Re: [Gramps-users] Some questions

[Martin C. <cas...@ea...>]

Paul Clarke wrote:

> 4.   I have been doing Genealogy for over 25 years and have used four 
> different programs, two of which went belly up.  If I move over to 
> Gramps, which would a very large task, is there any guarrentee that 
> Gramps will continue to be supported for the long term.
> 
> I would love to use Gramps and get rid of my last Windows program and 
> would like to get involved in its development, as far as I can, if I 
> move over.
> 

Paul, I know exactly what you are talking about.  My genealogy data is 
on a win-only program right now, and I've had to convert it three times, 
a most unpleasant process.  I want to convert to Gramps, and I will, but 
I approach this with extreme caution.

I've been playing with Gramps for a while now, checking in to see how it 
was going now and then.  Then I noticed that it was getting "almost 
there", but more importantly, at a very respectable rate.  An impressive 
rate, I think.

So I adjusted my attitude.  If I want a decent linux genealogy program 
I'm going to have to dive in and help build it.  That takes a bit of a 
mind-set change: you can actually report bugs and request features and 
they will be heard.  Any luck with that with your other programs?

Gramps needs work, and lots of it.  It's also a hugely complex 
programming project.  The trick here is to break it down to a tiny piece 
that you can digest, and after learning that tiny piece, learn something 
else.  I started by looking at a plugin report that had a serious flaw, 
and learned enough to correct it.  It wasn't a biggie, more cosmetic. 
The point is that I've started.  Then I downloaded the source. And it 
was very, very, rewarding when I realized I can not only control my 
research, my data, and my citations, I can also control the program's 
behavior.  That adds a whole new dimension to the genealogy game.

Success of Gramps depends a lot more on you and me than "them".  A 
refreshing change.....


-- 
Marty Cassidy
Seattle, WA  USA