[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Software recomendations

[Peter]

Hi Kenneth,

I worry that we are getting way off topic to the specific matters that
deal directly with the SGGEE, but I do want to give you a quick reply.
Please see my answers inserted below.

On Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 6:12 PM, Kenneth Browne <kbrowne01518 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/29/2014 05:35 PM, Peter wrote:
>>
>> And two more cents from me: Legacy users are limited to running their
>> software on Windows. Good Open Source software runs on Windows, Mac,
>> and Linux and is uninhibited by operating systems. Can you really be
>> sure that anyone who wants to access all of your data is going to be
>> using Windows?
>>
>> I started using Gramps on Windows while The Master Genealogist was
>> still my primary genealogy software. I also tinkered with it on a Mac,
>> but it wasn't until I began using Linux as my primary OS that I
>> converted my TMG database and Gramps became my primary genealogy
>> software.
>
> This is very interesting to me. I used a couple of versions of FTM for the
> first few years of
> my genealogy research. I found it OK but after reading about other programs,
> includind
> Legacy and TMG I decided to make a switch about four years ago. I went with
> TMG and
> one of the deciding factors was that I was able to import my FTM database,
> including
> most or all of the exhibits (pictures or other images, such as jpgs of
> census records.

Yes, TMG was closed source, but they did have a handy GenBridge
program that was good (thought not perfect!) at importing data from
other software using a standard other then Gedcom. I could be wrong,
but I think that with TMG's demise (two days from now!), they may have
even opened the source code on GenBridge? Not sure....

> I haven't been very active in research lately but through a local TMG user
> group of a couple
> of handfuls of people I learned in a recent email of the discontinuance of
> TMG. The developer
> is dealing with health issues associated with age...aren't we all? So as a
> Linux user myself I am
> thinking now is the time to move to GRAMPS. Once again the ability to
> convert my TMG data
> and import it into GRAMPS is key.

Well, therein lies the trick. TMG is closed source so it is difficult
to get every single scrap of data out of it safely. There is a handy
little app that someone made called tmg2gramps that does the trick.
You can read about it here:

https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php?title=Import_from_another_genealogy_program#tmg2gramps

I'm not going to pretend that it's easy, but it's not as bad as all of
the wordy text on that Wiki makes it sound. And most importantly, it
rescued all of my data from TMG.

Of course if you don't have a lot of extremely detailed specific
information, a Gedcom export from TMG might suit your needs....

> I was using FTM in Linux via WINE and that worked pretty well. When I went
> to TMG I found
> WINE could not handle TMG so I went with a virtual Windows installation
> using open source
> Oracle Virtual Box.

Yes, I went that route too. I used VirtualBox on Linux Ubuntu for the
past few years and had TMG installed on there, but it felt so
cumbersome. The death of Windows XP is what really motivated me to go
native and ditch TMG completely in favor of Gramps.

> That worked OK but I've recently installed a second hard
> drive in place
> of my CD/DVD drive. So when I want to use TMG I do it in a native
> installation of Windows 7.

That is of course an option... but with TMG dying in two days, I think
you can do better!

> Moving to GRAMPS will make it so I will have very little need for Windows.
> The only program
> I can think of that will require Windows is my tax preparation
> program...once a year. :-)

And for that, I have my accountant! I am now completely rid of Windows
once and for all! Definitely give Gramps a try, and I highly recommend
their mailing lists here if you need help with anything:

https://gramps-project.org/contact/

Good luck! And all the best,

Peter