Hi, we have one copy of FMD7 in the company (and probably 1 or 2 copies
of FM5). Is it possible to develop a solution that can be used
simultaneously by several users in the network?
Apparently, even if I create a runtime application and put it in a
shared folder, it refuses to run on 2 computers at the same time. Do we
need several copies of FM7 just to run the developed solution? That
would be a rip-off

Adrian

In article <1119340503.985342.46310 (AT) g14g2000cwa (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
aditsu (AT) gmail (DOT) com says...
Yes.

You really thought you could write applications that scaled to 200+
simultaneous users without paying any sort of per user license?

Name another commercial database product that gives you 200+ users
without requiring a per-seat/per-connection license?

Microsoft SQL Server? Nope.
Oracle? Nope.

Access? Hmmm... maybe... but wait... hosting the file from XP Pro's
license only gives you 10 users. You want 11 you need to upgrade to 2003
server and purchase a CAL for each user. (including the first 10)

What a rip-off.

<aditsu (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

No, you don't need FM7 to run the developed solution on as many
computers as you want.

However, if you want the developed solution to be NETWORKED, then yes,
you do need to pay for the product that allows networking. Individual
copies of the FM7 client for each seat, and for client numbers over 10,
FM Server.

That
A ripoff of whom? You? Users like you who want to pay for one copy of a
tool to bind a solution and then deploy to unlimited seats are the
reason that bound solutions are no longer networkable, starting back
with FM 4.

Such users ripped off Filemaker so badly that FMI had to remove the
networking in order to remain financially viable, and to continue
developing new software. So that you could have a copy of FM 7 to
complain about.

If you really want to have a product you can run with unlimited seats, I
suggest you program it yourself in C++, compile it, and have at it.
Watch those network access licenses in your OS, though.

Lynn Allen
--
Allen & Allen Semiotics www.semiotics.com
FSA Associate Filemaker Design & Consulting

On 6/21/2005, 42 wrote:

Maybe I've led a sheltered life, but I can't think of any software that
allows more than even ONE user per license. I have FM Plugins that check
to see if the same registration is in use elsewhere on the network.

No, wait. I misspoke. The Student/Teacher MS Office (2003) allows
installation on three computers at once.

Matt

I don't mean 200+ users, I mean 3 or 4 users.
But if you want 200+, and you want to exclude free software (btw, MySQL
has a commercial license too), then SQL Server has a processor license
which "does not require any device or user client access licenses
(CALs)" (quoted from MS site). And I'm not sure, but I think with a web
application there is only one user (the web or application server)
connecting to the database server.

But the main point is that Developer creates stand-alone applications,
which don't require FM itself to run. My boss (who bought FM before I
knew what FM was) thought it meant it could create database
applications that can be used by several people concurrently, and I
don't blame him except for the fact that he didn't make sure.

I don't see any point in having a single-user runtime system. If
running it by several users requires separate copies of FM, then why
not just work directly with fp7 files? A runtime solution doesn't seem
to bring any advantage.

Adrian

Lynn allen wrote:
Well.. I mean with the same database(s).

Oh, so I'm the bad guy? Wow, poor poor FileMaker... it almost breaks my
heart!
Anyway, the thing that really bugs me about networked solutions is not
that they ask for a price per seat, but that they force the users to
buy the whole FM program which they don't need. Couldn't they just sell
a low-priced "network runtime" package, that only runs solutions
without being able to edit or create?

Something like that was the original plan (in a different language
though). But my boss thought it was progressing too slow.

Adrian

In article <Q7Zte.17776$fa3.11137@trndny01>, "Matt Wills"
<I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end> wrote:

The MS Office education pack still allows that with the latest version.

The Mac OS X Family Pack allows you to install on up to five computers
WITHIN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD.

The licensing agreement with a lot of software actually allows you
install it on a desktop and a laptop (or a work computer and home
computer), as long as both copies aren't being used at the same time,
ie. you can't use the desktop while your wife or co-worker uses the
laptop.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

In article <1119380847.956599.110780 (AT) z14g2000cwz (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
aditsu (AT) gmail (DOT) com wrote:

FileMaker Developer does allow you to create standalone solutions that
don't require a copy of FileMaker, but it is limited to being ONLY a
single user system (or at least one user at a time) and can not be run
as a netowrk database for multiple users at once.

FileMaker Inc have specifically done this to stop people buying one
copy of FileMaker and then running standalone databases across the
whole of Microsoft.

The whole purpose of standalone solutions is for where anetwork isn't
going to be used (for example, selling a hobby collection database as
shareware via the Internet).

The FileMaker application itself can host databases for network use,
but again has been limited to only a few users at one time, although it
would satisfy you 3 or 4 users. For more than that you need FileMaker
Server (Unlimited, or whatever their calling it this week). Either way
you still need a separate copy of FileMaker on each computer that wants
to connect to the host.

Another option can be that the FileMaker application and the server
product can also host a database to be used via a web browser (across
the inhouse network or the Internet), and therefore doesn't need a copy
of FileMaker on every computer - again there are some limitations,
including being rather slow for everday business use.

To answer the original question, other than the web-browser approach
there's no realistic way you can create a database file that can be
used by both FileMaker 5 and FileMaker 7 users (and users without
FileMaker) at the same time. You will all need to be using FileMaker 7
and that means buying extra copies ... and possibly a copy of FileMaker
Server as well.

Like many software companies, FileMaker sells multi-licence packs (5 or
10 user) that are cheaper than buying separate copies. These usually
aren't widely advertised, but any good software reseller will know
about them. Additionally, if you're in the education, government or
not-for-profit sectors you can purchase products at cheaper prices too.



Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

In article <1119380847.956599.110780 (AT) z14g2000cwz (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
aditsu (AT) gmail (DOT) com says...
The VAST majority of software requires additional boxes/licenses for
each user... even 3 or 4. From Acrobat to MYOB to Windows itself.

Ok... US$4000 to US$20000 per processor, depending on the version.
Filemaker has VLAs and site licenses too if you want to 'go big'.

Likewise one license of FM Server 7 Advanced ($2500) is all you need to
host to unlimited web users.

I'd disagree. In fact the product page for FMD7 doesnt even mention
stand-alone runtimes. Its a bullet point near the bottom of the features
overview, and networkability is addressed pretty clearly in the FAQ.

"Q. Are FileMaker Pro 7 runtime applications networkable?"
"A. FileMaker Pro 7 runtimes are not networkable. ..."

The MAIN POINT of D7 from the product page would be: "custom functions
and file maintenance tools, and enhancements to the Database Design
Report, script debugger, and customization options"

It *can* make database applications that run concurrently. In fact most
FM7 devs I know that have invested in it use it for just that, including
me. I've never bound a single user runtime. Of course you need FM
Clients and/or FM Server to host and access them over the network.

In the same vein Visual Studio can be used to write Microsoft SQL Server
backed applications, but that doesn't free you from having to deploy and
license SQL Servers to actually back them.

The fact that your boss latched onto a minor feature and thought it was
the "main point" of the software is regrettable, but clearly his own
fault. It would be an obvious loophole in the license structure if it
were true... I'd be wary of any "obvious loophole".

1) Demos. Biggest value from my perspective.

2) Single-user stand-alone applications. Beleive it or not there is a
market for shareware, freeware, and even commercial single user
databases tailored to a task ... be it stamp collecting, card
collecting, managing your CD collection, tracking household assets for
insurance, tracking what books you've read... etc etc etc... People can
and do use filemaker to build solutions for all these niches.

In article <1119381660.309765.312060 (AT) o13g2000cwo (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
aditsu (AT) gmail (DOT) com says...
Same databases at the same time? Time to move up to a client server
model at $170.00/per box. C'est la vie.

Meh... served them right for being so colossally stupid.

Sure. That would be very cool. How much would they charge for it?


Given that's how most people actually USE filemaker, they'd probably
price it where the client is today, and then add a tier above it with
development and limited hosting features.

From that perspective, your FM Pro client you buy today *IS* the network
runtime you're ok with paying for with some free development and hosting
features bundled in for free.

Packaging is everything, lol.

That is where Filemaker shines most: Rapid application development. Good
FM devs can build and deploy applications in a fraction of the time
traditional C++ on MySQL builds take. Even after buying the licenses you
could easily end up ahead of the game cost wise.