A current article in TidBITS talks about <
Apple/FileMaker ending support for Bento.> Bento was a stripped down database app that was supposed to bring simple databases to the masses. And, for $49, it was not bad. Far from perfect, but not bad. But an important part of the article relates to how we use apps and especially how apps are used in a business. Here is the 'food for thought' message about possible problems with proprietary formats/apps that has reared it's ugly head many times at TS.
QUOTE
So here’s where I want to encourage everyone to think about the apps and services upon which you rely, and more to the point, the data created with them or stored in their proprietary formats. What’s your exit strategy? What would you do if your favorite app’s developer discontinued it tomorrow (or on September 30th, as the case may be)? In the case of apps, it’s always possible to continue using the app for the time being, though operating system and device upgrades will eventually render that impossible. But with services, you could be dead in the water instantly.
In short, always have a sense of where you’ll move your data, if necessary, and when choosing an app or service, make sure it has some way of exporting or converting data to some other format.
Frankly, this problem is just as important as, and is actually just another part of, your backup strategy. You do
have a backup strategy, right?
