Gramps

I started using GRAMPS about 5 years ago. Every now and then a evaluate other genealogy software but so far I always returned to GRAMPS. What I like about the software is its flexibility and features, especially the management of sources and places. When you start using GRAMPS it has a rather steep learning curve. But once you have developed an understanding where you store things like places, sources, repositories, etc. within GRAMPS the entry of data is very efficient. Though, I have to admit the UI is not the prettiest one in the market of genealogy software, GRAMPS does its job of handling even huge databases of ancestors. A wiki system is available as a documentation and help systems. There you will find even "How-tos" of the main work-flows within GRAMPS. There is no single manual. So, one has to be prepared to spend some time looking for the appropriate information. What makes it even worse is the fact that currently 2 major releases (3.x and 4.x) are maintained in parallel. Thus, one have to figure out whether the help given in the wiki applies to the release you are using. So, IMHO the documentation needs a radical brush-up and update which will help especially beginners in getting to know the software. One the other hand, there is an active community of users and developers answering questions within hours. So, if you expect a comprehensive manual you will be disappointed.

I have found this to be a very useful package in researching my family tree. However, there are several areas that could be improved. I had just got used to using the old Census gramplet, but now I find the new new method of entering Census data confusing and difficult to follow. The whole documentation needs a thorough update (in my opinion) - it just hasn't kept in line with the numerous changes. The second major gripe is that Windows is treated like a poor orphan. Releases are lagging behind - whilst minority platforms such as Unix and Mac always seem to be up to date. One thing I am pleased about is that Windows 10 is supported but there are occasional crashes. So in summary this is a good package (particularly as it is all open source and free) but could be so much better.

Lots of potential however the program crashes (in windows 7) every hour and now the windows-controls have disappeared and the window cannot be resized. I applied for bug account but never received the verification (20 hours and waiting). The interface is confusing and many simple features are missing like a middle name field. adding parents is a tedious task.