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Genealogy Software

I have used a number of genealogy software packages. I started with Family Tree Maker version 4. It was fairly easy to use, and not bad for a beginner, but it had many limitations. I did not like the expense of the upgrade to the next version. I have not used it for several years.

Next, I discovered Personal Ancestral File (PAF) 4.x, and then 5.x. I like the versatility and many of the reports that are available. I really like how the website generating utility works. Even though the same people who developed GEDCOM came up with PAF, the LDS church. PAF does not handle some valid GEDCOM usage, so it can put information in NOTES that you do not want there.

I also like Legacy Standard Edition. I found it with version 4, and have updated to 5, and now version 6. Version 4 & 5 impressed me with the amount of reports and tagging of individuals it could do. I really like the research assistant features of version 6. However, it too does not handle some valid GEDCOM on import or export. It can calculate age at marriage and death, but cannot import or export this to the event record, but dumps it into the NOTES.

For shear power and control, I like LifeLines. It has native versions for Unix, Linux, Mac, and Windows. Its database stores the GEDCOM format and you edit it with a text editor. This prevents you from loosing carefully crafter valid GEDCOM information, if you edit a GEDCOM file directly. Some operations are just easier to do on the entire GEDCOM. Best of all are the reports. The LifeLines Report Language allows you to build your own reports. There are also most standard reports included with the download. I will post an in-depth review soon.

One of my contributions to LifeLines is the LifeLines FAQ, a work in process.

Bygones is a helpful program for tracking genealogical research. It Has native ports for Mac and Windows, and the Windows version runs well on Linux with Wine 0.9.

A very helpful website for working with Census readings is CensusMate. This site provides spreadsheets that work in MS-Excel or OpenOffice Calc.

Try Album Express a program for creating digital photo albums.