Genealogy Software for MAC

My friend has a MAC and is looking for software so she can computerize her
genealogy data. Can someone recommend a MAC program as I am unfamiliar with
things Apple?

Tristram Shandy...

I like Reunion a lot. My wife used to use PAF but it seemed to be primitive
in comparison (my apologies to any PAF fans here).

I especially like Reunion's charting, maybe because I am somewhat spatial
in relating to some things. Reunion's charts are excellent and can be
modified manually after they've been generated. I think it's very cool
that you can do a control-click on a person on the chart and be taken
to that person's card in the database. It allows me to visualize
relationships, get an overview, then select which branch I want to work
on next.

From a web point of view, I don't think Reunion's output is very attractive
but it does work.

The web output for Gene looks interesting but the web site implies that
Gene can't run under OS X but runs on the Mac "Classic" emulation.
The site hasn't been updated since 2003. That also concerns me.
OS 10 has been around for over 4 years. I think an update for Gene
is long overdue, by at least a couple of years.

My recommendation is Reunion. The web location has already been
posted. Take a tour of the features and sample output there.

- Tris

smcmurt...

I have been using GENE for years and I find it excellent. It draws
family trees exactly the way I like them.

However, it cannot be used on the new Intel chip Macs. I have my
fingers crossed that David and Diana Eppstein will rewrite it for

Barbarossa...

Barbarossa:

Are you sure that that is the case? Even though 'Gene' has
not been rewritten as a "Universal Binary" it should be handled
by the 'Rosetta' translator included in OS-X.

The ubiquitous Micro$oft 'Office' and Adobe 'Creative Suite'
will not be Universal Binaries until next spring, but they are
handled by Rosetta on MacIntels in the meantime.

Applications written specifically for the PowerPC processor

Hugh Watkins...

entering larger quantities of data on a tiny card with small print

Tristram Shandy...

Hugh,

I understand fully. I've increased font sizes in applications, pushed the
monitor further back, and I'm always trying to find the right angle for my
progressive lenses.

Given Reunion's family card feature of having the spousesside-by-side,
I'm not sure larger fonts choices is viable - I expect it would require a
widescreen monitor or cinema display to see it all - but I admit it would
be worthwhile putting larger fonts on a wish list with the author. There
may be a way to implement it.

FTM 16 is much kinder on my old eyes

when you examine a chart or report in FTM you can use it to navigate by
selecting or double clicking

Reunion calls external "help" programmes
it just seemed primitive in comparison with FTM 2006

Tristram Shandy...

Reunion's help files work very well.

with WinXP Sp 2 on Parallels on MacOS 10.4.7 on dual core intel

Michael P. Thompson...

But that's not Macintosh. It's Windows. Not all of us have a dual core
machine, or are likely to in the near future. Wintel users have been telling
us for years to just buy their machines instead of those we prefer. Now you
give us the same answer, buy a new computer. Not much of an answer for most
of us.

The external Help program is a Macintosh standard. It avoids bloating the
main program with help files. It runs quite fast and works well for many
Macintosh programs.

I've looked into FTM many times, but it's just not available for Mac and I
never get a straight answer to whether it will be or not. In fact, I keep
getting e-mails advising me to buy it, even though it won't work on my
machine and I've advised them of this many times and requested a Mac
version.

Steve W. Jackson...

FTM for the Macintosh was discontinued ages ago. Anyone who's dancing
around your question as to whether there'll ever be another one should
be ashamed of themselves for lying to you. They have already answered
numerous times that there will not be. It's also been made quite clear
that their priorities don't include Mac users in most any other
respects. They have too much interest in selling their CDs full of
bloated and often stolen/inaccurate information.

I have access to many other useful programs too

Tristram Shandy...

I think Parallels is very cool but, from what I've heard and also read
on the web site, it's still a beta product (meaning there are known
problems and it's not ready for full release - but they're still willing to
take our money). You also need to accept all the security, viral
and instability problems inherent to the MS-Windows environment.
Though it's running on an Intel powered Mac, it's still Windows
running in parallel (hence the name). I know you know that but
I'm not sure others here do - I believe you're quite an expert on
computers.

From my previous experience managing departmental computing
I avoid using beta software unless it solves an urgent problem.
By urgent, I mean something such as keeping the computer or
critical application running.

Hey, I enjoy your web site/blog. Thanks for all the interesting
information.

Hugh Watkins...

no parallels is not beta

and really stable
build 1834 13 June 2006
a beta is also available of the next version

I use it every day

Hugh W

- Tris

David J Grimshaw...

Just a thought concerning the font size, try changing the screen size as
this does effect the font size you see.

Hugh Watkins...

yes I could do that but 17" 1680 x 1050
96dpi is what i use on the lap top

1600 x 1024 76 hz
on the old 19"

with WinXp Sp2 set at 1450 x 852
and when I expand FTM 16 to fill the whole parallels screen
the font auro adjusts and is easy to read

If your screen resolution is set higher than 800 x 600 If possible go to
800 x 600 resolution, this will increase the font size.
Note some programs will not like this however.
This does work on a PC so may work on a MAC.
Hope this is of some help.

Hugh Watkins...

Reunion 8
doed not respond to Apple "+" to increase font size
like a web page or mail program

and does not list all the children in an editable format on the parents page

looking at a Family History report calls iWork whatever thst is

I can make the windows smaller but not bigger

I think Reunion was state oif the art about 2 years ago

not a screen shot but phone cam snap of 2 screens
and with my 28" tv in the baackground

anyway

having a great time in the danish archives

Hugh W

and my online banking works well

Parallels is very new and needs better video card drivers before pc
gamers will like it

but it is wonderful for old mac users returning after 5 or 6 years of
PCs to have a wider choice of applications than ever before

Hugh W

(G4 & G5) such as Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) that
use "vector processing" do take a speed hit of up to 50% when
handled by Rosetta, but I can't see that as anything but trivial
with a genealogy program where the speed is limited by how fast
you can type.

I personally have never used Gene; I use Reunion.

MacOSX.

Hugh Watkins...

what kind of Mac?

I hated Reunion and Heredis
too diffucult for me after years with Family Tree Maker

so on my dual core intel mac
OS 10.4.7
I installed Parallels
after downloading from the web

then an OEM WIN XP sp2 from a cd
AVG ante virus

then Family Tree Maker 16 (was 2006 but got an auto update on the web)

I also use MS IE 6 for online banking
and when Firefox on the Mac could not post to blogger

I used the "PC" window to compleet my blog post there

Hugh W

Jan Lafeber...

This is the web site of Leister Productions,
developer of Reunion, the family tree software for Macintosh:
It's a very great program.

Jan Lafeber
www.lafeber.info

Anne Chambers...

I have used Gene for years

I prefer it to Reunion, the 'standard' Mac genealogy programme.

Anne
South Australia

(no connection, just a satisfied user)