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Bento (database)
Encyclopedia
Bento is a database
application
for Mac OS X
made by FileMaker Inc.
Bento differs significantly from the company's flagship product, FileMaker Pro, in that it relies heavily on templates
and integration with other applications. By default, Bento's data sources include Apple's Address Book and iCal
applications, and it can modify them directly.
to animate the transition. It also includes integration with Time Machine
for backing up and requires iCal
3.0 for live data editing.
. The new version does not offer upgrade pricing and costs the same as version 1. Many customers expressed their disappointment at the official Bento user forums, where FileMaker responded that they were using the "same pricing model" as other companies' products such as Apple's iWork
and iLife
suites.
Further, on November 25, FileMaker provided an official statement indicating that they would discontinue revisions and bug fixes for the version 1 product.
As of September 26, 2010, price for Bento 3 is $49 single, $99 (Family Pack of five licenses).
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
made by FileMaker Inc.
FileMaker Inc.
FileMaker Inc. is a computer software company formed in 1998 from the vestiges of Claris as a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple Inc.FileMaker develops, supports and markets two relational database programs; FileMaker and Bento. FileMaker is available for both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows operating...
Bento differs significantly from the company's flagship product, FileMaker Pro, in that it relies heavily on templates
Page layout
Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page.- History and development :...
and integration with other applications. By default, Bento's data sources include Apple's Address Book and iCal
ICal
iCal is a personal calendar application made by Apple Inc. that runs on the Mac OS X operating system. iCal was the first calendar application for Mac OS X to offer support for multiple calendars and the ability to publish/subscribe calendars to WebDAV server....
applications, and it can modify them directly.
Compatibility
Bento is only compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 or later due to its reliance on features not available in previous versions of the operating system. Certain actions such as switching templates use Core AnimationCore Animation
Core Animation is a data visualization API used by Mac OS X 10.5 and later as well as iOS to produce animated user interfaces.-Overview:Core Animation provides a way for developers to produce animated user interfaces via an implicit animation model as well as an "explicit" model...
to animate the transition. It also includes integration with Time Machine
Time Machine (Apple software)
Time Machine is a backup utility developed by Apple. It is included with Mac OS X and was introduced with the 10.5 "Leopard" release of Mac OS X. The software is designed to work with the Time Capsule as well as other internal or external drives.-Overview:...
for backing up and requires iCal
ICal
iCal is a personal calendar application made by Apple Inc. that runs on the Mac OS X operating system. iCal was the first calendar application for Mac OS X to offer support for multiple calendars and the ability to publish/subscribe calendars to WebDAV server....
3.0 for live data editing.
Release schedule
A public preview was made available along with the initial product announcement on November 13, 2007. The final version was released on January 8, 2008.Version history
| Date | Version |
|---|---|
Nov 13 2007 |
Bento Public Preview |
Jan 8, 2008 |
Bento v1 |
Oct 14, 2008 |
Bento v2 |
Sep 29, 2009 |
Bento v3 |
Mar 16, 2011 |
Bento v4 |
Template sharing
A Bento Template is a pre-made library with all the forms necessary to catalog items within a certain context. With the release of Bento 2 on October 14, 2008, Bento users could import, export and share their templates. On June 16, 2009 Filemaker launched its own template sharing site where users can download a variety of templates as well as share their own. A few user created template sharing sites also exist:Upgrade controversy
On October 14, 2008, FileMaker released Bento 2.0, which contained bug fixes and new features, including integration with Apple's MailMail (application)
Mail is an email program included with Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system. Originally developed by NeXT as NeXTMail, a part of their NeXTSTEP operating system, it was adapted, following Apple's acquisition of NeXT, to become OS X's Mail application.Mail uses the SMTP, POP3, and IMAP protocols,...
. The new version does not offer upgrade pricing and costs the same as version 1. Many customers expressed their disappointment at the official Bento user forums, where FileMaker responded that they were using the "same pricing model" as other companies' products such as Apple's iWork
IWork
iWork is an office suite of desktop applications created by Apple for the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. The first version of iWork, iWork '05, was released in 2005. The suite originally bundled Keynote, a presentation program which had previously been sold as a standalone application, and...
and iLife
ILife
iLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
suites.
Further, on November 25, FileMaker provided an official statement indicating that they would discontinue revisions and bug fixes for the version 1 product.
Given interest in a revision, this was neither a quick, nor an easy decision to come to.
Bento 1 received extensive beta testing, but like every software product, issues were discovered after shipment. We followed up with Bento 1.0.2 to address critical issues that had been discovered.
In addressing product issues discovered after 1.0.2 for the 2.0 release, we reworked the product in significant, and sometimes, architectural ways. Simply put, this means that there is no way to easily migrate the fixes in 2.0 backwards to 1.0. We would have to reengineer 1.0 until it effectively became 2.0. Doing so would have strongly delayed the 2.0.3 version of Bento, which we will be releasing as a free update for Bento 2.0.1/2.0.2 this week, and continued development of the Bento product line.
As of September 26, 2010, price for Bento 3 is $49 single, $99 (Family Pack of five licenses).
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