It’s been a year since we heard about iRoots and iRoots Pro – has anybody heard about any updates since then? This is a partial reprint of the article linked above: Could Apple be getting into the genealogy software and DNA testing market? Apparently there will be two versions of … Read more
RandomGenealogy.com has written up a fairly extensive overview of the new Intel-based MacBooks/MacBook Pros, and how they could be of use to those genealogists wanting to switch to Macs, but still hold onto some of their Windows software until they have any and all migration issues sorted out.
You have to understand, this is head and shoulders above previous “Windows on a Mac” software – in this case, Windows has direct access to the Intel hardware and can run very fast. He discusses both options – completly booting Windows by itself with Boot Camp (there probably is no Windows genealogy software that would ever need to have Windows booted by itself), and using a new (and it looks like the only) piece of virtualisation software available – Parallels Desktop. It’s running Windows in a window under Mac OS X (although you can switch to full-screen, you are still running under Mac OS X). It’s not just for Windows either – it’ll handle DOS and other applications written to run on Intel (and AMD) hardware.
It’s interesting, and reasonably priced – if you know of anybody thinking about switching to a Mac, this might be the article to email them.
The article – RandomGenealogy.com.
After more than a year, GenealogyJ (GenJ) has been updated to version 2.4. GenealogyJ is a cross-platform genealogy application written in Java.
Official Description:
GenealogyJ is a viewer and editor for genealogic data, suitable for hobbyist, family historian and genealogy researcher. GenJ supports the Gedcom standard, is written in Java and offers many views like family tree, table, timeline, geography and more.
Download it from here if you are curious.
If you are curious about which Mac OS X applications have already made the transition to Universal Binaries, Apple has put together a list of Universal Applications. At this time, MacFamilyTree is the only genealogy application listed as a Universal Application, although most reports are that current Mac OS X genealogy applications will run just fine under Rosetta.
We have a short page dedicated to explaining just what a Universal Binary is as well as how older Mac OS X applications will run under “Rosetta”.
I came across an imported genealogy magazine in one of the chain bookstores that caught my eye (and my wallet). Depending on location, it is either called “Your Family History” or “Your Family Tree” – in the US it’s available through Amazon.com (link to Your Family Tree)
The thing that caught my eye (besides it being large with a bold cover) was that they made a very good attempt at being Mac-friendly, something that most genealogy magazines don’t try to do, at least those that come with genealogy software CDs/DVDs. They included Mac genealogy software and utilities, as well as records that could be searched on a Mac.
Today the first of new machines from the Intel/Apple partnership were announced to the world. The 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop and the 17-inch and 20-inch iMac. The MacBook Pro is powered by an Intel Duo Core 1.67GHz or 1.83GHz CPU, while the iMac has either a 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz CPU – the Duo Core is basically like having two CPUs.