> > Gedcom is a standard file format for exchanging information between genealogy > programs. The acronym gedcom stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunications. The > Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints > (LDS Church) developed the gedcom standard. > You can use gedcom to transfer information into Family Tree Maker from another > genealogy program that supports gedcom and vice versa. By importing or > exporting gedcom files, you avoid retyping information. > So, in other words, you would have to have a program to open it in. > There are several shareware genealogy programs that you could download like > Brother's Keeper. This supports gedcom. I could upload Brother's Keeper to > you, if you want me to. THEN I could send you any genealogy information to you > via of gedcom and you would not have to type anything. Just open it up into > the genealogy program you have. >You can see how a person > could save hundreds of hours this way. That is the purpose of gedcom. No > chance of making a typing error also as long as the information was typed in > right the first time. Makes a complete copy of the whole works that will open > up on anybody's computer (that has a genealogy program that supports gedcom, > and most of them do).