============================================================= There is a good bit of material of general interest in this issue of Rootsweb Review, so I am forwarding it to the Strong Mail List, abridged to reduce the size of the message. Discussed are the recent woes at Rootsweb, upgraded hardware, and some tips on how to preserve your genealogical data for posterity. This last mentioned discussion hits "close to home" for me, as it should for all of the Senior Citizens who subscribe to the Strong Mail List. Ultimate Family Tree, by Palladium Interactive, is an official sponsor of the Rootsweb Genealogical Data Cooperative, so each issue of RootsWeb Review contains an article endorsing their products. Other genealogical database software programs that will create GEDCOM to HTML pages are the current versions of Family Tree Maker for Windows and Family Origins for Windows. I recommend "test driving" each of these program before making a choice. "BoB T." Strong Co-Manager, Strong Mail List, for September, 1998 119 Mystic Way Madison, AL 35757-8801 ================================================================ X-From_: [email protected] Thu Sep 17 01:59:02 1998 From: [email protected] (MS JULIA M CASE) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 00:44:32, -0500 Old-To: [email protected] Subject: RootsWeb Review, Vol. 1, No. 14 =============================================================== ROOTSWEB REVIEW: Genealogical Data Cooperative Weekly News Vol. 1, No. 14, 16 September 1998; Circulation: 210,000+ Copyright (c) 1998 RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG <[email protected]> * * * * * CONTENTS: News and Notes from RootsWeb; Census Project Uploads to the USGenWeb Archives; Now What Do I Do with All This Stuff?; Connecting through RootsWeb; Mailing Lists; Web Sites; Painless Family History Publishing; Humor; Reprint Policy; Author Guidelines; Unsubscribe Instructions * * * * * NEWS AND NOTES FROM ROOTSWEB THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS (by Ellen Seebacher and Tim Pierce). On Saturday, we lost lists.rootsweb.com -- one of RootsWeb's two main mailing list servers -- when it was penetrated by a cracker. We were cracked through the inattentiveness of a user with privileged access to the machine, and will be more careful about granting direct access to RootsWeb servers in future. There is no sensitive or private data on this machine, only mailing list archives, so no one's privacy was compromised. However, the individual who entered the system wiped out two directories essential to running the machine ("/etc" and "/var/log"), which meant that to make the machine usable again we'd need to reinstall part of it from scratch. Brian Leverich worked through the weekend to rebuild the server and reinstall the operating system, but the process did not go smoothly; mysterious hardware troubles kept cropping up. While wrestling with these problems he decided to use the "down time" to good advantage by replacing the old machine, a Pentium Pro 200 with slow 60-nanosecond EDO memory, with a Pentium II 400 with fast 6-nanosecond SDRAM memory, estimated to improve performance by a factor of 2-6. Dr. Leverich assembled the new server over Saturday night and Sunday. On Monday, Tim Pierce and Randy Winch went over the operating system painstakingly, file by file, to ensure that the intruder left behind no back doors or Trojan horses. On Monday night, Tim and Karen Isaacson rebuilt the missing /etc directory, from memory and a little detective work. By late Monday night, the new server had begun processing the backlogged mail that had accumulated over the weekend. Fortunately, the extra work on the new server paid off: the megabytes of backed-up mail that would have taken the old machine days to process were finished off by the new system in about 12 hours. So although our down time was about a day and a half longer than we expected, the result is a RootsWeb that's faster, more efficient and better equipped to serve the needs of Internet genealogists. Thanks to all for your patience while we recovered from this disaster. We are especially grateful to RootsWeb's Members, Sponsors, Donors, and Patrons, who have collectively made it possible for us not only to repair the crippled operating system, but also to increase the server's capacity so everyone benefits. ROOTSWEB ON TV? (by Karen Isaacson). As if there weren't enough else going on here this week, we also had a TV crew at our house on Monday, filming for a program about genealogy online. They were here from about 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and filmed on our deck (they loved the trees and mountains, though the noisy birds annoyed the woman in charge of sound), in our living room, and upstairs in the computer room. They even have footage of Brian with his hands in the guts of a server, as he worked to get lists.rootsweb.com back online. Totally ignoring helpful advice from one of the editors of this tome ("Put Vaseline on your teeth, don't wear plaid..."), we responded to a series of questions like, "Is information on the Web reliable?" and "Are there mailing lists besides ROOTS-L?" Brian did pretty well, but I freeze in this sort of situation, so they got a lot of footage of me going, "Um...." ROOTS-L is the only mailing list, right? Anyhow, Cyndi Howells flew down for the day, and gave a lovely interview and set them straight, so no harm done. The program is to be aired in about six weeks. We'll post the details about when and where once we have them. TODAY'S ADVENTURES AT ROOTSWEB (by Dr. Leverich). Many folks may have noticed that the main Web server for IIGS, RootsWeb, USGenWeb, and WorldGenWeb was down for about two hours this Wednesday morning. The reason was that we were physically moving the server from its old home at DataCourse.com (where it was filling two T1s) to Lightspeed.net (where it has access to a T3 (28xT1) connection to the Internet). That gives us plenty of bandwidth and allows us to continue adding new services for genealogists. There were no casualties excepting a few innocent bystanders who bruised themselves rolling on the sidewalk laughing at the sight of the middle-aged and pudgy Leverich sprinting wobbly but rapidly through downtown Bakersfield, while juggling a 70-pound server and dozens of cables and accessories. ROOTSWEB HELPDESK. For answers to your questions about RootsWeb, visit the HelpDesk at: <http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~help/index.htm> WANT TO JOIN THE COOPERATIVE? For membership details, please visit: <http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html> * * * * * NOW WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL OF THIS STUFF? by Edward Henry Gaulin (Sr.) <[email protected]> A message on the Internet caught my eye the other day and I can't get it out of my mind. A West Coast genealogist had been exchanging information with a researcher in Virginia for some time. Then it happened. Her last message bounced -- it couldn't be delivered as the address no longer existed. Fortunately she had received a number of family group sheets from her correspondent which listed a telephone number. When she called the number a man answered, so she asked for her Internet friend and, after a slight hesitation was told, "Oh, Mary Ann passed away three weeks ago." Shocked, but ever gracious, she expressed her sympathy and commented how close this long-distance relationship had become and how it will be missed by her. The husband explained that he was sorry that he couldn't be of any help because he really didn't know much about what his wife was doing with her genealogy. Perhaps you too have noticed at genealogical gatherings that the average age of the participants is something in excess of 39 years, at least judging by hair color. Most of us really don't have a lot of time to devote to our hobby until after the kids are grown, out of school and we've retired. Then it is no longer a hobby, it becomes an obsession. At some point in our continuous search for dead people, our ancestors, we recognize our own mortality and start to think about a permanent home for our research. If our children or grandchildren appear to be interested, we have it made, but frequently that's not the case. Then what happens to our "stuff"? Genealogists are usually pretty smart people, until it comes to providing for the distribution of their genealogical assets. The latter, in my case anyway, is a room full of books, journals, magazines, pamphlets, maps, photographs, brochures, newsletters, computer equipment and furniture (desk, chairs, file cabinets, tables, lamps, etc.). The files are loaded with folders bearing family and town names, historic events, and a bunch labeled "MISC." There are miles of computer printouts, hundreds of photocopies, and many "original" vital records. My desk is usually loaded with correspondence awaiting an answer -- either mine or from someone else. What should my wife do with all this stuff when I make the ultimate research trip -- a personal meeting with my ancestors? Some of our brighter colleagues say "My college library is getting all my stuff" or it's going to the local public library or to the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City or even to the Library of Congress. Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but unless you are a celebrity or a huge financial donor, these institutions probably won't want your material -- they just don't have room for it. They would be grateful for a copy of your book, but they might not want the manuscript or research notes. The FHL would appreciate a GEDCOM disk of your genealogy database files, but it doesn't want your paper pedigree charts or family group sheets. So what are your spouse and children to do with all of your stuff? They could really do a couple of dumb things with it if you don't provide guidance to them while you still can. It could be placed in the weekly trash collection and don't say "They wouldn't do that" because it unfortunately happens all the time. How about a garage sale? Now that is really scary, but it also happens every day. Remember all those old photos and tintypes you have seen in flea markets? How about all those bargain genealogy books you bought because you got to that garage sale before the dealers did? They all had to come from someplace. What should you do to insure the sane distribution of your genealogical assets? Perhaps the first thing is to make a record of what you have and then try to keep it current. Show the acquisition date and how much you paid for each item on the inventory sheets. This is especially helpful for artifacts, collections, and books. A photographic record of these items, including those of rare books, could also be useful. Microfilm, microfiche and complete photocopies of books and some records have value. Back issues of many journals, newsletters, and magazines are also in demand by genealogists and therefore have value. However, if you don't tell them what is valuable, your heirs probably won't know. Now that you have identified your assets, you need to tell someone what you want done with them. Maybe the simplest way is to prepare a letter to your heirs, but remember this lacks the force of law. If they want to, they can toss everything in the trash. A better way to provide for the distribution is in your will, particularly if you also designate sufficient funds to carry out your wishes. Your Last Will and Testament is also where you may make specific bequests: your copy of the 1898 edition of Burke's Peerage to your FGS Conference roommate or your old roll-top desk to your newest granddaughter. Your wishes can now be enforced by the courts, if necessary. If you still want to have any of your assets given to your alma mater or a local library or anywhere else, personally contact that agency and discuss the possibility -- right now. It won't come as a surprise to them and they should be able to advise you immediately of any conditions of acceptance. If you can support those conditions, ask for a written acknowledgment that can be placed with your will. Some other things that you can do right now are to distribute copies of your research among your family, friends, and, perhaps, local or national libraries. This is simple if you have progressed to the book-writing stage, but don't be too concerned if you haven't. Many genealogists assemble their pedigree charts, group sheets, pertinent vital records, selected family photographs, and other important documents in notebook form. They write a brief introduction, provide a table of contents, and sometimes an index before having copies made for distribution. Afterwards, the notebook can be kept current with a new year's letter which might include new charts and photos. Computerized genealogical data can be distributed in the same way on diskette. Sometimes an envelope or jacket is provided in the notebook described above to house data disks. Another way some researchers try to insure the safeguarding of their electronic data is to submit it to the LDS Ancestral File (tm) or one or more of the other commercial collections. If you don't know how to do this, consult your local genealogical society or Family History Center or even the public library for instructions. Another thing you can do right now to benefit your heirs is to clean up your files. Eliminate unnecessary correspondence and duplicate copies of records. Toss out all those old printouts you made in 1984 on your Apple IIe computer. Sell all the "Genealogical Helper" magazines you have saved since 1973, because you will never open one of them again and you know it. If you get 50 cents each for them you can have a pretty good dinner. Give away all that old computer software that is taking up room on your bookshelves -- it's probably not worth anything anyway. Label your photographs, and diskettes too. I find it a bit morbid, but you may wish to write your epitaph and select your tombstone now to insure future researchers will not encounter some of the same problems that you've had. If you decide to follow some of these suggestions, when you do eventually meet your ancestors they may thank you for perpetuating their memory. They may also show you where you made some of your mistakes and be able to fill in a few of the blank spaces in your previous research. Remember, do it now; there may be no tomorrow. * * * * * For an index to most user mailing lists hosted by RootsWeb, visit <http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist/>. (PLEASE NOTE: Although all of the new mailing lists mentioned in RootsWeb Review are "live," it might be a few days before they appear on the ~maillist site.) * * * * * PAINLESS FAMILY HISTORY PUBLISHING by Rhonda McClure <[email protected]> The Internet brings a boon to genealogists in the form of an easy way to publish your family history. Internet Web pages, also often referred to as home pages, are an easy alternative for genealogists to the more traditional publishing avenues. However, unless you wish to become versed in the art of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), the backbone of Web pages, you probably are more frustrated by the prospect of posting your family history on the Web than you are about publishing it in a book. In May, 1996, Palladium Interactive offered genealogists an answer to this frustration with its genealogy software, Family Gathering. Built into the program is the ability to create an Instant Web Page. With the click of a mouse and some simple choices made, Family Gathering creates the necessary files that became your family history Web page. And Family Gathering took this one step further by automating the uploading of these files to the Palladium Web site. Now you no longer needed to know how to upload files to a server, which carried its own jargon such as FTP, TAR and other cryptic acronyms. Today, Ultimate Family Tree carries on this tradition. In fact it has an ever-growing area on its Web site <http://www.uftree.com> that displays these family history Web pages. * * * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW is e-mailed on Wednesdays to all RootsWeb Members, subscribers to RootsWeb-hosted mailing lists, submitters to the RootsWeb Surname List (RSL), and other RootsWeb users. DOWNLOAD BACK ISSUES FROM <ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review>. PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; (2) full credit is given to RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative and the author involved, in a notice crediting RootsWeb Review (volume, number, publication date, and the address of RootsWeb's main Web page at <http://www.rootsweb.com>) and the author (name, e-mail address, and URL, if applicable). AUTHORS MUST ADVISE THE EDITORS AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION OF AN ARTICLE for consideration for publication in ROOTSWEB REVIEW if their special permission to reprint is required. ____ Julia M. Case, Co-editor of "Missing Links" and "RootsWeb Review" <[email protected]> <[email protected]> To subscribe, put ONLY the word "subscribe" (omit quotation marks) in subject and body of message and e-mail to the address(es) above. RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 <http://www.rootsweb.com> ===================================================================