I need to save 40 years of data input
I cannot find a Genealogy programmer Forum.
My wife recovered medically to where she wants to add another generation, so I got her Ancestry searches back, but her CLAN program instances are full and will corrupt data if she tries to add more she finds on line.
The genealogy of the gulf coast from 1699 to date and from west Florida to east Texas (before casinos) is on four instances of CLAN 5 software. It was originally CLAN for the TRS-80 Model one with updates. Clan 5 software for the PC is written in MS BASIC 6 - NOT VISUAL BASIC. I purchased the source code and tried to use FreeBasic a few years ago to upgrade the program. At age 73, I am no longer able to concentrate long enough to finish the job. Three other programmers have failed because the genius who wrote the program used direct addressing on a file system with multiple file formats. Each upgrade (TRS-80 Model 3, Model 4, and the IBM PC Windows 95) to the program came with added capabilities. The 16 bit addressing is the limiting factor. Each instance of the program can only hold 10,000 people. The objective is to save the data. Options: 1. Reuse Original Program - Modify the addressing and add modern printers and an option to output a common-format genealogy file (Gedcom??) 2. Files - write a program to read the files and reformat the data into a common-format genealogy file (Gedcom??). 3. Files - write a program to read the files and load a database. 4. Super-fast touch typist to learn the keystrokes to get data and load data into a new program ? The budget for the job is our savings. I punched a time clock all my working life, so option 4 is probably too expensive.
Please, if you are interested, I can give you some input to see and base a cost estimate on.
Patrick Hamel For Melany Hamel email pehamel @ cableone.net
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
Do you have local resources that could type stuff [input stuff] for you? Service project for a school computer class perhaps, a church project... just a few ideas, not necessarily good ones..
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
THank you for your reply. The problem I come up against is that the typist would need to learn both the existing program and the new program. I was under the impression that Family Tree was the new standard program, but looking through the forum I see that other programs are being used.
The local college campus was created to keep the Air Force base from being closed. It is a nighttime campus with almost everyone working full time. The kids are no longer being taught to type, they just pick it up at home.Also - auto correct mangles different spellings of the same names. Thanks again and be safe and happy, Patrick Hamel (for Melany)
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
Is there any option to export as text?
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
The program was written to create a book with formatted pages. We had 980 pages in 1998 when we did our book, but that was after I spent a week editing the text to combine pages with only a few lines. The big difference between a gedcom and the file we create is that each "improver"to the program added something that does not fit a gedcom. For example the major events in a person's life are enumerated and a 4000 character text file can be added to baptism event, marriage event, elegy, etc. The top and bottom of each page can be found by the footer and the first word, but the descendants chart would throw it all off. Melany followed the parents of spouses back as far as possible, and, since this area was isolated, intermarriages occurred. Our original temptation was to call the book "Kudzu". Tracing it would be an "opus". The CD we made (1998) has the book in M.S.Word format in sections and complete as well as a file of old pictures. Until my wife had her TIA about two years ago, she kept adding new generations. Now she is re-learning from the library and has a lot of people to catch up with. The program will only handle about 10,000 people before the hard addressing crashes, so there are now four separate copies of it with the files for it and I have prepared a fifth copy. A storm is coming, so I'll Quit Pat Hamel (for Melany).
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
A lot of your data is plain text, which you should be able to export or save as text. The other part is a hierarchical data base that cannot be read by another program. I recommend you make sure you have a printout of the entire data base. I recommend you break the project into two stages. In stage 1, I would enter the hierarchical data by hand from the printout into a new database. It sounds inefficient at first, but you will spend more time trying to resolve system incompatibilities if you try to export the hierarchical data. In stage 2, I would then use the text export to move the bulk of your data electronically. If you can afford a data entry clerk, the whole project should only take a few days.
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
Thank you for the interest. The data is NOT in a database. The data is in files which link to each other as needed. The links are hashed relative address offsets (hex numbers embedded inside the data record). The format of the record varies with what would be the first column in a database. The programmer was a genius. The program was written to print a formatted book. If you have less than 10.000 relatives one copy of the program will do fine. We have three full copies of the program each with separate people and a fourth copy that she should soon begin loading. Thanks, Pat Hamel (for Melany).
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
So I am not sure what you wanted with your original post, other than a second genius programmer to carry on where the last one left off. You said you do have your information saved; and apparently you don't like any of the suggestions to input that information into another program. So I at least am at a loss of what you actually hoped to find by coming here, except for a programmer who would update your old program. Maybe that is what you did want, since you said you couldn't find a programmer forum.
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Re: I need to save 40 years of data input
Yes, I was looking for either someone else who had started with CLAN and had solved the problem, or the genius programmer who might be able to solve it for us. This is my only post to a forum, so please have the person in charge delete it. Thank you for your offer of help. Best wishes, Pat & Melany Hamel
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