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Guide to Online Searching for Genealogical Software

by George W. Archer (garcher@wdn.com)
Author of "Archer's Directories of Genealogical Software and Utilities"

Are you searching for a specific genealogy program? An add-on to your existing program? Totally baffled by what's out there and want to find out who's got what and what they think of their favorite program? Here is a quick-and-dirty guide to answering those questions with some real-time links to the resources to get you the information or the programs you are looking for. Consider this as one-stop shopping for genealogical software of all kinds, freeware, shareware and commercial software.

Consider first what you are looking for:

• what platform (DOS/Windows/Other Operating Systems)?
• a full featured genealogy program or a utility?
• do you know what they are looking for or want advice or listings?
• do you prefer web-based downloads or ftp?

With these options in mind here is the search strategy I suggest for searching

• Use one of the critique or listing sites to identify the program with the features you want (Listed under 4. below)
• Search for the specific name of a program (if its URL/site was not given in the review or listings).  Although general-purpose search engines can be used, I recommend the use of Internet file mirrors.  These are very fast and list deeply buried files, including genealogy software programs.  Here are two:
  www.alltheweb.com and www.Google.com.  
  Plug in the name of the program or category (keyword, e.g. Genealogy) you are looking for. It is extraordinary what a "mirror" of Internet can find in seconds. It is NOT a search engine; it is a mirror image of the Internet that is searchable using one interface. The sites it finds often will be loaded with other similar programs. They can find even the most obscure genealogy software programs anywhere on the Net.

• As a last resort, search the ftp sites, especially for old DOS/MAC or add-on utility programs, that search engines may not find. Usually the more powerful search engines will point to an ftp site and a specifically named program making manual search of online file indexes unnecessary.

Here are four categories of sites followed by some selective URLs under each category

1. ftp downloadable
2. http downloadable (including portals that link to specific programs)
3. Critical reviews by users
4. Comprehensive lists of all genealogy programs (not including utilities, some with hotlinks)

Use category 1. and 2. sites if you know the name and version of the program you are looking for.

Category 3. items often are more a subjective commentary than a knowledgeable review.  The quantity of comments usually reflects market share more than how "good" the program is for the searcher's needs.

Category 4 items are either text files or hot links to specific programs.

Sites by category

1.   ftp.cac.psu.edu/genealogy

2 & 3.  http://www.lkessler.com/gplinks.shtml
LOUIS KESSLER'S GENEALOGICAL PROGRAM LINKS Probably the best portal around to anything that deals with genealogical software.

2.    http://www.cyndislist.com/software.htm
Many domestic and foreign commercial or shareware programs with hot links. Not comprehensive, but a sizeable list.

2.    Genealogical Resources on Internet - software sites
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/software.html
Some useful links but somewhat out of date. You might have to tinker with the URLs and look for newer links. Still useful.

2. and 3. Genealogy Software Springboard - Home Page
http://www.gensoftsb.com/resources/free-resources/the-genealogy-home-page/
Good list of current programs and more obscure ones plus utilities. Some user comments on some programs.

2 and 3.     S & N - a commercial software vendor in the U.K.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Genealogy_Supplies
There is a link to a chart of the major genealogy software comparing features, slightly dated but useful.

2.    General software vendors with links to genealogy software. Check this if you are looking for very recent genealogy software that may not yet be on shareware sites or search engines. Type in "genealogy" for the category and search all downloadable Operating System file areas.
http://download.cnet.com

4.    All Known Genealogy Software Programs in the World by George Archer (garcher@bix.com)
http://wdn.com/~garcher/allgen.zip

List of all genealogy software (not utilities), version number, authors and sites where it can be downloaded. Updated frequently. Over 400 genealogy programs supporting many foreign languages and all operating systems. User must download and "unzip" this text file, using PKUNZIP, WinZip, or other decompression utility.

Rather than cruise the Net looking for what is available, download this file, review it offline and then visit the sites directly bypassing commercial software search engines and portals.

Also check http://wdn.com/~garcher/index at this site for other files, including a list of computer interest groups worldwide, and older guides to genealogical software and utilities.

4.    Bill Mumford's Genealogical Software Report Card
http://www.mumford.ca/reportcard/

Bill Mumford reviews genealogy software for the National Genealogical Society's "Digest." This site has a "report card" on the genealogy.com products: FTM 7, UFT, Family Origins, Family Tree Creator and Family Tree Detective and on Millennia Corp's Legacy Family Tree. Analysis of more programs will follow as they are reviewed for the "Digest." The numerical ratings are based on a "score card" that weights features common to all or some of the programs and produces a numerical score for each program within classes: beginner, intermediate, advanced. This is the most objective analysis of genealogy software anywhere in an attempt to answer the question "What is the best genealogy program?"