ROOTSMAGIC-USERS-L Archives

Archiver > ROOTSMAGIC-USERS > 2005-02 > 1107617900


From: "Jim Winfrey" <>
Subject: Re: [RMagic] RM and FTM
Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2005 10:38:20 -0500
References: <NFBBJHDJKDCMKDNEMMCAIEGCHOAA.enorton@twcny.rr.com>


Eric,

I wish it was as simple as what you stated. Some of us act as repositories
for groups of researchers and have to be able to import and export gedcoms
to/from several genealogy programs. I use Rootsmagic for all this work
because Bruce understands gedcom and has created the cleanest interface I've
seen. Like Elizabeth said in an earlier post, gedcom is not a static tool.
We, who use it, are forced to learn about and to figure out how to make it
do what we want. The problem I've had with FTM is that RM can handle a FTM
gedcom but FTM can't adequately handle gedcoms from any program I'm aware
of. Evidence of this is that when you export media links via gedcom to FTM,
they are always lost because FTM doesn't recognize links to external data
period.

Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Norton" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2005 8:44 AM
Subject: RE: [RMagic] RM and FTM


> RootsMagic (any Genealogy program) should be used with as little
> interaction
> with GEDCOM files as possible. Exporting only when necessary and in the
> anticipation the recipient is using the same software (like concurrent
> user
> feature within RM). Always backup your database before importing. It is
> not
> an RM issue nor a program issue in general. After having programmed
> against
> many ISO and other standards, I have found the GEDCOM 5.5 standard to be
> anything but standard and possibly second only to the library MARC
> standard
> for utter chaos in design. Like the MARC it was meant to incorporate
> widely
> different users' idiotsyncrasies (not a typo). The GEDCOM has built in
> 'either or' specifications, 'optional' requirements (note the oxymoron),
> tiered relative tags that can be defined at different points within the
> file
> (source notes issue with some programs' exports and RM 1 import). I am
> surprised to find it didn't have specs that varied based on day of the
> week,
> moon phase or stock market fluctuation.
>
> Three additional assessments:
> 1. Stick with the program you are using until you find a wildly better
> program.
> 2. Learn that program as if your life's history depended upon it.
> 3. For me, RootsMagic is that program. (GenSmarts is a great complement to
> RM.)
> (I used FTM 4,7,10 and the thought of 11 being a step backward made me
> start
> hunting.)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wild Bill [mailto:]
> Sent: Friday, February 04, 2005 11:46 PM
> To:
> Subject: Re: [RMagic] RM and FTM
>
>
> They all claim to adhere to the gedcom standard but none do. I think
> it's to keep one captive, so one can't easily switch prrograms.
>
> MScheffler wrote:
>
>> I think Ruth makes a good point in that it is good to stick with one
>>genealogy program rather than attempting to move data back and forth
> between
>>two or more programs through gedcom files. Maybe if all programs adhered
> to
>>the gedcom standard this would be less of a problem.
>>
>
>
> ==== ROOTSMAGIC-USERS Mailing List ====
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>
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