On Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:38:09 -0500, Paul Magnussen wrote
(in article <Co-dneViD5u_8e3LnZ2dnUU7-IOdnZ2d@earthlink.com>):

> Nelson wrote:
>
>> I have been using FieMaker since before Claris bought it. I now find
>> I'd like to go back and retrieve data stored in some of those older
>> databases. My current version (12) refuses to open the older
>> databases, even, to my mind, some relatively recent ones (ca 2009).
>
> I still have the Filemaker 4 thru 5 disks, and a G3 to run them on
>
> Assuming your fies aren't confidential (and are of e-mailalble size),
> I'd be happy to convert them (assuming I can) and send them back to you.

Thanks, Paul. That is a very generous offer. I may take you up on it
after I have sorted through everything.

Years ago, I kept all my financial information on an Apple IIe using
Dollars and $ense. When the IIe became obsolete, I exported all the
info to flat, tab separated text files and thence into, you guessed it,
FileMaker. I'm a hoarder and actually still have all the old hardware
and software on the original media. Hell, I even have a couple of
programs on punched paper tape :) However I have long ago forgotten
how it all worked or how to hook it all up.

For a while I focused on CD's and DVD's as my archival strategy. Heh.
What a mistake that was. Many of them have visibly deteriorated and
are unreadable.

Now everything is on duplicated hard drives. But it's hard to hook up
a 5 TB USB 3 drive to an Apple IIe :)

--
Nelson