My genealogist parents can use Linux now

Having worked with genealogy for about 25 years, when I switched from Windows to Linux, around three years ago, I was also concerned about my genealogy work. I found GRAMPS for genealogy to be as good or better than most of the Windows-only genealogy applications I had used.

Just about every Windows genealogy application I've used has the capability of converting a genealogy file to "Gedcom" format. That's necessary for when genealogists share files with other genealogists and places maintaining copies and records.

GRAMPS will quickly import any GEDCOM file and convert it to the GRAMPS format...which works great. I've not encountered any real problems and I have family records in that file back as far as the late 1500's. GRAMPS does just about anything any Windows genealogy application does and isn't difficult to learn. Most of all, GRAMPS is a Linux application, thus eliminating the need to run a Windows application using WINE.

Just a thought.

I used gramps for a while for genealogy but it started forgetting how the names where all tied together. When you have several thousand names, that becomes way beyond frustrating. My wife works for Ancestry.com so she took all of the backed up gedcoms we had and imported them into their online program and has been using that since.

Though it has been almost a year since I tried gramps, perhaps we should try again.

I would suggest that you might give GRAMPS a try with a newer version. There have been quite a few changes and before long, there is supposed to be a major new release...so might be worth waiting for that, as well. I've not experienced the issue you mention, but hopefully it was or will be resolved. GRAMPS has been quite good for me. Prior to that, I had used Family Tree Maker, when I ran Windows and was fairly satisfied with that.

I really like the way GRAMPS works, and it has a lot of really neat features. I'll have to give it a try again and see how it does.