[mnm1]

My first apps ever were extremely customized VBA Access databases. I already knew QBasic so doing VBA was easy. It affords a ton of power. I was able to create an entire interface and workflow easily and have everything contained within one Access file. The only downside was when multiple users wanted to use it (I think one had to save/close to let another in). For small things (a workflow tracking a university's scheduling changes) it can be great. Filemaker is a similar tool and both tools allow rapid development and prototyping. It might not be that useful to seasoned programmers, but to people who just want to get something done quickly, and especially for people who don't program much, it's an amazing tool.