Should I Buy Developer??

[Strouss]

I am a business owner that is designing a solution that fits my organization very well. How would Developer 7 benefit me over Pro 7? Would it be worth the purchase? The only thing I can see would be the script debugger but I'm not sure I would use that much. Any Comments?

[stanley]

Mateo:

Developer has two major advantages over FMP - the script debugger & the ability to create runtimes. If you can get by without the script debugger, and if the solution is an in-house solution, then you don't particularly need it. I myself use the script debugger very very little, and I create very complicated solutions.

I'd say, if you haven't found a need for it yet, don't bother yet. If you find you need the tools in the future, go out and buy it. If your solution becomes very complicated, you'll find a use for Developer. Until then, I'd say there's no need to buy something that may just sit on the shelf.

-Stanley

[hayesk]

It should be noted that Developer now ships with a 3-user development license of FM Server Advanced - can be handy if you are developing web accessible databases using custom web publishing. The license is for development only though. You still need a commercial license to deploy FMS Advanced.

[stanley]

Hayesk:

You're absolutely right. I'd forgotten about that addition.

-Stanley

[Strouss]

thanks guys

[Vaughan]

The big, big feature of FM Developer is the file renaming tool. It updates internal links and references so scripts and relationships don't break.

[bruceR]

Plus the design report, for analyzing files. If you're doing any kind of development at all, developer just seems like the way to go IMHO.

[H.P.]

Yes, the design report is the best feature in the developer edition. Most other features are not necessary

[Jeff Bills]

If your solution is good, people will notice. I saw a very nice FM solution created at a computer retail/repair shop for their personal business that tracked their repairs.

When I complimentd the creator, he stated that I wasn't the only one, and that he recently purchased Developer and had already sold several runtime solutions (I believe runtimes are not networkable)

As a novice, I found the script debugger very helpful, but I also have a lot of intricate calculations and scripts, well, as intricate as a novice can be . . .

[rogermax]

I particularly like the ability to create and use custom functions. They have been very useful for me.