Dramatic Slowdowns


9 November 2009 (16:23)

I was caught today by a slowdown with FileMaker Pro that hit me once before.
I opened a current solution we are developing and today it took ages, showing OS X’s wonderful spinning pizza of death for about 30 seconds.
Initially I thought that the server might have been performing a backup the same instant I opened [...]

Time Keeping and Apps I’m staying away from


1 October 2009 (11:34)

I use a combination of programs to keep track of my billable (and otherwise) time on the jobs I work with.
The primary tool in the past has been iCal on the Mac. I enter a calendar event assigned to the billable calendar with the client name and a description of the work. I don’t use [...]

.dls


30 September 2009 (20:50)

Following on from the previous post, it was suggested to me to try to open FMStrs.dls (the locked file inside the FileMaker package) using FileMaker Pro.
I’d not heard this before, though I suspect it is well known.
So, selecting Open File, changing the filter to “All Available”, FMStrs.dls is selectable.
Blow me down, it isn’t renamed “FMStrs.dls [...]

Nice touch in Mac OS X 10.6


11 September 2009 (09:56)

As someone who builds FileMaker run-time solutions (of which I am doing less these days), I was pleasantly surprised to see this new dialog when I emptied the trash:

Inside the run-time package, in each .lproj is a file called fmstrs.dls (which OS X 10.6 incorrectly thinks is an audio file), which has a file attribute [...]

About that choice of Java


27 August 2009 (08:48)

I’m still have mixed feelings about FileMaker Inc.’s choice of Java as the engine behind the FileMaker Server Admin Console.
The plus side is that it gives the console some network capabilities that the old console never had and a single code base means easier cross platform development.
However the application is a sensitive soul. If [...]

That toolbar widget


10 August 2009 (15:13)

There’s something about the toolbar in FileMaker Pro 10 that doesn’t quite sit comfortably with me.

It’s been bugging me since version 10 came out.
I feel a little presumptuous criticising the design of others, because design is just hard. If anyone has been to Albert’s Master Classes, they know. I do know there are people at [...]