or “Let's move our databases to the cloud.”
For years, tens of thousands of genealogists have kept their databases on personal computers. Each database has been an island; these local databases don't communicate with any other databases. To be sure, an invention called GEDCOM does allow for copying data from one database to another, albeit with some difficulties, but for most genealogists that is a one-time operation. Very few of us use databases that communicate back and forth continuously, and very few of us use central databases as our primary record keeping tool.
In this island mode, I may have data in my computer that partially overlaps data in your computer. Perhaps you have data that I need or vice versa. Yet most of today's genealogy programs do not allow us to easily share our research efforts. Several people duplicating the exact same records is a waste of resources, time, and money. Why not work together in a collaborative environment?
Another issue is the maintenance of genealogy software in your computer. If you purchased a genealogy program last year, why should you need to purchase its upgrade this year? Why do you have to install each upgrade? Shouldn't the upgrades be issued and installed automatically, such as a subscription service?
Indeed, the old-fashioned methods that most of us have been using are now going the way of buggy whips.
I suspect that, in a few years, very few of us will use the “old fashioned” databases that are isolated on the hard drives of our personal computers. In fact, I think the next few years are going to be exciting times for genealogy software companies.
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