Re: [libreoffice-users] Base questions

Hi :)
MS Access does it that way and therefore everyone else 'must' too.

We can't sell Base by pointing out that it has huge advantages over
Access.  (One of those being that it's so much easier to connect it to an
external back-end and is really kinda the default way of using Base).  So
we can only 'sell' it by saying that it's not quite as good as Access = but
only at the stupidly dangerous things that are probably best to avoid.
Base is more solid and flexible but we can't say that because people wont
understand it.

Errr, Jim is right except that it's extremely rare to find anyone who is
able to install programs let alone an entire OS.  His bar for the average
computer user's skill level is far higher than my experience.  HooRay for
"apps" so that people have learned a bit about installing programs.
Actually even using Calc puts people quite a lot higher up the skill scale
than "the average user" as spreadsheets baffle most people.

I disagree about using databases though.  Often it would hugely simplify
things that are horribly clunky and heavy at the moment.  The problem is
that Access puts normal users waaay outside their comfort-zone, gives them
a very unfamiliar and somewhat scary interface and put them dangerously
close to tools that make huge changes (such as being able to delete the
tables).  It's even 'difficult' to hide the design-tools so users can
easily accidentally change the layout of a Form in a really bad way.  Sadly
they seem unable to figure out how to move things back again!

Anyone actually using a database can put themselves in the top 20% of
computer users imo, probably a lot higher but that depends on whether they
designed it or maintain it or how simple it is (simplifying it takes it a
step further).
Regards from
Tom :)







On 1 August 2014 12:15, Jim Seymour <jseymour@linxnet.com> wrote:

> On Fri, 1 Aug 2014 12:55:48 +0200
> Wolfgang Keller <feliphil@gmx.net> wrote:
>
> [snip]
> > I never understood why anyone halfway sane in their minds would use an
> > "embedded" database anyway or why the developers of StarOffice/LO/OO
> > even considered it.
>
> Convenience, with a dash of necessity.
>
> Average end-user is challenged enough just installing an O/S and
> productivity suite, and learning how to use them, much less a real
> RDBMS.  Plus: MS Office (Pro) has one, so LibréOffice and relatives
> have to have one.
>
> Yes: Such tools should never, ever be used for anything very
> important.  People will, anyway.  Then complain when their db gets
> corrupted.  Best thing people can do is regularly back up known good
> versions of their db.  That's what I tell users of MS Access to do.
>
> (I am curious why anybody'd design a database "tool" like that to run
> entirely out of memory.  Seems like asking for trouble.)
>
> Regards,
> Jim
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