FileMaker

FileMaker Pro is a cross-platform relational database application from FileMaker Inc., formerly Claris, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It integrates a database engine with a graphical user interface (GUI) and security features, allowing users to modify the database by dragging new elements into layouts, screens, or forms. Current versions are: FileMaker Pro 14, FileMaker Pro Advanced 14, FileMaker Server 14, and FileMaker Go 14 for iPhone and iPad.

FileMaker evolved from a DOS application, but was then developed primarily for the Apple Macintosh and released in April 1985. Since 1992 it has been available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, and can be used in a cross-platform environment. FileMaker server briefly ran on Linux, but Linux support was abandoned with FileMaker 7, and the server currently runs only on Windows or OS X servers. A client version was released for iOS devices in July 2010. It is available in desktop, server, iOS and web-delivery configurations.

History

FileMaker began as an MS-DOS–based computer program named Nutshell - developed by Nashoba Systems of Concord, Massachusetts, in the early 1980s. Nutshell was distributed by Leading Edge, an electronics marketer that had recently started selling IBM PC-compatible computers.