From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_50 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,1ebbccbc114d641e X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-10-22 15:44:34 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!washdc3-snh1.gtei.net!chcgil2-snf1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!news.binc.net!kilgallen From: Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Genealogy Software Date: 22 Oct 2001 17:44:21 -0500 Organization: LJK Software Message-ID: References: <3BD498DF.27E8B66C@otelco.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: eisner.encompasserve.org X-Trace: grandcanyon.binc.net 1003790664 6559 192.135.80.34 (22 Oct 2001 22:44:24 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@binc.net NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 22:44:24 +0000 (UTC) Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:15053 Date: 2001-10-22T17:44:21-05:00 List-Id: In article <3BD498DF.27E8B66C@otelco.net>, Larry Hazel writes: > Does anyone know of any genealogy software written in Ada? With source > available? I thought I might attempt to write some. Any suggestions for data > representation will be appreciated. I haven't done much Ada 95, but a lot of > Ada 83. Will need some way to represent dates going back hundreds of years > (maybe just a fixed length string since some of them will be of the form "ca. > 1784"). Will need a person object (maybe abstract with separate child types for > male and female). Will link to other person objects which represent spouses, > children, and probably backward to parents. An event object (marriage, birth, > death, buying or selling property, ...). Bibliographical text will also be > needed. Storage of scanned pictures and documents. > > Maybe this is too complicated for a 1 man home project. It is complicated, but in this problem domain I do not think that means it is better suited to a larger development organization. Discipline is the main requirement, and to some extent that may be better achieved by an individual (who is properly motivated). There are a lot of details to consider: You need to be able to express _multiple_ birth dates, when there are conflicting data from various sources. There must be a capability to tie each data element back to a source document. There must be an ability to specify not only January 11-16, 1896 but also January 11 _or_ 16, 1896 for cases where the source document clearly is one or the other but which of the two is not clear. For marriages, some people marry each other multiple times (that is, the same partners changing their minds). I had a great uncle whose wife died, after which he married her sister. There were children from both marriages. That sort of arrangement formerly was quite common in the US. Obviously you can get that correct in the computer -- the challenge is making the user interface clear to the humans. I would strongly urge you not to consider writing such software until you have tried some that already exists. PAF was only $ 35 the last time I checked, but it really is not necessary to buy such software for a peek. Just find friendly genealogy fans to "show you" their family records and you will get to see the existing software in action. Hang around the genealogy newsgroups/chat boards to learn areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with existing software. The last I knew, GEDCOM was still the standard interface format. It has a real specification, available from the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) in the US. As part of their theology that church has done lots of genealogy work worldwide, and my wife has found they are quite open to sharing that information with any non-believers who are interested. The only hitch is that film must be viewed on their property, since that is a condition of the agreements under which various town clerks let them film the records (before there were computers).