Claris Pro replacing FileMaker Pro?

Claris ConstructiveTalk
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Found this on linked-in:

FMDiSC Claris Platform Survey surveymonkey.com • 1 min read

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I haven't watch the video, but since you asked a question, here is my answer: Claris Pro will eventually replace FileMaker Pro. Claris Pro, under Claris Platform is a sibling of FileMaker Pro, under FileMaker Platform. Things is, at this time, Claris Pro is not an exact sibling. One of the reasons is that with FileMaker Pro, accounts are defined in files, with Claris Pro, accounts are Claris accounts. There are other differences also. Until Claris Pro matches FileMaker Pro exactly, FIleMaker will still exists. It will be like this for many years.

Remember that Claris Pro is part of the Claris Platform and can connect with Claris Studio applications, something FileMaker Pro can't.

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hope FMP survives and evolves - that it runs without cloud and stand-alone is the best feature and IMHO main cause to be still around.
(Cloud services can get become a money trap .. )

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This is what is planned. And on top of that, I have been told there will be a fremium FileMaker offer, but I can't tell what this will include.

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The video contains a very interesting discussion for all FileMaker developers. Start planning now is the big take-away. No one in the discussion has any special insider knowledge. They are all reading the tea-leaves and watching the public statements made by Claris.

The time frames they discuss are not settled and everybody is guessing. Richard Carlton makes a very strong case for FileMaker being around for a long time ( last few minutes of the video ).


    -FMDISC- Best Guesses for FMP in the next few years     
                     
                             |  4 -5 yr ?   |        ( 10yr ? ) 
FileMaker *---*---.--*--.--*-+-o- -o- -o--o-|-> Support & Maintenance 
           \       \     \                  |
            v       v     v                 |           
    Claris Studio ---*--*--*--*----*-----*--+--*-----*-----*--->
                             ^              
                             |              
                       Parity with FM       
                         (12-18 mth?)
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not aware of Freemium FM - AFAIK only Claris Pro Freemium - major difference .. FM works offline .. Claris Pro needs online-login ..

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Claris Studio requires an online login; however Claris Pro does not.

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Read here:
https://help.claris.com/en/studio-help-center/content/differences-between-claris-and-filemaker.html
Claris Pro Authentication Claris ID accounts only
Vs FileMaker Pro

  • FileMaker file accounts
  • Claris ID and external IdP accounts
  • OAuth accounts
  • External server accounts
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Thanks for the link. I'm still wondering what's the point of Claris Pro since I can only see disadvantages in that comparison. Is Claris heading in the wrong direction?

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I suppose it's more of a matter of dev-speed and dev-capicity...

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Once again, development of Claris Pro development is not finished. Please be patient, all the details will come to you. Claris Pro is useful only to those who wish to give a try to Claris Studio.

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All concerns are very well discussed here:

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Unlike FMP, Claris Pro syncs data with Claris Studio. (Claris Pro is basically FMP20.)

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I just wish they hadn’t used their company name for the product, let alone the current file extension. I guess Oracle gets away with it, and Microsoft have gone for Microsoft 365 and dumped ‘office’ from the branding now, so perhaps it is a trend.

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Looks like they’re implementing a marketing strategy to gravitate to the “Claris Platform”.

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Claris Pro is in early stages the development cycle. Claris have torn the Draco engine out of FileMaker and put MongoDB in its place. (I'm striking that because it's not certain. We do know MongoDB is being used in Claris Studio). Now they are trying to make it work. Let's get behind them and congratulate them for that. :tada:

The fact that we are hearing about it at this early stage is fantastic! And that is happening because we complained to Claris that they never told us anything. We complained that they kept us in the dark. We complained that we needed to know about future directions before they happen, not afterwards.

Claris listened to all of us and they are revealing Claris Pro and Claris Studio. Let's congratulate them for that too. :partying_face:

We cannot (a) know about future directions and get information early and (b) expect to see mature, work-hardened products with each announcement. Claris Studio and Claris Pro are just past the proof-of-concept stage. :hatching_chick: Claris are showing us that they have successfully based a new version of FileMaker on a completely different database engine. It's not finished, it's immature, :seedling: but it's working.

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+1 000 000 to what you say. The more people test Claris Platform, the more comments will get to Claris. We have the chance to see a product being developed before our very eyes. Trying to assume what the product could/would be is waisted energy. When the fremium will be available, everybody will have a chance to test it for noting ($). That will let you all discover a fantastic product. I guess those working on the project at Claris are excited.

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well... how to test it? How to get information in my nativ language?
(according to fmdisc, the test cycle is closed)

I'm running more and more into problems with understanding - what is partly a language problem

I am visiting (not yet finished) the fmdisc presentation - and I'm puzzled

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I don't think they would publish a comparison of FMP and Claris Pro at that point in time, if the disadvantaged would only be a matter of time. These things are meant to be and will not change in the near future.

Thanks @FileKraft for the video link. I took the time and watched Marcels' exceptionally good presentation. Although it made a lot of things clearer for me, most of my worries are confirmed there.

I think Claris' marketing decisions are based in the crossfire of the following topics:

Past ↔︎ Future

Old Developers ↔︎ New Developers

„beginner“ User ↔︎ Professional User

Rich Code ↔︎ Low Code

Proprietary code ↔︎ Connectivity

Offline ↔︎ Online

Single User ↔︎ Multi User

Small UserBase ↔︎ Bigger User Base

Small market share ↔︎ Bigger market share

So the way to go almost seems to be clear. But I think there are some things we are missing, if we just aim for the right side of that list:

Claris tries to compete with other low code platforms. That's a war they can not win in my opinion because there are too many of them out there. So the whole Claris Studio thing is pointless to me.

In order to attract new developers Claris must offer a USP (which FMP already has).

FileMakers strength was always the possibility to develop real custom apps in no time, that run without an internet connection, on iOS, macOS and Windows. So they should (also) focus on that segment. FileMakers should be the No. 1 Platform for new developers to build database driven apps, that can be distributed on the App Stores. This should be an easy process (just think of notarizing, code signing, …).

In order to not let down existing developers Claris must not break things too much, such as making a Claris ID account mandatory and offering only a one way transition with too many downsides. Otherwise many of the old fellows won’t follow.

The worst part of it all for me is that it's not made clear what the benefit is supposed to be for existing developers. Listing only technical features and possibilities is not convincing. Only when I know what's in it for me I am ready to follow. No client wants to hear about new features, everybody wants to know about his benefit.

In order to get a bigger market share and a bigger user base the product must be cheaper and better-known. The App Store would be a good start, als Marcel pointed out correctly in his presentation.

My wishlist

So for me this would be my wishlist for the future and my recommendation:

  • Focus on both, (old) professional and (new) beginner developers. New developers are the professionals of tomorrow.

  • Increase user base by making it cheaper and better available (App Store).

  • Drop the idea of a low code platform.

  • Allow the creation of custom apps for all the App Stores and make reasonable money from millions (billions?) of App users.

  • Shrink the portfolio and the licensing to make it less confusing. Too much confusion leads to no decision at all.

  • Communicate clearly what’s the vision of Claris and what’s the benefit for us developers.

  • Increase the GUI capabilities to a contemporary level, e.g. dynamic layout objects in browse mode, reusable layout parts, …

  • Implement all connectivity features into the standard portfolio (FMP, FMGo, FMS, FMCloud) and drop Claris Studio

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I think MongoDB is used as the backend for Studio. My understanding is that Claris Pro still uses Draco and will use something similar to ESS to allow using your Claris Studio data in Claris Pro.

If someone has documentation about Draco having been torn out, I would be curious to see the source of that, as it can be problematic to follow everything being said about this.