I was sent this message posted in another forum. I liked the explanation, so thought it might be of interest to those here. Ira > From: Sharon McAllister <73372.1745@COMPUSERVE.COM> > To: TNROOTS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > Subject: GEDCOM Standard > Date: Saturday, September 19, 1998 3:28 PM > > I was working with computers back in the sixties, when each computer was a > world unto itself and standards were being established to let them talk to > each other. So I can provide a very basic explanation of something that > appears rather complicated at first glance. > > 1. A standard is just a system of requirements. You can also think of it > as a set of core values. In this case, the standard is GEDCOM. > > 2. A specific application adheres to a standard by including everything > that it requires and excluding anything it forbids. In this case, the > applications are PAF, FTM, BK, etc. > > 3. Enhancements are features the developer of an individual application > has chosen to add -- things neither specifically required nor forbidden by > the standard. > > "Them's the rules!" Quite simple. But in the real world some rules are a > bit vague, customers clamor for more features, developers incorporate new > ideas -- and users are rarely aware of the distinction between what is > standard and what's an enhancement. > > Some contend that enhancements are inherently bad. I disagree. You've > probably heard about the Y2K problem -- all the software that's going to go > BLOOEY at the turn of the century. Back in the 60s, I helped develop our > company's standard solution to the problem. It was easy to implement, > computationally efficient, and set up to require changing only one line of > code when the year 2000 rolled around. The technique was widely used, but > it didn't become the industry standard. Those who followed it are now > reaping the benefits. Those who didn't are now making the news. > > The same situation applies to the world of genealogy software. Although we > have the GEDCOM standard we also have the enhancements that are part of > individual applications. Whether you think it's good or bad, this state is > unlikely to change. So what's the solution? We seem to have two different > ones. > > GEDCOM-oriented people use more than one program. They set up their files > by GEDCOM standards, giving preference to compatibility over > embellishments. Thus, they can easily transfer their data between programs > -- and sometimes they wonder why others are having problems. > > Applications-oriented people master one package [like PAF, FTM, or BK.] > They set up their files to make the best use of the features of that > particular application and pretty much ignore the others. Few learn about > GEDCOM itself, and most are taken by surprise at the first incompatibility > they encounter. > > Either approach works quite well for the individual. Problems crop up when > the user of one application creates a GEDCOM file for the user of another. > Some of the enhancements may be lost. Then the software gets blamed > because it did exactly what it was designed to do rather than what the user > THOUGHT it should do. > > Because I can't see your faces, I don't know how well this explanation has > been understood. So I'm going to resort to an analogy I found helpful back > when I was teaching about the use of standards.... > > Imagine a gift-wrapped present. The gift itself is the important part. > The box, pretty paper, and nice bow make for a pleasing presentation -- but > they'll probably be discarded. So just think of the contents as the > "standards" as the packaging as the "enhancements". Both have valid > roles. > > Sharon McAllister > 73372.1745@compuserve.com > ---------------------------------------------------------- Ira J. Lund Cumberland Family Software, Clarksville, Tennessee, USA Genealogy Software for Beginners and Professionals E-mail: ira.lund@cf-software.com http://www.cf-software.com