version FM Pro 6.0 out, yawn

[JerrySalem]

Is it just me, but the new feature set in FM6 looks rather thin. IMHO this must be a missprint. Should be FM 5.6

Fields in Dialog boxes

Constrain found set

Digital Image import

is this a joke? Where are the new features? Seems like all the things that are 'new' could aready be done with plug ins, or a little thought in a script.

Jerry

[Jodin]

yeah, the new feature list for v6 can be described as thin at best. the XML stuff looks promising and the digital import is nice. besides that, there isn't much. they screwed up the customizable dialog boxes by not allowing value list selections, making them only really good for customized feedback and login boxes.

i have to say i was warned by an inside connection last year that v6 would be a very thin update, and that almost all interesting development work was going into the future v7. the word on the street is that v7 will finally bring some much needed improvements to the way things are done on the lowest level in FM. so much so that people are describing it as almost a completely different product (unlike 5, 5.5, and 6, which appear to be minor updates).

i guess what bothers me about the whole thing is that they had an opportunity with v6 to make many small fixes and they didn't. FMI always say they compile the huge wishlists of developers like us but you would think they would have knocked out a few of the easier ones to implement with v6. when i develop a new version i go back to all the feature requests and try my best to put in most of the easier ones along with a few of the bigger ones. some basic usability oddities/bugs are still there after years of being reported.

i think the key with v6 is how the high-end developers start using it. i will wait a few months until i really pass judgement on it because i love to see what neat tricks others can think of using the sometimes elusive new features of the new version.

[IdealData]

...or maybe 5.5.6

[mun]

I agree and am starting to be afraid that Filemaker is going to charge for every tiny improvement they make to their program - they are entitled to it, but it may be the reason I give up on using it and moving on with my life wit mySQL and PHP. It may be a bit more difficult, but worth it if I don't have to pay for EVERY little improvement made to the program.

[SteveB]

I looked at what they posted on the website. I felt really burned by upgrading to 5.5 Developer. They didn't even bother to fix long standing bugs. It was outrageously priced. The debugger was incomplete. No file docs for the DDR...useless. I'll be damned if I'll let them burn me again. And it would appear that they'll be charging full price with a $100 rebate. From what I saw, they can shove it!!!

[Kurt Knippel]

This new version is definately an evolution, not a revolution. I think however that you do underestimate how much those few features can do.

That said, this really is more of an incremental upgrade, like the difference between 3.0 and 4.0

[BobWeaver]

Right, it may not have everything on my wish list, but a couple of the new features are definitely worth the price. Such as:

- Extend/constrain found set

- Display field contents in dialog boxes

BTW, I started a new FM7 wish list topic. No point waiting until the last minute.

[spragueg]

Holy crap is this a big purple disappointment! The import folder feature is cool but it's not carried through to the Import Script Step. You can't specify a folder and then store the selection in a script, quite lame. So users have to know how to run the import box? Common! Also you can't just get a thumbnail from an image. You have to get the whole image just to get the thumbnail. Any image of average print production size (10-20MB) completely hobbles FileMaker

[LiveOak]

I think this follows a common pattern for FMI. The add enough of a feature to advertise it, but not so much as to compete with the supporting vendor's (such as Troi File in this case) plug-in products.

-bd

[SteveB]

Okay, maybe they don't complete functions when someone like Troi is involved, but what explains the half-assed job they did on the 5.5 debugger? There is no competition for that. If it were up to me, I would have fired most of upper management after 5.5 for the crap they released. They don't even seem to make an attempt to fix existing bugs, and their work seems to get worse with every version.

I have yet to read about anyone on this forum having a good word for FM customer service. A user or developer is much more likely to get an answer to his problem on this forum than if he calls those clowns.

[George]

My feelings too.

Alpha ver.5 www.alphasoftware.com should be out this week!