Simple GEDCOM Utility Software?

[Robert Ragan]

I've got the regular genealogy software covered but does anyone have
"thee" best simple but powerful GEDCOM software utility to recommend?
And if so, would you mind if I used parts of your comments about it in
my genealogy newsletter and blog (see below)?

What I'm looking for is some software (a utility, really) that will
work with GEDCOM files quickly and easily. There's lots of it out
there but what I have tried seems to be pretty cheesy.

Yes, I know that our standard genealogy software, PAF, FTM,
whatever--will handle GEDCOMs just fine. I just like to be able to
work with something light when digging through GEDCOM files.

You guys seem to have it together--any suggestions on what works well
for you?

Thanks - Robert


-Newsletter: Treasure Maps Genealogy Newsletter
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/

-Blog: Genealogy Facts & Family Tree Search Tips
http://genealogy-facts.com/blog

[J. Hugh Sullivan]

On 3 Dec 2004 23:20:54 -0800, [email protected] (Robert Ragan)
wrote:

I've got the regular genealogy software covered but does anyone have
"thee" best simple but powerful GEDCOM software utility to recommend?
And if so, would you mind if I used parts of your comments about it in
my genealogy newsletter and blog (see below)?

What I'm looking for is some software (a utility, really) that will
work with GEDCOM files quickly and easily. There's lots of it out
there but what I have tried seems to be pretty cheesy.

Yes, I know that our standard genealogy software, PAF, FTM,
whatever--will handle GEDCOMs just fine. I just like to be able to
work with something light when digging through GEDCOM files.

You guys seem to have it together--any suggestions on what works well
for you?

Thanks - Robert

IMO those thoughts may even be misleading - maybe not. If one already
has a data base his purpose, seems to me, is merging data from a new
GED. Frankly I have printed out the data base from a new GED,
sometimes 100 pages, and compared with my own data base print out in
descendant narrative form - and I compare line by line.

So, what do YOU do AFTER editing the new GED? Can anyone remember
exactly what is in his data base and edit out duplicates in the new
one? Or, should he take the extra time to create a new data base from
the GED and make a more accurate, side by side, comparison?

My thought is that I don't trust any program to have the comparison
accuracy that I personally do. To sum up I prefer "fast" to
half-fast".

I don't see a really efficient method (or program) to avoid taking the
time to do it right.

I hope to learn something from rebuttals.

Hugh

[Sherry]

[email protected] (Robert Ragan) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

I've got the regular genealogy software covered but does anyone have
"thee" best simple but powerful GEDCOM software utility to recommend?
And if so, would you mind if I used parts of your comments about it in
my genealogy newsletter and blog (see below)?

snip

Thanks - Robert

GenViewer, hands down. Quick, small, lots of searches and sorts and even
prints reports from the gedcom. And it can read genealogy files with the
following extensions: PAF, TMG, SUB, FTW, FBK and FDB as well as gedcoms!

Sherry

[Charlie]

On 3 Dec 2004 23:20:54 -0800, [email protected] (Robert Ragan)
wrote:

I've got the regular genealogy software covered but does anyone have
"thee" best simple but powerful GEDCOM software utility to recommend?
And if so, would you mind if I used parts of your comments about it in
my genealogy newsletter and blog (see below)?

What I'm looking for is some software (a utility, really) that will
work with GEDCOM files quickly and easily. There's lots of it out
there but what I have tried seems to be pretty cheesy.

Yes, I know that our standard genealogy software, PAF, FTM,
whatever--will handle GEDCOMs just fine. I just like to be able to
work with something light when digging through GEDCOM files.

You guys seem to have it together--any suggestions on what works well
for you?

Thanks - Robert


-Newsletter: Treasure Maps Genealogy Newsletter
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/

-Blog: Genealogy Facts & Family Tree Search Tips
http://genealogy-facts.com/blog

IMO, asking what is the best GEDCOM utility is like asking what is the
best vehicle. It really depends on the task that you what to do.

So, just what do you want to do?
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Paul Blair]

Robert Ragan wrote:

I've got the regular genealogy software covered but does anyone have
"thee" best simple but powerful GEDCOM software utility to recommend?
And if so, would you mind if I used parts of your comments about it in
my genealogy newsletter and blog (see below)?

What I'm looking for is some software (a utility, really) that will
work with GEDCOM files quickly and easily. There's lots of it out
there but what I have tried seems to be pretty cheesy.

Yes, I know that our standard genealogy software, PAF, FTM,
whatever--will handle GEDCOMs just fine. I just like to be able to
work with something light when digging through GEDCOM files.

You guys seem to have it together--any suggestions on what works well
for you?

Thanks - Robert


-Newsletter: Treasure Maps Genealogy Newsletter
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/

-Blog: Genealogy Facts & Family Tree Search Tips
http://genealogy-facts.com/blog

You haven't really asked a sensible question.

The simple answer would be WordPad.

What else do you want to do?

Paul Blair
Canberra

[Robert Ragan]

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

IMO, asking what is the best GEDCOM utility is like asking what is the
best vehicle. It really depends on the task that you what to do.

So, just what do you want to do?
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Hi Charlie,

So, just what do you want to do?

For example, Sherry said that Genviewer:

"GenViewer, hands down. Quick, small, lots of searches and sorts and
even
prints reports from the gedcom. And it can read genealogy files with
the
following extensions: PAF, TMG, SUB, FTW, FBK and FDB as well as
gedcoms!"

That's a great list. Quick and small is on the top of my list. This
way I don't have to jump through all of the hoops of my regular
genealogy software to work with GEDCOMS.

Search, sort, display, etc. But many of the GEDCOM utilities I've used
weren't very good. I'm going to look into GenViewer, though.

The reason for me using a utility like this is because when I gather
different GEDCOM files, or want to look at some of the older ones I've
had for years--I just want to open them up, take a peek, see if I need
the data at the moment, maybe do some minor editing.

Thanks - Robert

[Donna]

Hi---

Earlier I posted about preparing family picture CDs, and wanting to caption
the pictures and include explanatory text. A program called FlipAlbum was
mentioned. I went to http://www.flipalbum.com and downloaded the free trial.

I love it, and ended up buying the FlipAlbum Pro version.

Just FYI---- Not affiliated with the company, just passing on info.

Donna

[Charlie]

On 4 Dec 2004 12:35:24 -0800, [email protected] (Robert Ragan)
wrote:

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

IMO, asking what is the best GEDCOM utility is like asking what is the
best vehicle. It really depends on the task that you what to do.

So, just what do you want to do?
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/


Hi Charlie,

So, just what do you want to do?

For example, Sherry said that Genviewer:

"GenViewer, hands down. Quick, small, lots of searches and sorts and
even
prints reports from the gedcom. And it can read genealogy files with
the
following extensions: PAF, TMG, SUB, FTW, FBK and FDB as well as
gedcoms!"

That's a great list. Quick and small is on the top of my list. This
way I don't have to jump through all of the hoops of my regular
genealogy software to work with GEDCOMS.

Search, sort, display, etc. But many of the GEDCOM utilities I've used
weren't very good. I'm going to look into GenViewer, though.

The reason for me using a utility like this is because when I gather
different GEDCOM files, or want to look at some of the older ones I've
had for years--I just want to open them up, take a peek, see if I need
the data at the moment, maybe do some minor editing.

Thanks - Robert

Thanks, it seems that Genviewer is a good choice for looking at the
information in GEDCOM files. I was thinking about "massaging" GEDCOMs
to make them import better to different programs.... an entirely
differen end use. I've never had the occasion to want to simply look
at the information in a GEDCOM.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Sherry]

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

<snip>

Thanks, it seems that Genviewer is a good choice for looking at the
information in GEDCOM files. I was thinking about "massaging"
GEDCOMs to make them import better to different programs.... an
entirely differen end use. I've never had the occasion to want to
simply look at the information in a GEDCOM.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

True, GenViewer is only a viewer - you can't change the data using this
program.

I don't think I could be without this program. When I get a gedcom
from another person, it's great for taking a look at the gedcom to see
if it's really something I want to take the time to import into my
genealogy program. It also has terrific sorting and searching. Plus,
you can create a self-viewing gedcom with this to pass on to someone
(or use yourself) when you don't want to install any genealogy software
on a computer but want to have the file available for quick viewing.

There use to be an excellent program - Gedcom Explorer (GedX) - which
could analyze your gedcom for you and tell you how good it is with the
standard, but sadly, it's no longer around.

Sherry

[Bill Harrison]

Hi Sherry and all

What you want is GENMATCHER this prog compares an export in Gedcon format
from your Gen Programme against the Gedcom you have received ... you can set
up the parameters yourself etc very very good ... its from the producers of
GenViewer also...........

regards
bill


----- Original Message -----
From: "Sherry" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: Simple GEDCOM Utility Software?

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

snip
Thanks, it seems that Genviewer is a good choice for looking at the
information in GEDCOM files. I was thinking about "massaging"
GEDCOMs to make them import better to different programs.... an
entirely differen end use. I've never had the occasion to want to
simply look at the information in a GEDCOM.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/



True, GenViewer is only a viewer - you can't change the data using this
program.

I don't think I could be without this program. When I get a gedcom
from another person, it's great for taking a look at the gedcom to see
if it's really something I want to take the time to import into my
genealogy program. It also has terrific sorting and searching. Plus,
you can create a self-viewing gedcom with this to pass on to someone
(or use yourself) when you don't want to install any genealogy software
on a computer but want to have the file available for quick viewing.

There use to be an excellent program - Gedcom Explorer (GedX) - which
could analyze your gedcom for you and tell you how good it is with the
standard, but sadly, it's no longer around.

Sherry

[Sherry]

[email protected] ("Bill Harrison") wrote in
news:000401c4da63$a3a36b30$226b6ad5@WJH:

Hi Sherry and all

What you want is GENMATCHER this prog compares an export in Gedcon
format from your Gen Programme against the Gedcom you have received
... you can set up the parameters yourself etc very very good ...
its from the producers of GenViewer also...........

regards
bill

Got that one too! It took about two minutes to match two files - my
research partner did it manually in two days! I compared his PAF file to
my Legacy file. Don't even need to use gedcoms - it reads the same files
as GenViewer.

However, GenViewer is better for looking at the quality of the data - are
there comments in the date field? Are there sources? Also the searches
are tremendous <g>

Yup, they're both by Mudcreek Software

Sherry

[Charlie]

On 5 Dec 2004 00:25:11 GMT, Sherry <[email protected]> wrote:

There use to be an excellent program - Gedcom Explorer (GedX) - which
could analyze your gedcom for you and tell you how good it is with the
standard, but sadly, it's no longer around.

Sherry

Actually, there is still a program called Gedcom Explorer.... I use it
frequently. It's just that the originator of it seems to have
disappeared, along with the web site for support of the program.
However, many of us who licensed it are still happily using it.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Sherry]

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

<snip>

Actually, there is still a program called Gedcom Explorer.... I use
it frequently. It's just that the originator of it seems to have
disappeared, along with the web site for support of the program.
However, many of us who licensed it are still happily using it.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

And *unfortunately*, those of us who have had to reinstall Windows
have lost the ability to re-register the program!

I think we discussed this before - I need to email you off-list for
help with re-registering it!

Sherry

[Charlie]

On 5 Dec 2004 16:57:22 GMT, Sherry <[email protected]> wrote:

Charlie <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

snip

Actually, there is still a program called Gedcom Explorer.... I use
it frequently. It's just that the originator of it seems to have
disappeared, along with the web site for support of the program.
However, many of us who licensed it are still happily using it.
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/


And *unfortunately*, those of us who have had to reinstall Windows
have lost the ability to re-register the program!

I think we discussed this before - I need to email you off-list for
help with re-registering it!

Sherry

Sherry,

I'll be happy to try to help... I actually installed Win XP on my new
computer, and with help from this group, found the register
information on my old hard drive, and managed to install GEDX on the
new computer.

Email me at my Yahoo address when you want to start a dialogue.
( charliehoffp at yahoo dot com)
---
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Robert Ragan]

Thanks to everyone who recommended GEDCOM software. I am going to try
them out and see if it will work for me in my situation.

My best Robert