[actionfromafar]

80% of everything is crap anyway, no matter which tech stack. But I think something was lost, not everything is a database, but ever since Microsoft started ignored MS Access, nothing is a database. Or rather, Excel is used as a database. That can't be good either.

[smackeyacky]

Oh 100% agree on Excel - it's no substitute for those dBase/Clipper/Fox systems.

Y'know what? It's probably true that niche needs filling again as long as it isn't the dBase file format. I had to deal with one system that blew the documented max file size for dBase III but for some bizarre reason, the original dBase III executable didn't care.

However, you couldn't load it with any of the ODBC drivers it would fail. Except for one obscure Sybase based driver I have forgotten the details of.

Just couldn't deal with it again I don't think.

[mamcx]

Yeah, this is totally correct. What was great is the ability to do things like `SELECT name FROM NameOfForm` (in Foxpro, `forms` where stored in tables, so you can do sql on them), but what I say is that is the "free" query interface that is great, but if the actual thing is stored as json, csv, sqlite or whatever is orthogonal.