Runtime Solutions On FM Go?

[Blaze]

For any of you that have already purchased FM Go - Can runtime solutions be created to run on the iPad.

That would truly be a runaway success. Then you could develop (and protect) commercial products.

[bcooney]

Runtimes aren't necessary for security, and iPad runs FMGo which does not have developer access to a file (so it's as if you've stripped it like you can in a runtime).

Why do you feel that FM Go is less secure than a runtime?

[Greg O'Connor]

Thoughts on Security...

1. I think you cannot run runtime on FMGo. They are not .fp7 and not opening on FMGo devices?

2. You have to set security in a way that you can commercially secure the file.

3. A FMGo user can copy files in iTunes from iPad or iPhone to a desktop and open in FileMaker Pro.

4. I guess, unfortunately, there are tools which will recover the passwords from FileMaker Pro files. I assume, the tools are not able to recover passwords from files, generated with Filemaker Pro Advanced.

Any feedback?

[bcooney]

Greg,

Not the resident expert on FM Security, but I'll take a shot at commenting on the points you've presented:

1. No, you cannot use runtimes on FM Go, just .fp7 files. I didn't suggest that you could in my response to Blaze. I was wondering why he thought FM Go not secure.

2. Not sure what your definition of "commercially secure" is.

3. Yes, they can. But a if the file is stripped of developer access they won't get far.

4. Those tools don't recover, they trash that area (again, not my expertise). I understand they also damage the file. Again, if a file has dev. access stripped, what do they really have?

[Greg O'Connor]

If you transfer the 'Sample Inventory', which comes with FMGo, in iTunes from the device to the Mac or PC, you have developer access to it. What do you mean with 'strip developer access'?

[Vaughan]

You have developer access to the Sample Inventory file because FMI wanted you to. The file is set to open with the developer password automatically. The file is also opened with "developer" access in FM Go, but since FM Go does not have file design features like manage fields, scripts or layouts it is not obvious.

FMP Advanced's developer tools have the option to remove the full access account from the file. Once done, NOBODY can open the file with full access any more, not even the developer. (I don;t know if there is a hack around this yet.) This can be both a good and bad thing: bad because the file cannot be modified any more, so updates will require replacing the whole file.

Regarding the password crackers: physical access to *any* database file poses a security risk, not just FMP. FMP files aren't encrypted in any strong way, but they are encoded so that they simply cannot be read with a text editor. Any sort of encryption will be a performance bottleneck because disk reads and writes will require a LOT more work, and they are already the slowest part of the process.

However, since FMP 7 the passwords are NOT stored in the database files. Only the *hash* of the password is stored. The cracker programs over-write the portion of the database file with the hash of a known password so the file can be opened. This has potential to damage the file too.

[Vaughan]

Regarding the opening of runtime files in FM Go: don't forget that "runtime" files are just FMP database files with a different extension (by default it's .USR) and bundled with a cut-down copy of FMP.

Re-name the extension to .FP7 and it would probably open in FM Go.

[TheTominator]

It is not necessary to rename the runtime files to have a .fp7 extension for them to open in FM Go. Just like you can open runtime files in FileMaker Pro, you can open them in FileMaker Go as-is.

[Greg O'Connor]

Yes I can see now, runtime files (the .USR one) open. Even without extension, or .blah as an extension. However, the FM icon only shows when it has the .fp7 extension.

[no23rman]

in a simple word, no runtime for Go.

so what makes it different than a Web browser.

With the fact that database still need to be hosted, plus $40.

Web browser = Free

FmGo = $40

[Lee Smith]

Runtime = single user solution, no sharing.

FMGO = Client Seat that can be used to access served databases.

[bcooney]

Database does NOT need to be hosted using FMGo.

Have you built a PHP front-end to FM yet? If so, you'll appreciate FMGo that much more.

[no23rman]

Database does NOT need to be hosted using FMGo.

Guess I got the wrong impression when i read this

FileMaker Go connects to databases hosted by FileMaker Server/Server Advanced 11 and 10 and FileMaker Pro/Pro Advanced 11 and 10. Previous versions of these products have not been tested.

http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-pro/pro-11-specifications.html#fmgo

[Vaughan]

This is only saying that FM Go has not been tested with FMS versions 9 and earlier.

Earlier in the tech specs page it says:

FileMaker Go opens databases created using FileMaker Pro 11, 10, 9, 8.5, 8 and 7; FileMaker Pro Advanced 11, 10, 9, 8.5, and 8; and FileMaker Developer 7.

The product info is more descriptive of what FM Go can do:

http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-go/for-ipad/?nav=products-go-ipad

[stefangs]

interesting topic that i'm bringing back from the vaults - now that i'm pondering whether to revamp my files for FM Go. i'll have to do more reading on the exact differences between FMG and FMA, but suppose the feature set is reasonable complete, is it just a matter of calling a Get (CurrentPlatform) or whatever it's called in the most recent version and then switch to the appropriate layout for ipad/iphone/desktop?

that would indeed be very tempting!

stefan