The DAILY genealogy technology newsletter for genealogy
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I have written many times about the wisdom of saving files "in the cloud" on various backup services, such as Mozy, Carbonite, BackBlaze, Amazon S3, CrashPlan, and many other services. At the end of almost every article, someone will post a question asking, "Is it safe? Can I trust the employees at that backup service? Or will they steal my information?"
In almost all cases, the answer is "Yes, it is safe." However, a new program eliminates all doubt.
Calibre is a great FREE e-book library manager, e-book reader and converter all in one. It’s the ideal companion to your Nook or other e-book reader. Books can be categorised manually and searched by author, year or genre. Books in multiple e-book formats are collated and listed as one entry so that you don’t see multiple copies of the same book. Calibre also makes it easy for users to find DRM (Digital Rights Management)-free e-books. Calibre program is cross-platform and runs on Windows, Macintosh and Linux. Also, iPhone users can access Calibre via Stanza.
I described Calibre in an earlier article still available at http://goo.gl/OrQqJ. Now the company that produces Calibre has released an updated version: 0.8.64.
The following announcement was written by Saving Memories Forever:
Combined the SMF iPhone app and SMF website provide a new approach to saving and sharing family history and stories through audio recordings.
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 7, 2012 -- Saving Memories ForeverTM (SMF), has just launched its new iPhone App, Saving Memories Forever. This free application makes it easy to record and share family memories through audio recordings by seamlessly linking to the SMF website, http://www.SavingMemoriesForever.com.
With the official introduction of the iPhone App, the Saving Memories Forever audio system is fully integrated and ready for use.
We all know that backups are important, right? It's not if your hard drive will fail, it's when. Yet we don't all do them regularly because it's a pain in the butt, right?
Well here's a practical solution for Windows users. Pierre Clouthier of Progeny Software has a solution that he uses daily and he has offered it to others. You will need a copy of Nero disk burning software, and MD5 checksum software, such as Advanced CheckSum Verifier. The Windows batch file will perform the entire backup automatically. All you need to do is load a blank DVD every day.
ComputerWorld has published a review of Family Tree Builder genealogy software for Windows. (NOTE: This should not be confused with Family Tree Maker. These are two different programs.)
The free program can be used by itself as a standard genealogy program. However, it works best when used with the MyHeritage.com online site. The site is free for up to 250 family members or 250 megabytes of storage. Family Tree Builder's online service also works with free mobile apps (iPhone, iPad, and Android) to access your data online.
I suspect there are at least a dozen or so programs that will convert PDF files to Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Some of them will also convert PDF spreadsheets to Excel (.xls) files and a few will also convert to still other formats. However, Wondershare PDF Editor Pro is a PDF editor that also converts to all sorts of formats, including: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, HTML, and Text (.txt).
Of course, Wondershare PDF Editor Pro is primarily an editor. With a standard PDF file, you can select the text you want to edit, double-click on a text block, and then you can easily make changes to the original PDF file. You can save the results as PDF or any of the other formats listed.
Andras Koltai is a professional genealogist in Hungary. He is obviously a programmer as well. He has just released an iPhone / iPod / iPad game that plays with Jewish surnames. Andras reports, "It is the classical word search type game, but the words you have to look for are Jewish surnames. It is really funny when play with your ancestors', friends' and neighbors' names."
Papillon Productions has introduced what is believed to be the first genealogy program for Windows Phone cell phones. Relative History allows anyone with a Windows Phone to download GEDCOM files from SkyDrive and to explore the connections between individuals, families and events. Events and links to images, such as scanned certificates or photographs of individuals, are also supported.
I haven't had a chance to use Relative History as I don't have a Windows Phone. However, one review that I read describes the program as "limited." If you download the program and use it, other Windows Mobile owners probably will appreciate your posting comments about it at the end of this article.
Macintosh owners may be interested to know that MacFamilyTree is on sale for a bit more than 50% discount. The program normally sells for $59.99 (US dollars) but is now on sale for $27.99.
Anyone who already owns an earlier version of the program may update to version 6 for $9.99 instead of the normal upgrade price of $24.99.
MobileFamilyTree Pro is a matching program for use on iPhones. It requires MacFamilyTree to already be installed on a Macintosh. MobileFamilyTree Pro is now on sale at $6.99 instead of the normal price of $14.99.
Barnes & Noble has introduced Nook for Web, which lets users access new digital content as well as their previously purchased eBooks on all PC and Mac-supported Web browsers. No sign-in or software download is required for Nook for Web, which is hosted on Barnes and Noble's library sites. Now readers without a Nook eReader can browse, sample, or purchase the millions of titles in Barnes & Noble's range.
Among the useful features of Nook for Web is the ability to switch between reading a book between your Nook tablet and Nook for Web, with the service keeping track of your place in the book.
PAWriter is a popular and free genealogy program for Macintosh. Author Howard Metcalfe has released a new update. The program is now offered in two versions:
PAWriter version 100 (a universal version) will run under OS 10.4 Tiger through 10.7 Lion but NOT under 10.8 Mountain Lion.
PAWriter version 101 (an Intel version only) will run under OS 10.6.6 Snow Leopard through 10.8 Mountain Lion (for which it is code signed).
You should install version 101 if you have an Intel Mac running at least OS 10.6.6; otherwise install version 100. They are functionally equivalent.
I wrote several articles about Windows Home Server several years ago. See http://goo.gl/xeNAE for a list of those articles. Windows Home Server allows you to have a server hidden away in a closet or under a desk somewhere, and it provides a central place for storing backups, sharing media files, and remotely accessing your network.
I always felt that Windows Home Server was one of the better products for serious computer users and I ran the software in my home for more than two years. I know from feedback that several readers of this newsletter also use Windows Home Server. However, there hasn't been much publicity about the product in the past couple of years and Microsoft has now announced it is dropping Windows Home Server.
Synium Software has released version 6.2.14 of the popular genealogy program for Macintosh. Changes from the previous release are minor: the program has been enhanced for Retina displays and several bugfixes and minor user interface improvements have been added.
If you use a number of Adobe products, a new service may appeal to you. Adobe is now offering Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Acrobat X Professional, Adobe Business Catalyst, Adobe Edge, Adobe Muse, Adobe Story Plus, Adobe Typekit, and the Adobe Touch Apps as a cloud-based service for a monthly fee. Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition will also be added soon, allowing you to be able to deliver digital publications to the iPad. Desktop applications included with your monthly membership are available in both Macintosh OS and Windows versions.
I haven't seen this program yet although it does sound interesting. Wintree and GWintree reportedly are GEDCOM-based genealogy programs. They provide facilities to record, view, edit, and merge genealogy data, and to produce genealogy charts, family trees, and reports in a range of formats, including HTML. Charts can show all relatives, ancestors only, or descendants only. HTML charts allow you to click on a person in your HTML report to see where they are on the chart. Automatic matching and merging of genealogy data between files is supported.
The following announcement was written by Millennia Corporation:
Surprise, Arizona, June 21, 2012 - Millennia Corporation, a leader in family history software and genealogy webinars, today announced that its software, Legacy Family Tree, is now available in the French language.
The software, used by beginners and professionals to record, plan, and share their family trees, is now the premier choice for French researchers. Legacy is also available in Afrikaans, Czech, Danish, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and English languages.
The following announcement was written by Heredis, a genealogy software producer based in France. The new software is available in both French and English. Heredis genealogy software has been available for several years but today's release describes an all-new release. Note that today's announcement also briefly mentions a new Windows version to become available on July 4th:
Heredis for Mac is changing genealogy. Using all the latest development technologies, it is based on an environment entirely re-thought from A to Z. Compatible with Mac, PC and iOS platforms, it will communicate with the Heredis Blue Suite. The Heredis Blue Suite is re-inventing genealogy and offers a whole new vision of this science, because all the Heredis programs communicate with each other. It offers a unique range of programs adapted to each genealogy, be it for Mac, for PC or for iOS.
Clooz is (or was) a great program for cataloging all the scraps of information found when researching one's family tree. Late last year, the program was acquired by Joe Bissett of Somerset, Texas. Bissett has plans to re-release Clooz at some point in the future, with updates to templates, reports and other customer requests. The new version reportedly is looking good.
Writing in the Clooz Newsletter #4 at http://goo.gl/YIB9e, Joe has expressed an interest in creating a Spanish version of Clooz and has asked for suggestions and discussion. He writes:
The following announcement was written by Douglas Gordon of GHCS Software:
We would like to announce an exciting and useful new product that is available right now at the Google Play store. It is an extension to GedStar Pro in the form of a home-screen widget.
Place this widget on one of your home screens and it will keep you informed each day of the number of births, deaths, and marriages that occurred in your family tree. This is what it looks like:
If you tap the widget, it brings up the details screen, such as:
I have written many times about using Linux on a desktop computer. (You can see my past articles if you start at http://goo.gl/6ZI2V.) In fact, I prefer Linux. I like it better than Windows or Macintosh. Not only is Linux available free of charge, but it also has better security than either Windows or Macintosh.
Using virtual machine software, I can run Linux simultaneously with both Windows and Macintosh operating systems on the computer I am using at this moment. However, I rarely do so as Linux doesn't have as many applications as does Windows or Macintosh. As much as I like Linux, I end up using the Macintosh operating system much more.
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