Zim and De:
The list of things I "intend" to do/learn keeps getting longer (way longer) than the list of things I actually get done/learn.
That said, I continue to put "database programming", in some form, on my todo list every year. I have a lot of needs that could be met by a bunch of small databases, if the programming task didn't take too long. Sadly, this is another year when it is close to put up or shut-up time on the "learn database programming" front...and I look to be going down for another fail.
Access seems really appealing with all the form building integrated with the database design. I know it can be used to create real - and even impressive/big real - programs, because my factory uses an extensive (quite complicated and important) commercial inventory control database program written in Access. It tracks hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ingredients and seems pretty solid, with lots of code for edge cases, and no real problems reported after years of use.
But God help you if you want to learn how to write such programs! There are all sorts of resources on "how to write Access programs" which are really nothing more complicated than desplaying and simply entering data to a couple of forms and a couple of databases. I actually signed up to take a class in that.
On the other hand, how to actually write VBA code which is integrated with your Access tables seems to be a very much guarded secret: almost harder than figuring out how to break into Fort Knox or something (and rather harder than getting into the Capitol Building, apparently).
It is MUCH easier to find "real" courses and books on writing massive database applications in Python or C# to interact with SQL databases. I don't understand why this void exists...maybe an acknowledgement that the Access model of database simplicity is somewhat unadvisable for reasons I don't understand? It seems a shame, though, because it would be tremendous to be able to snap out quick solutions to everyday organizing problems which don't require all the hardening and overhead of a full-blown relational database SERVER.
Anyway, it looks like there is never going to be a good, open-source /Linux Access-like application. If LibreOffice was going to do this, I'd think they would have already done it. And even Microsoft seems to be substantially moving away from promoting Access. Does either of you know where the problem lies in tying in an embedded language to an Access-like base? Access is certainly proof of concept; I really don't understand why this has, apparently, proved to be a dead-end instead of becoming more of a standard?
Did you encounter major intractable bug problems or massive limitations in your Access programming work that would make everyone more-or-less abandon this path?
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