ANONYMOUS  For a Mac OS X version check out the combination of Perl and the standard BASH shell.  
(Version 5.3.1)

DAVID LUSTGARTEN  I have been using Helix since 1989, first as a studio management tool for a design studio, and now for a teaching management program. I really can't imagine doing any management-related activity - from accounting to grading papers - without Helix. It makes my computer a truly powerful tool. Once you get the hang of it (and it is not difficult to learn) you really feel that you are controlling your computer, and not the other way around!

Thank you Helix. And I look forward to the OSX version and getting my PC colleagues on as well.

Best,

DL

Burlington, VT  
(Version 5.2)

PHIL BRADBURY  I run a printing/sign company, and a newlsetter publishing company. When I started, I investigated both vertical-market data management applications and database managers for the Mac; the vertical-market apps were too restrictive in reporting and invoicing capabilities for my needs, and the Mac apps were either too weak or required too great an investment of time to achieve the results I wanted -- until I tried Helix.

With Helix, I have created accounting, order tracking, invoicing, estimating, subscription fulfillment, and a multitude of customized reports for these two companies. And when I need to make changes or add new features, the graphical interface made the task well within my capabilities.

As far as I am concerned Helix is simply the best database manager I have come across, both in terms of its power and ease of use.  
(Version 5.1)

WILLIAM R. MCMUNN  For years, Helix's intuitive graphical programming interface has enabled my wife and me to manage all our database needs, most notably a huge collection of data on medieval manuscripts and manuscript paintings for a decade-long project to catalogue all the known manuscripts of the Old French 'Roman de la Rose'. Our collection has complete information on over 300 manuscripts produced from the 13th through the 16th centuries and now in over 100 repositories around the world, with detailed descriptions of each of more than 10,000 paintings and related artifacts in the manuscripts. We have included JPEG pictures for reference right in the Helix database, along with text describing every element of each manuscript and painting. We have also included transcriptions of the pertinent scholarship of the last two centuries so we can quickly see who said what about our manuscripts and give credit (or blame) where due. With Helix on our laptop we can define and run new reports in minutes to resolve questions that come up while we examine additional manuscripts in research libraries or as we prepare scholarly essays and books for publication. When permitted we can take new digital photos in the libraries and add them to the database on the spot, or insert them later from scans of slides furnished by the libraries. With old-style SQL databases this entire project would have been much more difficult and time consuming. The new Helix 5.1 works even better for us than previous versions, with significant improvements in the user interface and reporting speed. Other scholars frequently ask for information from our database and then marvel at how quickly we can respond. Our secret: Macintosh and Helix.  
(Version 5.1)

KEVIN WILLIAMS  I can hardly imagine the Macintosh without Helix. With it, I've been able to make my computer do practically anything conceivable when it comes to data storage and interpretation. Helix is even the site management tool for my personal website. The icons and general Design Mode interface is showing its age. Nevertheless, the graphical manner of "programming" far exceeds what some might consider alternatives. Helix 5.1 is a progressive step towards a carbonized release. Quite a few welcomed refinements are evident to long-time users. Those new to the world of Helix RADE might benefit from exploring sample Collections posted on the DataPixel website.  
(Version 5.1)

BOB VARIPAPA  Helix has been around since the early days of the Mac. We've used it in our medical practice since 1986, currently with 15 doctors, 60,000 patients and hundreds of thousands of entries. Helix is still one of the most powerful and most easy to use development packages for the Mac, even today (beats Filemaker for our purposes by far). Unfortunately, the Helix people reportedly angered Apple in the early years and has suffered from very poor management in the past. Now, thanks to several Helix evangelists (or as I call them, Reanimators), Helix has been updated to 5.1, partly for improvements for current users but also to prepare for conversion to OS X (runs great in Classic). If you need a powerful, easy to program rapid development environment (RADE), take a look at Helix.  
(Version 5.1)

MICHAEL STUR  Helix was always the easiest to use and the most stable database on the Mac. Now it has risen from the ashes, and all we can hope is a smooth transition to OSX within the next 12 months !

If you have never experience the Helix Way: Get a demo, you will be hooked !  
(Version 5.1)