Why Gedcoms - advice please

[Geoffers]

Her system works like a library and she enjoys being librarian!

A family history programme can work in a similar fashion. If she likes that sort of thing, she may enjoy entering the data into a designed programme.

Tell her she is enjoying herself and we all have complaints?

To each their own...........If it works for her, fine - it's just nice to have a moan every now and again.

Tell her that a program migh exist to help her but that would "take away her fun"?

It wouldn't necessarily take away the fun, it depends on how she regards the idea of organising and entering data into a programme.

Do some of you use no FH software at all?

I make very limited use of a couple of programmes. The majority of my research is on a card index and in Excel spreadsheets. There is no absolute need to use a designed programme. If what she has works, then stick with it..............but please, p-l-e-a-s-e tell me that she has a back-up of all this precious information.

[esdel]

Some serious pruning needs doing then.

Sounds to me as if the removal of some of the '80 "copies of the same chapters"' , and a bit of tweaking would go a long way to solving your friend's problem, as her system has worked so far.
Pam

Yes and I see that you too can make such as system work!
I find myself Excel is GREAT and a lot less confusing.
Maybe it is a question of two types of people:-
Those of independent spirit understand their OWN scheme far the best: they actually hate the "oh so clever programs" that do a million and one things depending which button you (accidentally!) push!
The great majority, as showm by Bill Gates's sales, like "to be helped" and don't seem to mind a lot of trial by error!

I think if I were her I'd get a large key ring and attach 20 1 Gb LABELLED "thumb drives" to it, one for each "book" in her system. It stands or falls on the choice of the labels!
Many thanks for your interesting views, Pam
esdel

[MarkJ]

I think if I were her I'd get a large key ring and attach 20 1 Gb LABELLED "thumb drives" to it, one for each "book" in her system.

You would need a lot more than that - for starters, each "1Gb" drive will only be around 980Mb (allowing for formatting data plus the somewhat sly trick of describing 1GB as 1000Mb rather than 1024Mb and so on down the line). Then at least a backup of each drive - thumb drives/USB sticks or whatever you call them will fail at some point - and, unlike a hard drive in most cases - they fail without any warning as a rule.

If someone is happy with their particular way of doing things then that is great. I would never ask someone to change to my system or use the same programs as me if they had their own system. The only thing I would say to anyone - regardless of how they store the data - is to ensure it is safe.
So if stored manually, then copies kept somewhere else, preferably in some sort of fireproof box. If on a computer, then regular backups, again ideally kept "off site" - either stored on another computer elsewhere or as disks - but again, at least one backup should be away from the location of the main data.

Mark

[esdel]

Yes everyone I totally agree about backups!
I ASSUME her backups can be "compacted" into LESS than another 10 GB, let's hope so anyway.
They certainly could if she were to use Legacy software.
And put her backup cd library in a cupbord in a friend's house or in a bank vault!

Your idea about pictures is very valuable as I THINK she stores everything "as is" without regard to compact image formats.
I think her "books" have names like "Esdel" and great "Aunt Maria"!
In THAT case it is so INTERESTING that to hell with what I might have twice over - Aunt Maria is NOT Esdel (even it their data is the same here and there!)
I find it great to realise that one way is NOT "the best" way!
But then I always was a rebel.
esdel

[JAP1]

...
Output from programs is mere "computer listings"

I have found her "stories" always exceedingly helpful, reliable AND interesting .. l

To generalise and say that output from programs is mere "computer listings" is not true! Not true!

I can produce narratives from my program (which happens to be TMG and is not for everyone) which can, if I wish, include all my "stories".

GEDCOMs are quite another matter and, as has been said repeatedly, are nothing more than a mechanism for transferring information (usually very basic information indeed) from data which has been inputted (what a word!) into one program across from that program to another program.

My program is a bit more sophisticated in that it can accept more than basic GEDCOM info from other programs - but I don't think that's relevant to your inquiry.

As for having several copies of the same information. Well, that's another matter.
I, for one, keep everything in my one and only database (otherwise there's far too much possibility of error, uneven updating, etc, etc - in my view).
Other people choose to have several databases ("trees").

All in all, there's no best way.

Who would dare to tell you which car you should buy.
Or even whether you should buy a car or have a motorbike, or a motorised scooter, or a pedal bike or scooter, or even walk ...

All the best,

JAP
PS: If your friend is worried about having so many duplicate chapters, perhaps she needs some explanation on how a database works?

[esdel]

GEDCOMs are quite another matter and, as has been said repeatedly, are nothing more than a mechanism for transferring information from data which has been inputted (what a word!) into one program across from that program to another program.

Jap I agree with all you say but ESPECIALLY "inputting"!
Reminds me of all the arguments I have with my patent man about "inputting into".
He said rather crossly "What would you say then!" so I suggested "put in".
Data is put in now, not inputted into the system at the present time!
esdel

[JAP1]

esdel,

My 50-year-old 2 vol SOED (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary) has "input" as a verb and says that it derives from Middle English.

So, while the verb 'to input' is clumsy to my eyes (also derivatives like inputted, inputting), I guess we'd better not complain that it is a neologism!

Cheers,

JAP