FileMaker Pro for OS X

[Jay Boshara]

At work I have a new 17-inch iMac.  I need to be able to read Microsoft
Access databases, add records to them, do all the things to them that can be
done in Access, and then send them to others so that they can be read by
others with Access.  The way I have achieved this thus far is to get Virtual
PC with Windows XP Home edition and run Access using VPC.  However, this is
a pain in the neck because I have to run VPC in OS 9 (running it in OS X is
just too slow), but that means I have to switch back and forth between OS
and OS X.  I know that I can just run OS 9 all the time, but I really like
OS X.  So my question is this:  Does the OS X version of FileMaker Pro read
Access databases, and if so, how well?  Also, can I save a FileMaker Pro
database in a way that can be read by others with Access?  I¹d like to dump
VPC altogether and just use FileMaker in OS X if the files can be
exchangeable with Access users.  What do you think?