[beholder3]

For those who want to upgrade from the more consumer oriented Lightroom software for cataloguing their photos to better software, here are some options:

Daminion: Daminion | Multi-User, Server-Based Digital Photo Management Software
Available for about 100 EUR as perpetual license for HOME server single user.
Very intuitive.
If you saved your metadata in your DNG and JPG files, then Daminion can automatically use all LR keywords, color tags and star ratings.
Big advantage is full network capability. You can add a second user for about +40 EUR.
They have a very good support, much better than anything you will ever get from Adobe.

iMatch 2017: IMatch - Organize your digital images and other digital media files easily.
About $110 as perpetual license.
More customizable than Daminion but with customizability comes complexity for learning curve.
If you want support and ask in their forum. The developer himself will answer. Guess if that gives you skilled answers or they type of crap you tend to get on microsoft or Adobe supports.

Photo Supreme: IDimager | Photo Supreme | Cross Platform, Single and Multi User Digital Asset Management Software
About $100 as perpetual license.
Seems similar to the first two. Less documentation available though.

Then there are enterprise level DAM softwares as well, but I guess few of us here need that.

I guess my way forward will be to dump deprecated lightroom in favor of iMatch plus RawTherapee. iMatch can also retain all keywords, tags, color codes and star ratings from my DNG and JPG files, so no effort there. RawTherapee can make use of all existing lensprofiles from LR and those I made myself for old glass.

[LensBeginner]

I was looking at Open Source alternatives... like digiKam, but it looks like it's still unreliable under Win.

Darktable should come to Windows as well... some time in the future... (?)

I only need a DAM for the moment, something that will at least support collections/albums/what-you-call-them

[Gimbal]

Darktable should come to Windows as well... some time in the future... (?)

The future is here:
darktable for Windows | darktable

I have not tried it myself though.

[LensBeginner]

The future is here:
darktable for Windows | darktable

I have not tried it myself though.

Yep, that's what I was referring to

we are extremely pleased – albeit wary – to announce a very first official pre-alpha development snapshot for 64 bit Windows. We know it's still buggy

It's still a maybe in pre-alpha sauce with a side of bugs...

[Winder]

Tour Photo Mechanic | Camera Bits, Inc.

[timw4mail]

I was looking at Open Source alternatives... like digiKam, but it looks like it's still unreliable under Win.

Darktable should come to Windows as well... some time in the future... (?)

I only need a DAM for the moment, something that will at least support collections/albums/what-you-call-them

I haven't had any problems with digiKam on Mac or Windows. What do you mean by unreliable?

[LensBeginner]

I haven't had any problems with digiKam on Mac or Windows. What do you mean by unreliable?

digiKam - Installing a package

Be careful as digiKam is not as stable under Windows as under Linux because of some bugs in the underlying KDE Software Collection libraries that digiKam depends on.

...if they say so themselves...