Sorry for waking up this old thread, but I have been playing with Linux Mint in a virtualbox installation on my Macintosh computer.
I found a database program called Kexi. It is "exactly" what I have been wanting to replace the database program Filemaker on my Macintosh with. It is very similar to Microsoft Access in that it has tables, queries, forms and report capabilities. It is a full relational database. I set up a simple structure just to play with and so far it works pretty well.
For my test, I have a main table called Load Data, which pulls data from other tables via primary indexes that define the relationship. I named the other tables "bullets", "powder", "primers", "lube", and "references" I then put a couple entries in each table so I could test the main table. It worked like a charm and I was able to pull the data into my main load data table through drop down menus.
This works the same as my filemaker database that I have used for the past 12 years. You set up your data in individual tables which you pull from on your main table. This means you only have to input your powder, bullets, primers and lube one time. On the Load Table you simply click on the bullet field, which opens the bullet table and you select a bullet that is already populated. It takes a while to fully populate things, but it makes data entry so pain free in the future.
Here are a few screen grabs from the program.
This is the main screen where you can see your tables, queries, forms and reports.
This is my load table that I made for a test. The left hand column shows which fields are linked to an external table through a relationship.
This is a shot of the bullet table where you would input all the bullets you use. I just made this up on the fly for this test. When you click on bullet on the load data table, this is the data that it would pull from.
I am so excited to have found this database program. It does everything that I needed from Microsoft Access, as I never got into scripting or programming. I just want a safe and secure place to store data, and to be able to review and print what I need.
Best of all, the Linux operating system is free, this program is free and everything else that I have encountered is free. And so is Virtualbox by Oracle. You just download the version of Virtual Box for your operating system (Windows, Mac OS) and then download a Linux ISO for the operating system you want. I chose Linux Mint. If you already are running Linux, just download the Kexi database program.
This is probably too nerdy for most, but if you know how to use a relational database, this is a real find.
I have been trying to prepare for the day when I have had enough of Apple computers, and I know I will never use Windows in my home ever again - unless it is work related. I quit using Windows in 1998 and moved to the Apple operating system. Apple software and hardware still works well for me, but someday I know I will need to move on. So I have been trying to educate myself on the Linux operating system. So far, I really like what I see.
My other major hobby is photography, so I am also trying to get a handle on Linux photo programs and movie editing programs. This has been a lot of fun for this old dog to learn new tricks. The last time I fooled with Linux was in the late 1990's when I wanted to quit with Microsoft and it sure has improved since then.
Now I just need to export all the tables out of Filemaker that I have built over the years and suck them up into this new program.
Life is good!