Dear Cousins, I thought some of you would find this of interest. Nevada Jack ============================================================ The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 1999 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. ============================================================ - P.A.F. Version 4.0 for Windows - A Free Program Beginning Monday morning June 28, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is offering free downloads of Personal Ancestral File version 4.0. This is a brand new version of one of the most popular genealogy programs in the world. The new version has two major changes from previous versions: (1.) for the first time it is a Windows program, and (2.) it is a free program. Personal Ancestral File version 4.0 will be available to everyone online. Personal Ancestral File has always been known as a "bare bones" genealogy program that does the basics. It has also been famous for its low price. Ten years ago the low-end genealogy programs sold for $50.00 or so while more powerful ones cost $200 and more. In those days, Personal Ancestral File, usually referred to as PAF, sold for $35.00. In 1997 The LDS Church released PAF version 3.0. Software prices had tumbled, and many genealogy programs were selling for $35.00 or less. As a result, the price of PAF 3.0 was dropped to $15.00. Prices of genealogy software have continued to drop further in the past two years, and apparently the LDS Church is reacting by cutting the price still further. Personal Ancestral File has the ultimate bargain price: zero dollars. Another factor is the low- cost distribution method available today: digital downloads. While the capability of downloading digital files has been available for more than 15 years, it has become a lot more popular with the explosion of the World Wide Web. By making the new PAF version 4.0 available on the Web, the LDS Church does not have to pay for CD- ROM disks, packaging, printed manuals, warehouse space, postage, or the labor involved in receiving orders and packing the product into shipping boxes. The other significant change is the choice of Windows. In the June 5, 1999 newsletter I repeated a rumor of a new Windows version. Earlier versions of PAF were available only for MS-DOS and for Macintosh. While the Mac version has always sported a user- friendly, event-driven interface, the MS-DOS version has long looked rather archaic with its menu-driven interface. There are very few MS-DOS programs available in today's marketplace. The switch to Windows seemed inevitable; PAF is the last of the popular genealogy programs to make that switch. Personal Ancestral File version 4.0 requires the following: * Windows 95, 98 or NT * 486/66 processor or faster with a Pentium processor strongly recommended * At least 16 megabytes of memory. The program will run even faster with more memory. * 20 megabytes of hard disk space * A 256-color display adapter supporting 640x480 screen resolution. However, the program is optimized for 800x600 pixels. Obviously, Internet access is required to obtain the program although such access is not required during the program's operation. Personal Ancestral File 4.0 will also be available on CD-ROM for a nominal price in early 2000. The exact price hasn't been announced, but apparently it will be just enough to cover the cost of making the CD-ROM disks, handling and postage. Users will be able to purchase the CD-ROM version from the Church's distribution centers worldwide. The Macintosh version of Personal Ancestral File has not changed for some time and it continues to sell for $35.00. This week's announcement did not mention any changes in the Macintosh version. Version 4.0 of Personal Ancestral File for Windows should be available Monday morning at: http://www.familysearch.org. ============================================================