaker Pro users to view data from other ODBC-compliant databases, such as Microsoft Access and Oracle.