I had a client ask me about Bento recently, and I have to admit I
don't really understand what it is. Is it just a less flexible
version of FileMaker, but with fancier graphics? What's it for?
Who's the audience. What's the difference between Bento and FM?

Any light you could shed on the topic would be helpful.

Thanks.
-J.

On 2009-12-11 11:53:08 -0800, jahn <jahnbigbooty (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> said:

Bento is currently strictly for Mac OS 10.5 and up. It is single user only.

The good news is that is has a very slick interface, and will connect
seamlessly to the internal databases on the Mac, including your
calendar and your address book.

The target audience is the same audience as for ancient FileMaker back
in the day...home users or single business use, with few rules and no
need for a scripted interface. Bento & FM have some connectivity now,
they may have more in the future, but don't bet the farm on it.

Any business that can't use canned software (such as Quickbooks) to run
their shop would do better with FM than with Bento. Bento templates
(http://solutions.filemaker.com/datab...ates/index.jsp) give a
good idea of what people are using it for. As always, users will push a
product to the limit, but the fact is, almost NO FM developers I know
even look at Bento. Our market is not the Bento market.

Tell your curious client that if they want to catalog their home DVD
collection, or keep a list of players in their soccer league, Bento is
the ticket. For anything more complex, go with FM.
--
Lynn Allen
--
www.semiotics.com
Member FBA
FM 10 Certified Developer

Lynn Allen <lynn (AT) NOT-semiotics (DOT) com> wrote:

There is some multi-user support in version 3 - you can share a database
with up to five other Bento users over a network.

And iPhoto in version 3.

Agreed. Even something like creating an invoice with line items in a
separate table (so you can do things like count sales of particular
products) is outside the scope of Bento to date.

Its reporting/printing capabilities are also seriously limited. You
either get a simple table layout or a form layout (with limited control
over field placement).

--
David Empson
dempson (AT) actrix (DOT) gen.nz

Lynn Allen <lynn (AT) NOT-semiotics (DOT) com> wrote:

Not really.

With a home collection of DVDs, books or even a list of players in their
football league, a master-detail design is necessary.

With DVDs:

Table composers. Table works.

With Books:

Table authors. Table works.

With football:

Table league. Table player.

Consequently, a DVD database will consist of two tables: Composer and
works. Composer the master, works the detail.

Similarly, a Books database will conist of the tables author [master]
and works [detail]. And a football database of the tables league
[master] and player [detail].

The major drawback of Bento can be found in searching. You can search in
a master but not in a detail of a master-detail. Consequently, if you
only know that the author has written "Paradise Lost", the composer
written the "Eroica" symphony and the player's name is "John Smith", you
won't be able to find the author [John Milton], the composer [Beethoven]
or the league [whatever it is; football bores me].

Together with the applications in iWork, Bento belongs to the Works-like
group of applications. But even in this category it fails as a result of
its lack of support in the detail-parts of a master-detail.
--
Per Erik Rønne, MSc
Frederikssundsvej 308B, 3. tv.
DK-2700 Brønshøj, Denmark
Telephone + fax +45 38 89 00 16, mobile +45 28 23 09 92
http://www.RQNNE.dk