Street cred: I’m a coder, DB developer, software designer since before Access was introduced and a power Access user since. I have developed two sizeable and very complex commercial apps with Access, a law office automation system and a Messaging app that I can’t talk about.
Yeah, Access has its quirks but for every shortcoming we might ascribe to Access, it was way ahead of its time for more than half its product life and remains so today if you consider there is still nothing to replace it. Apple’s File Maker, another legacy RAD concept, is touted by some as just that and, although it may have done a little better job keeping up and can produce one app to run on both Windows and iOS, it still lacks a few of the modern attributes needed today.
You are not reliant on Access’ built in Jet database. Most of my jobs were using Access to make the forms, reports, queries and tons of VBA code. The DB work was handled by SQL Server and lately, SQLlite. Factor in the universe of third party apps and products to round out the Access development, quality control, debugging and maintenance tasks, things like FMS’ Access Analyzer and SourceBook and you actually have a combination that’s pretty hard to beat.
In the hands of a competent developer or well-self-trained and conscientious amateur, MS Access is capable of some amazing things. More so than much of the Language Of The Month stuff you see parading past. There is literally a new panacea development environment or Low/No Code tool rolled out every month. I am glad I’m not a new coder trying to decide which breeze to hitch my wagon to.