GenealogyTools

Genealogy Software Tutorials for Mac & PC

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The Family Tree Software Alternatives Series

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This is the landing page for The Family Tree Software Alternatives series, which reviews 14 major Mac and Windows applications for recording family trees. The focus is on compliance with the GEDCOM standard, both for importing and exporting files, but other aspects, including usability and major features, are addressed as well. Some of the information is now out of date, since some of the applications have released newer versions, but most of the points still hold true.

Part 1: How to Scrub Your Data
Part 2: How to Get Your Tree out of FTM
Part 3: RootsMagic 7
Part 4: Reunion 11
Part 5: MacFamilyTree 8
Part 6: Family Tree Builder 8
Part 7: Heredis 2015
Part 8: Gramps 5
Part 9: iFamily for Mac
Part 10: GEDitCOM II
Part 11: Legacy Family Tree 8
Part 12: Ancestral Quest 14
Part 13: Family Historian 6
Part 14: Should You Stick with Family Tree Maker?
Part 15: Brother’s Keeper 7
Part 16: RootsMagic 8
How Well Does Ancestry.com Handle GEDCOM?
Family Tree Maker to GEDCOM to Other Apps Crosswalk
The Perils of Following the GEDCOM Standard
Why All Genealogy Apps Should Support GEDCOM 5.5.1

The Event Structure in GEDCOM Files

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Genealogy apps should always follow the GEDCOM standard, right? You’d be justified in thinking that if you’ve read many of my articles, and generally speaking, apps should follow the standard, especially 5.5.1, since GEDCOM 5.5 is obsolete. However, what should apps do when there are mistakes in the standard? Should they import, export, and/or validate GEDCOM files strictly according to the standard, or according to how the standard should have been? This is a letter versus spirit of the law question, and the answer depends on the mistake in question and the purpose of the app. [Read more…] about The Event Structure in GEDCOM Files

Family Tree Maker 2017 Review Follow-Up

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Updated on 7 Feb 2018

Now that Family Tree Maker 2017* has been out for 6 months, I’d like to follow up on my initial review. While the consensus is that it’s faster, and FamilySync, the TreeSync replacement works for most people, a small but significant portion of users are still having major problems, judging by the comments on my review and in various user groups. In this follow-up I’ll focus mainly on the problems our readers and I have experienced in the areas of functionality, along with a few cosmetic issues. I’ll also offer a few suggestions for improvement. [Read more…] about Family Tree Maker 2017 Review Follow-Up