FAQ Added, Note-Taking Software Updated

Over the past few days, I’ve done a large update/revision of the Mac note-taking and journal software page. There was very little there before and now there is hopefully an up-to-date guide of sorts that can point you in the right direction if you are looking for information on applications to help organize and manage genealogy research. I’ll be expanding it and doing full reviews of some of the software mentioned.

More importantly, I’ve added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to the site, which you may have seen in the navigation menu above (“FAQ”):

Mac Genealogy FAQ

It’s going to cover a lot of the questions I receive in email and hopefully clear the air on some things. We don’t directly sell or develop genealogy software is one example of a question I get asked about a lot. The overall focus of the FAQ section is going to be on helping people who have migrated from Windows or older Macs and the genealogists migrating from Windows or older Macs section will be expanded greatly in the next few days.

There will also be FAQs for specific Mac genealogy applications and questions. Here are two examples:
* FAQ – Family Tree Maker for Mac
* FAQ – Personal Ancestral File (PAF)

I’ve got a lot left to do on it, but you can see the start of what it will be from the above links.

If there is anything you think that needs to be added or expanded, please contact us.

Mac Notepad 4.4

Mac Notepad 4.4 is available. Mac Notepad is a Mac OS X (Mac OS X 10.2 required) application that allows you to manage and edit text data, similar to journaling software. It also allows you to export and import from iPod Notes, another application from Apimac that stores text information on your iPod. You can password-protect your information if you feel the need to.

This release adds the “new Valentina database 3 engine” as well as includes minor interface tweaks.

MemoryMiner 1.0.6

GroupSmarts, LLC has released MemoryMiner 1.0.6. MemoryMiner is a Mac OS X appliaction (Mac OS X 10.4.3+/Universal Binary) that allows you to use photos as “individual frames in a type of endless story board. The story elements are linked to each other by way of annotation layers identifying the people, places, dates and events captured in each frame. As links are made, it becomes easy and tremendously interesting to explore the threads which link people’s lives across time, place and shared experience.”

The only change in 1.0.6 was to “Adjust map downloading code to keep up with changes in the Mapquest web site.”

Records Manager 2.9.2

John Woodward has updated Records Manager extensively since we last mentioned it. Records Manager is MacOS X software that allows you to collect important records (such as bank statements or receipts) in a database and allow for easy addition of new records, easy access to existing records, and optional automatic backup of the database. Think of it as a replacement for a file cabinet but with easier filing and retrieval. You can optionally encrypt your records with 128-bit AES encryption to keep them secure. It costs $24 and requires Mac OS X 10.2.8.

Some of the changes since it was last mentioned here:
* Added ability to find by contents of notes.
* Reimplemented Find function to support multiple find criteria and to allow finding by modified date and pathname.
* Added “Smart Folders” — continuously-updated folders that contain files matching specified criteria.
* Added folder/file icons to the folder/file window, to allow you to distinguish smart folders from regular folders.
* Added Backup Database command to backup upon demand.
* Added the ability to drag/drop multiple files/folders.
* Added the ability to associate notes with folders as well as files.

MemoryMiner’s Future Additions – GEDCOM Support

While checking the MemoryMiner Blog, I noticed that GroupSmarts, LLC, is adding some of the most requested features for MemoryMiner in the upcoming version 1.1 release:
* GEDCOM import
* Read embedded IPTC metadata (to automatically associate to people and places in MemoryMiner)
* Automatic upload to .Mac and (S)FTP servers (to make publishing easier)

They note that it should make genealogists happy, and I believe it will.

On a sidenote, MemoryMiner won a 2006 Macworld Best of Show award (that link will give you a good review of MemoryMiner).

Finally, John Fox of GroupSmarts, LLC, was interviewed in a Podcast at DuelBootRadio.lybsyn.com where he discusses what goes into MemoryMiner and how it came about (very detailed discussion).

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