:?: "Micro$oft Access"-similar program?

[macfreak109]

Hi there!

I'm a teacher in a public school in Luxembourg (Europe) and for the moment, we are inquiring whether we can replace MSOffice with an OpenSource product like OpenOffice. However, as our classes do need databases in their daily tasks, I was wondering if there was a program which could merely replace Access'es GUI to the database.
Now, I know of all the existing solutions like mySQL, postgreSQL, etcto add a DB on the system (that's not the problem) but what I'm missing here is the interface to the DB through Oo. The program needs to really replace Access (with all features like table layout, form design, query manager, relationships, etc) in order for us to be "what we're looking for". Can anyone point me out to sources where I could find a solution...I've been looking forward to this moment all my computer life

TIA for all the support I can get.

Best regards.

mAcfreAk.

[RonIA]

If you can be a little bit patient the OpenOffice.org version 2.0 is going to be available in March 2005. Version 2.0 will include a database with much of the functionality of Access. Tables, Forms, Queries, Reports, and so on.

I don't have all the details, but here is a link http://marketing.openoffice.org/2.0/featureguide.html that can tell you much more.

Hopefully this helps.

Ron from Iowa, USA

[macfreak109]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for your answer...that's what I've been waiting for. I'll feed these informations to the management in the meantime. As this migration will take place during this summer, March will be a great time to test!

Thanks again!

mAcfreAk.

[dagenop]

Hi there macfreak109

At the moment I'm finishing my last year in school before i go of to study further. (13th year). As one of my subjects I have chosen system development wich I now have for the second year.

In my school we are doing an "experiment" where most of the programs on the school have been switched out with open source alternatives. This means that every student on this school (aprox. 550 students) are now using openoffice.org instead of Microsoft Office, most of them also does this at home.

We as a computer class are working with MySQL and OpenOffice.org in the database section of the class for the second year in a row now. And i believe we are the first school in Norway to do this.

In the start we had a lot of small bugs and problems, but due to a good community and a eager teacher we have solved most of the problems we have encountered, and this solution is actually working very well now.

Personally I very much like the fact that we are working with MySQL instead of Access as I see this as much more relevant when it comes to webprogramming etc.

If you as a teacher is looking for an alternative to Access Openoffice will most certainly do the job very well. However, I am in the opinion that this is more stress and trouble than good old MS, however, when you get over the first hilltop, things starts to roll quite smoothly.

I say go for it, but be prepared to do a lot of work with the project.

(This might not have been very relevant to your question, but thought I could post my opinions as one of the "test subjects" in this project here in my school

[macfreak109]

Dear dagenop,

Thanks for your reply. I really do appreciate that this solution has already found appliance in schools. As for the problems, we are fully aware that the migration won't be a 2 hour operation and we are prepared with knowhow and entusiasm

We will wait for the new 2.0 version (cf above) and then start our testing in 2-4 classes hoping that the migration will be a success. If yes, our school will probably switch over in 2-3 years from MS to OpenSource (finally)

Best regards.

mAcfreAk.

[Lazy-legs]

[macfreak109]