PAF Backup????

Discussions about PAF, PAF SDK, and the future of PAF.
DrDirt-p40
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PAF Backup????

#1

Post by DrDirt-p40 »

I can see from the date of the last post that I may be typing into the thin air but, in the event there actually is somebody there I have a question.\
Our records are all in PAF however backup has become a bit of a problem since we have a dozen different family computers that might be doing the research or input, depending upon who is working and where we are. As a result the active file is often difficult to determine which computer is the most recent. Is there an easier way than e-mailing the file to myself for the other computers every time I complete some more work? I apologize if this has been previously addressed as I am newly registered today and didn't find a thread that explained such.
Thanks in advance.
russellhltn
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#2

Post by russellhltn »

I haven't used it myself, but some people really like Dropbox.
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steph.younger
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#3

Post by steph.younger »

Dropbox works great for me. The free account has plenty of room for most PAF & related files.
- Stephen
RossEvans
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#4

Post by RossEvans »

I think a file in a shared location such as Dropbox might work for some purposes, but I question whether it would work for DrDirt's PAF application.

AFAIK, PAF is designed as single-user software. So if multiple users are working from copies of the same file, and sync it to Dropbox, they would just be clobbering each other's files with each sync.
russellhltn
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#5

Post by russellhltn »

If they want to use it multi-user, then they really need to get away from PAF to a different product.

Sure, there are products like FamilyInsight. But that still requires manually working through the changes to get them integrated into a "most recent" file.
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steph.younger
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#6

Post by steph.younger »

boomerbubba & russellhltn make excellent points. Dropbox is a great way to share data, but it's not a multi-user solution.

If you want to have a true multi-user genealogy database, you're going to have to move away from PAF ... something like PHPGedView might suit your purposes, and hosting options are pretty cheap.

What features are you looking for that newFamilySearch doesn't provide (there are a few)? I only ask because you may be able to put together a passable solution using nFS as a backend to pass data from one local database to another through the API ... two downsides for me: no multimedia support, and you have to be a member of the church to use it (for now).
- Stephen
russellhltn
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#7

Post by russellhltn »

scjayounger wrote:something like PHPGedView
Never used it myself, but I was going to suggest that - I just couldn't remember the name.
scjayounger wrote:you may be able to put together a passable solution using nFS as a backend to pass data from one local database to another through the API ... two downsides for me:
I'd add a third possible downside - others outside of the family might add questionable information to your tree.
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DrDirt-p40
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#8

Post by DrDirt-p40 »

Thanks for the ideas. We are stuck in the PAF mud due to habit and familiarity. We are on NFSearch often for research but there are too many people inputing incorrect info there to consider it as our end-all solution. Currently, we have to communicate with each other (across the country) to determine who has input info last and whose file to use. PAF really needs a good update or replacement program as it's technology is a bit outdated but that's only my opinion.
I suppose I'm expecting a bit too much from free software, huh? :)
russellhltn
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#9

Post by russellhltn »

PAF for windows is a derivative of Ancestral Quest 3. AQ is now up to version 12. There's also RootsMagic and Legacy just to mention a few. You may be expecting a bit much for software that hasn't been touched by a developer in ages.
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steph.younger
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#10

Post by steph.younger »

RussellHltn wrote:You may be expecting a bit much for software that hasn't been touched by a developer in ages.
And isn't likely to be touched at any time in the future.

If you like using PAF, I'd suggest switching to Ancestral Quest. The interface hasn't changed much since they donated the code for PAF, and many great features have been added. Personally, I prefer RootsMagic, but it's a bit of an interface change.
- Stephen
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