Future of Access (2 Viewers)

I have a cousin who plans to move to Apple and alternatives to MS Office over this one.
From what I understand, Apple kicks the crap out of Windows when it come to desktop publishing anyway...
 
I could be wrong but I think the only device based db RAD tool that works on iOS is Filemaker.

As an individual you do have a choice, but the corporate world (with perhaps the exception of those who are into publishing/design/etc) choose windows because of the cost of equipment - iOS devices are around twice the cost of a windows equivalent.

One day, I expect everything will be on the web and devices merely dumb terminals - effectively back to the old main/mini computer era but without wires and no doubt less secure.
 
I could be wrong but I think the only device based db RAD tool that works on iOS is Filemaker.
There's also Realm, which I've never heard of before, and Firebase, but I don't think they're RAD like FileMaker.
As an individual you do have a choice, but the corporate world (with perhaps the exception of those who are into publishing/design/etc) choose windows because of the cost of equipment - iOS devices are around twice the cost of a windows equivalent.

One day, I expect everything will be on the web and devices merely dumb terminals - effectively back to the old main/mini computer era but without wires and no doubt less secure.
Agreed. In the corporate world I am seeing many thin client workstations replacing desktops, and the consumer world is also heading in that direction. I wouldn't be surprised if the next major release of Windows and Office are SaaS Online versions and desktop perpetual versions are no more. A move like that would leave desktop Access out of the future, unless MS provides a viable online replacement. And I don't think PowerApps is it. AWA was actually a viable replacement, and by now would've been robust had MS not retired it.
 
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No doubt, they did.
If they would do the same for Excel and Word, you can expect this to be multiplied by 1000.
And keep in mind: The transition to "New Outlook" is nowhere near completion. Most organizations depending on Outlook automation won't have switched to New Outlook yet.
There were many more Excel and Word apps automating Outlook, e.g. mailing lists with mail merge, that also stopped working!
 
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There's also Realm, which I've never heard of before, and Firebase, but I don't think they're RAD like FileMaker.

Agreed. In the corporate world I am seeing more thin client workstations replacing desktops, and the consumer world is quickly heading in that direction. I wouldn't be surprised if the next major release of Windows and Office are SaaS Online versions and desktop perpetual versions are no more. A move like that would leave desktop Access out of the future, unless MS provides a viable online replacement. And I don't think PowerApps is it. AWA was actually a viable replacement, and by now would've been robust had MS not retired it.
PowerApps is currently more flexible and extensible than AWA's ever were. Granted that doesn't make them a viable replacement for AWA's either, but AWA's were doomed from the beginning by the box they were put in to begin with. The train went from Station A to Station B and stopped there. PowerApps has the Power Platform ecosystem behind it including the ability to consume Public APIs and connectors to over 300 different data sources, not just SQL Azure, as was the case for AWAs.

It's interesting to speculate what AWA's could have evolved into, perhaps something more like PowerApps already is, though? 😉

One thing that tickles me is that PA was originally touted as a "low-code" platform. Yet over time that has evolved into "less low" coding. Today, for example, I saw a YouTube video on creating UDF's for PowerApps. They walk and quack a lot like simple VBA Functions, taking input parameters and returning output parameters OR executing actions like VBA Subs. What that tells me is that the Power Platform development team recognizes the need to push their platform beyond its early "no-code/low-code" identity.

Again, that could have happened with AWAs, of course. What did happen was a new platform was built from the ground up to be browser based from the beginning.

If it were not so costly to license, I'm convinced PowerApps would be a more popular option.
 
PowerApps is currently more flexible and extensible than AWA's ever were. Granted that doesn't make them a viable replacement for AWA's either, but AWA's were doomed from the beginning by the box they were put in to begin with. The train went from Station A to Station B and stopped there. PowerApps has the Power Platform ecosystem behind it including the ability to consume Public APIs and connectors to over 300 different data sources, not just SQL Azure, as was the case for AWAs.

It's interesting to speculate what AWA's could have evolved into, perhaps something more like PowerApps already is, though? 😉

One thing that tickles me is that PA was originally touted as a "low-code" platform. Yet over time that has evolved into "less low" coding. Today, for example, I saw a YouTube video on creating UDF's for PowerApps. They walk and quack a lot like simple VBA Functions, taking input parameters and returning output parameters OR executing actions like VBA Subs. What that tells me is that the Power Platform development team recognizes the need to push their platform beyond its early "no-code/low-code" identity.

Again, that could have happened with AWAs, of course. What did happen was a new platform was built from the ground up to be browser based from the beginning.

If it were not so costly to license, I'm convinced PowerApps would be a more popular option.
AWA was in the Office Online box, along with Excel, Word, Outlook, and for only being around for a couple of years I saw some really neat demos, like Julian Kirkness' KasPer Pro HR app. It also had anonymous public facing capability and was bundled in a very affordable O365 plan. Unfortunately, it only gained traction with a handful of Access developers because it didn't have a vba language. AWA was web based and you cannot use COM based vba, bound objects, and manipulate Windows Filesystem with stateless unbound web applications. Many desktop Access developers failed to understand and accept that concept.
 
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