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Copyright© 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

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Last Monday, two companies made an announcement that caught the attention of thousands of genealogists. A&E Television Networks and MyFamily.com together announced that A&E's Genealogy.com subsidiary will be sold to MyFamily.com. The latter company simultaneously announced that the new acquisition will remain a separate brand, to be operated under MyFamily.com's "umbrella" of brand names, alongside Ancestry.com, RootsWeb, and the MyFamily.com Web sites. A&E Television Networks will also offer promotions of all these brand names on their various television networks.

I immediately sent a "Special Edition" newsletter last Monday to all the Plus Edition subscribers, which included the announcement and a bit of my commentary. For the Standard Edition readers who missed this announcement, here it is again:

As you might imagine, this announcement generated commentary on this newsletter's discussion board and on other message boards. Here are some of the comments from this newsletter's discussion board:

I must say that I see this as a positive change for genealogists. Not a perfect change, of course, but one with more positives than negatives. Genealogy.com has very strong roots in the genealogy business, starting with its first products. However, the company has been purchased and sold a number of times, and the later owners apparently did not understand the genealogy business. Selling genealogy software and data is not the same as selling a home landscaping program or children's programs designed to improve reading skills. Sometimes it appeared that the parent companies of Genealogy.com did not understand the differences. On the other hand, MyFamily.com has always focused solely on genealogy and related products and services. I suspect that Genealogy.com now has more knowledgeable and better qualified "adopted parents."

I also suspect we will see new emphasis (meaning advertising dollars) for Genealogy.com's products. MyFamily.com will also gain promotion for all their divisions on A&E Television Networks as part of the deal. All the new advertising should attract new genealogists. The result will not only be sales of products by MyFamily.com, but I also expect to see "overspill " in the form of more customers for other companies as well as for genealogy societies, the Family History Library, other Web sites, and hopefully even for electronic genealogy newsletters.

Together, the Web sites now owned by MyFamily.com receive more than 10 million visitors every month and boast more than 1 million paid subscriptions. I suspect this number will grow as a result of the newly increased advertising efforts.

Genealogy.com produces the best-selling genealogy program, Family Tree Maker. MyFamily.com/Ancestry.com has supplied a lot of genealogy services but has not had any success in producing a general-purpose genealogy software program. Now MyFamily.com has a new product that already is well-established as the number one product (by some measurements).

Next, the two companies have been head-to-head competitors in the genealogy data marketplace. Both have acquired and digitized millions of genealogy-related records. Both have sold these products on CD-ROM disks and subscription-based Web sites. When you compare the two companies' products, you do see some overlap, but probably 80% to 90% of the products are separate. In fact, it would appear that each company has generally avoided bringing out a particular product if the other company already offered something similar. Combining the products of these two companies will now convert MyFamily.com/Ancestry.com into the undisputed largest commercial supplier of genealogy information for consumers in the world. Their major commercial competition now is from ProQuest, a "sleeping giant" that already has a huge amount of digitized information available.

Will MyFamily.com become the "The Microsoft of Genealogy?" Time will tell, of course. However, even MyFamily.com has a bigger competitor: the Mormon Church. Even Microsoft does not have to deal with a non-profit producer of competitive goods and services.

I think the next few years will be very interesting.

Last week I described how easy it is to convert aging VHS videotapes to modern digital formats, using either CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disks. I emphasized that the analog tapes used in VHS recordings have a relatively short life expectancy. Video degradation starts almost immediately after the videotape is recorded. After 10 or 15 years, the degradation can become significant, depending on the quality of the tape and how many times it has been replayed.

I cautioned that old VHS videotapes should be converted to digital format as quickly as possible. Of course, that begs the question, "How long will a CD or DVD last?" As you might guess, the only correct answer is, "It all depends."

End of "preview." To read the rest of this article, you must be a subscriber to the Plus Edition. To learn how to subscribe to the Plus Edition, go to http://www.RootsForum.com/plus

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I continue to be fascinated by the shrinking size of modern electronics. I have written a number of times in this newsletter about pocket-sized and handheld computers.

The first popular pocket-sized computer was introduced less than seven years ago. The PalmPilot, then produced by 3COM, soon revolutionized Day-Timers. Hundreds of thousands of people bought these electronic equivalents of their Day-Timer binders. The original Palm devices were called PIMs, an abbreviation for "Personal Information Management" systems. In short, they stored names, addresses, telephone numbers, and lists of appointments. The early models did little else. In theory, they could execute other programs, but the limitations in storage size restricted such use.

I mentioned these devices for the first time in the May 1998 edition of this newsletter, when I reported on the annual convention of the National Genealogical Society. I wrote, "My personal award for 'coolest product of the show' goes to Palladium Interactive. While not a part of their 'official display,' Brian Mavrogeorge of Palladium was quick to pull a PalmPilot device out of his pocket and show a genealogy program running on this tiny handheld device. The program is still under development and does not yet contain all the features that Palladium plans to add. However, Brian was able to show pedigree charts, family group sheets, and even data entry screens on this handheld computer that only weighs a few ounces."

Sadly, the program that Brian demonstrated was an early alpha test version, and it never got to the beta stage. In fact, Palladium was soon sold to another company that apparently had no interest in continuing product development for handheld computers. Luckily for many of us, Brian Mavrogeorge is still active in genealogy.

While Palladium never delivered a handheld product, others did develop useful genealogy programs for handheld computers. A number of good genealogy programs are now available for both Palm and Windows CE handheld systems. I now keep my genealogy database in one such program. See the next article for a specific example of one program that succeeded.

The early shirt-pocket-sized computers were very limited. They had monochrome screens that were difficult to read in anything but perfect light. The storage capacity was either one or two megabytes, depending on how much money the buyer was willing to spend. To be sure, even one megabyte of memory could store a thousand or so addresses, but the computer was capable of little else. As PalmPilot inventor Jeff Hawkins said, "Do one thing. Do it well."

The following seven years saw an escalation in palm-sized computers that emulated the earlier battles in desktops and laptop PCs. New models were introduced with more storage, color screens, and the capability to run other programs. External interfaces were created to allow for connectivity to modems, networks, GPS receivers, and a wide variety of peripherals. Microsoft jumped into the competition with their Windows CE operating system that has a lot more capabilities than the Palm Operating System. While Microsoft produced the new software, a dozen or more manufacturers produced the hardware.

The result has been tiny computers that perform many functions. Unlike Palm inventor Jeff Hawkins' original cry, the new generation of tiny computers does many things and does them well.

I purchased a Palm computer six years ago and then replaced it with a much more powerful Compaq iPAQ about three years ago. This week I upgraded again, purchasing a Hewlett-Packard iPAQ 5455. (Hewlett-Packard bought Compaq a while ago, so the new iPAQs now carry the HP name.) The new 5455 has an amazing list of features for such a tiny device.

Instead of the one-megabyte storage capacity of the original handheld computers, the iPAQ 5455 comes standard with 64 megabytes. Fearing that this might not be enough, I quickly added a Secure Digital card. This is a memory module that is about the size of a postage stamp. Secure Digital cards are available in various storage capacities. The one I purchased contains 256 megabytes of memory. The Secure Digital card slides inside the iPAQ, so I now have a total of 320 megabytes of storage in my shirt pocket! Secure Digital cards with even larger storage capacity are available.

Security is always a consideration with tiny devices. If lost or stolen, will the finder be able to access your personal information? Many palm-sized computers require passwords in order to access information. However, passwords can be hacked. The iPAQ 5455 goes one step further: it has a built in fingerprint reader! Nobody else can access my data until my finger slides over the fingerprint reader.

Next, the new iPAQ includes two wireless interfaces: 802.11b and BlueTooth. It can even operate on both network standards simultaneously. I'll skip the technical details since you can find thousands of articles about those standards on the Web. I will say, however, that BlueTooth has a very short range, typically thirty feet or so. It is referred to as a "personal area network" and is useful for connecting a palm-sized computer or laptop to modems, printers, and other devices.

Conversely, 802.11b networks have a range of several hundred feet and are better suited as general-purpose wireless networks. These wireless networks are becoming popular in many public places, including libraries. Most new laptops are also equipped with 802.11b wireless connection capabilities, thanks to Intel's Centrino advertising efforts. The iPAQ 5455 is one of the first handhelds to have 802.11b wireless networking built in, but most handheld computers can have it added as an optional accessory.

Rather than buying computers for $1,000 to $2,000 each for patron use, many libraries are finding it much cheaper and more effective to buy a wireless access point for a hundred dollars. They then set up their network so that patrons can use their own laptops and handheld devices to search the card catalogs and to access other stored information while on the premises. Library patrons can also surf the Web, check e-mail, and conduct other online tasks while at these libraries. Several large city libraries and most college libraries are already equipped with 802.11b wireless networks. In addition, many public places are adding 802.11b wireless gateways, including most airport terminals, some hotels, and almost every Starbucks in North America. I do not yet know of any genealogy libraries that are equipped with this technology, but I suspect that several of them will add wireless access soon.

Many people also have 802.11b networks at home, usually connected to a DSL line or to a cable modem. An 802.11b gateway can cost less than $100, much cheaper than wiring your home with network cables. Like these people, I find it relaxing to sit in the back yard and surf the Web on a handheld computer through a wireless connection.

The advance in pocket-sized computers in only seven years is amazing. We started with one megabyte of storage, poorly illuminated monochrome screens, no external interfaces and almost no software other than that used for storing appointments and address cards. Today's devices have stereo sound, brilliant color screens (the iPAQ 5455 will even play movies), many times more storage, and multiple external interfaces.

With my newly-acquired iPAQ, I can store the addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all the people I have ever met. I can store my appointment book for the next several years as well as for the past decade or so, should I care to go back and verify something. I can read and write e-mail and surf the Web while at home or in a coffee shop. I can read and write documents, manipulate spreadsheets, write this newsletter, play games and, best of all, work on my genealogy database of thousands of individuals. Not bad for a computer that weighs 7 ounces (206 grams)!

I wonder what the next seven years will bring. Will we perhaps stop buying desktop and laptop computers?

I first wrote about The Pocket Genealogist in the December 16, 2000, edition of this newsletter. Author Kevin Phillips of Northern Hills Software had just released version 1.0, and I was quite impressed with the new program for Windows CE handheld and shirt-pocket-sized computers. In the two plus years since that article appeared, I have mentioned it briefly several times, usually as each new update was released. However, upon the purchase of my new iPAQ shirt-pocket computer (see the previous article for details), I decided to revisit The Pocket Genealogist to see what is new.

The Pocket Genealogist has always been a program used to view your data. That is, you enter all your data in a desktop or laptop system using whatever genealogy program you prefer, and then transfer the information to The Pocket Genealogist in your pocket-sized computer. You can use the tiny computer to view the information at any time and any place you wish. I have used The Pocket Genealogist while in the library stacks of genealogy libraries and at courthouses. I also use it frequently when at genealogy meetings of various sorts as I like to compare notes with others about specific families. Carrying all the notes and information about 3,000 people in your pocket isn't easy to do when you depend on paper records! Using a handheld computer makes it easy, almost trivial. Also, Windows CE's "instant on" feature beats a laptop, hands down. I don't have to wait for an eternity while Windows boots up before checking on something.

Until now, The Pocket Genealogist did not have the capability to enter data on the handheld system and then transfer that data back to the desktop computer. While doing actual research, I still had to write my notes on paper or enter them on a bulky laptop PC.

Kevin Phillips now has a major new version of The Pocket Genealogist that adds data entry capabilities. Version 2.50 is in a "public beta test." As such, Kevin is asking the general public to help him find any bugs and to report them. The beta is not complete; not all the planned new functions are implemented at this time. Actually, the current version of The Pocket Genealogist public beta is release 2.51B7, and that number increments every few days as Kevin stomps out newly-reported bugs and adds new features.

I decided to take a look at the beta program. I downloaded it and then installed it on my new iPAQ 5455. The entire effort was quick and easy. I was soon looking at The Pocket Genealogist's screens on my handheld computer.

However, The Pocket Genealogist can now import data directly from Legacy Family Tree and from The Master Genealogist without resorting to GEDCOM files. In both cases, the data transfers are much more accurate than those done with GEDCOM. I noticed that the import from The Master Genealogist uses Wholly Genes Software's GenBridge technology. GenBridge is a genealogy data transfer method that is much more accurate than GEDCOM. I should point out that direct import without GEDCOM is available only to those who have registered (paid for) this program. This feature is not available in the free trial version of the program.

While The Pocket Genealogist is advertised as a program for Windows CE pocket-sized computers, it really contains two programs: one for the pocket-sized computer and another for the desktop system. You first use the desktop program to convert your data from your favorite desktop genealogy program's format into a new file that the pocket-sized system can use and then to copy that file to the tiny computer. I created a new file from Legacy Family Tree, thereby avoiding the problems associated with GEDCOM.

The data import from Legacy went smoothly with no surprises, followed by the transfer of the data to the iPAQ handheld computer. The entire process lasted perhaps fifteen minutes, after which I could look at my entire database in my handheld computer. I was amazed that my 3,000-person database only consumed about 3 megabytes of the valuable storage space on the handheld computer. At that rate, the 320 megabytes of storage in my iPAQ should be able to hold the information of more than 300,000 people! I do not plan to test that, however.

When I say "my entire database," I do mean everything. Not only were the names and significant events transferred to the palm-sized computer, but so were all the text notes, source citations, my "to do" list, the e-mail addresses of the living people in the database, and more. Most of the other genealogy programs I have seen for handheld computers record only a minimal amount of information, usually dropping the source notes and other "non essential" items. However, The Pocket Genealogist can handle everything. I do not know of any other genealogy programs for handheld computers that will record the breadth of information found in The Pocket Genealogist.

Best of all, I can now update that information while I am onsite at the courthouse or other storage facility for archived records. I do not need to lug my larger laptop with me. I do not need to look for power outlets, and I do not need to wait for Windows or the Macintosh operating system to boot up. I can pull the tiny computer from my pocket, press the ON button, and immediately add new information that will later automatically update my desktop computer at home.

Another item worth noting is the speed of The Pocket Genealogist. Clicking on any person's name results in an almost instant appearance of that person's information. Moving around the database is that quick. Some other genealogy programs for handheld computers work well when you have a couple hundred people in the database but then start to slow down as the number increases. Loading a thousand or more people may result in very slow operation. The Pocket Genealogist's operation was very fast, even with 3,000 people in the database.

The data screens themselves were all text-based and very simple. On small screens used in handheld computers, you don’t want to clutter your display with fancy graphics. The Pocket Genealogist doesn’t even display a true pedigree chart in the traditional format. However, it does have a text-only equivalent that doesn't take up space in the same manner as a traditional pedigree chart. I found all the screens easy to read and always intuitive.

The main screen you see when starting the program provides an overview showing one couple, along with parents, spouse, and children, along with an option for multiple spouses. Other screens display details about each individual in six different screens of data that you access by clicking on the desired tab:

• Main
• Events
• Notes
• Sources
• To Do
• Field Notes

LDS members will note that the new beta of The Pocket Genealogist will fully support database fields for events that are unique to that religion. It also supports other religious events, such as christening, baptism, bas mitzvah and bar mitzvah.

I made a few minor changes in the information on my tiny computer and then attempted to export it back to Legacy Family Tree on the desktop. I received my first surprise: the "synchronize with Legacy" function is not yet available on the menus. The notes included with the beta test version say that the export function to Legacy has not yet been written. OK, this is beta software, so I certainly was not very surprised.

I did create a GEDCOM file, however, and then imported it into Legacy. The Pocket Genealogist even has an option for creating a GEDCOM file that contains information only for the individuals whose information was changed on the tiny computer. As a result, my GEDCOM only contained information about the three people I had updated, and this was easily imported into Legacy Family Tree. Everything seemed to work as I expected it would. The GEDCOM file and the resultant Legacy database contained the changes I had made on the tiny shirt-pocket-sized computer. I proved that data entry was possible on the tiny computer, but I still look forward to direct synchronization with Legacy Family Tree later in this beta effort.

I talked with Kevin Phillips and also exchanged several e-mails with him. In one message, he wrote about the design of the program's data entry software:

I am still very impressed with The Pocket Genealogist for Windows CE. It is fast, simple to use, and very good at displaying data. The new beta test version adds the capability to enter data and later export it to your desktop system although not all the functions are operational yet. The addition of an external, folding keyboard (a popular option) to the handheld computer converts it into a very capable data entry device for use in libraries, courthouses, and archives.

I expected to find bugs and even have software crashes in the beta software. Yet I never had a crash in the few hours I used the program, and the only "bug" that I saw was the documented fact that not all the software has been written yet in this beta version. However, I suspect that I will eventually uncover bugs some place. After all, it is beta software.

The system requirements of The Pocket Genealogist seem to be rather modest. It is designed to work with Windows CE devices running CE Version 2.0 or better. This includes devices that are referred to as PocketPC's, Palm-Size PC's, Handheld Pro, and Handheld PC's. The Pocket Genealogist even works on the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition. Imagine carrying your entire genealogy database in your cell phone! You can do that since the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition essentially combines a Windows CE handheld computer and a cell phone into one case.

The Casio BE-300 (Pocket Manager) is an exception and is not supported. The beta test version 2.50 and all future versions of The Pocket Genealogist will require CE version 2.11 or higher. The older devices running CE 2.0 and 2.01 will no longer be supported. The Pocket Genealogist does not work with devices that use the Palm Operating System, such as the products made by Palm, Trio, Handspring, and others.

The amount of storage space required obviously depends upon how many people are in your database. In my case, a database of almost 3,000 people, including extensive text notes and source citations, required about 3 megabytes of storage space.

The companion software that installs on your desktop or laptop system requires Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP.

The Pocket Genealogist is available as a "try it before you buy it" program. You can download it online and use it for 30 days at no charge. A few features are disabled in the trial version. If you decide that you want to keep The Pocket Genealogist and use it, you must pay for the program in order for it to function after the 30-day trial period expires. There are two versions available:

All registration payment is done via PayPal's safe and secure servers. Upon payment, a registration code is sent via e-mail that unlocks the added features. You never have to wait for a CD to arrive in the mail.

Kevin Phillips of Northern Hills Software has a winner here. If you have a Windows CE handheld computer, I strongly encourage you to try The Pocket Genealogist. I suspect you will be pleased.

If you want to live on "the bleeding edge," try the beta test version. If you are a bit more conservative and want to stay with tried and true software, download the earlier version that is debugged and solid. Both are great products.

I asked Kevin what he plans to add to the program in the future. He hesitated a bit, but did say that he hopes to add multimedia capabilities. He envisions a genealogist interviewing relatives at a family reunion, recording the sound on the handheld computer's built-in sound recorder, and perhaps even recording video of the interview, using one of the available plug-in cameras for iPAQ and other tiny computers. The genealogist could then return home, connect the tiny computer to the desktop system, and automatically transfer the audio and video recordings directly into the multimedia scrapbook inside his or her favorite genealogy program! Don't look for this functionality any time soon, however. Kevin wouldn't commit to a timeframe, but I am guessing that these features are several years away.

I like The Pocket Genealogist. I bet you will, too. If you own a Windows CE/Pocket PC device, you need to look at this program!

A "genealogy roadshow" is about to launch in Australia. A group of genealogy experts will be traveling through 6 major cities from April 15 through 29, giving major presentations at every stop. The Australian Genealogy Roadshow 2003 features a wide-ranging exhibition of genealogy products and services with supporting workshops and presentations by the three world-renown experts:

• Bob Velke from the US (The Master Genealogist)
• Rod Neep from the UK (Archive CD Books)
• Robin Lamacraft from Australia (Sceya Genealogical Charts)

The scheduled stops include:

• Sunshine Coast - Tuesday 15 April - At Caloundra Cultural Centre
• Brisbane - Wednesday & Thursday 16-17 April - At Powerhouse Hotel, Hamilton
• Adelaide - Monday 21 April (Easter Monday) - At Hotel Adelaide International
• Melbourne - Wednesday & Thursday 23-24 April - At The Centre, Ivanhoe
• Canberra - Saturday 26 April - At Olims Canberra Hotel, Braddon
• Sydney - Monday & Tuesday 28-29 April - At the Epping Club, Epping

The Manitoba Vital Statistics department has placed a lot of valuable genealogy information into a new online database. The records available include:

• Births more than 100 years ago
• Marriages more than 80 years ago
• Deaths more than 70 years ago

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The following is an announcement from the U.S. National Archives-Northeast Region:

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The following is extracted from announcements by Origins.net, the owners of the English Origins, Irish Origins, and Scots Origins Web sites:

• Hard copy service for Boyd’s marriage registers now available for Suffolk
• 48 hours access period increased to 7 days
• 60,000 more names added to the London Apprentice Abstracts

• Major improvement to the IGI search facility on Scots Origins (www.scotsorigins.com)
• Hard copy service for Suffolk marriage registers now available

English Origins users can now place online orders for hard copies of Suffolk parish register entries indexed in Boyd's Marriage Index. Boyd’s Marriage Index covers the years 1538-1840 and contains over 277,000 Suffolk marriages (over 554,000 names). This is the first county to have hard copies available; plans are in the works to introduce the facility of ordering online for all other counties covered in Boyd’s.

48 hours English Origins access now increased to 7 days for all users! -

After significant feedback from users, the folks at Origins.net, along with the Society of Genealogists, have decided to increase access to English Origins to 7 days (continuous access) instead of the previous 48 hour time limit, for all users.

Data currently available on English Origins includes:

• Marriage Licence Allegations Index 1694-1850
• Boyd's Marriage Index 1538 - 1840
• Bank of England Will Extracts Index 1717 - 1845
• Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills Index 1750 - 1800
• Archdeaconry Court of London Wills Index 1700 - 1807
• London Apprenticeship Abstracts 1442 - 1850
• London Consistory Court Depositions Index 1700 - 1713

More London Apprentice Abstracts

Over 60,000 more names have been uploaded to the London Apprentice Abstracts. Apprentice records for the following livery companies are now available for searching:

• Painters
• Pewterers
• Tallow Chandlers
• Turners

IGI Search news

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The U.S. Census Bureau counts the number of Americans every ten years. The same government agency also asks a lot of questions of those people, such as how many bathrooms are in their house and whether or not the family owns a computer. The Census Bureau even counts how many people have the same first or last names.

The twenty most common surnames in America in the 1990 census were:

1. Smith
2. Johnson
3. Williams
4. Jones
5. Brown
6. Davis
7. Miller
8. Wilson
9. Moore
10. Taylor
11. Anderson
12. Thomas
13. Jackson
14. White
15. Harris
16. Martin
17. Thompson
18. Garcia
19. Martinez
20. Robinson

The name Aalderink is the last one on the list as the 88,799^th most popular surname in the country. I am sure there are some other names that are so rare as to not even make the list at all.

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A new online database with significant genealogical information is now available at no charge. Irish descendants will be especially pleased to note that the Port of New York ship passenger lists for1846-1851 (the Irish Famine database) is included.

The following is the press release from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration:

• Online access to more than 350 databases, which were created by over 20 Federal agencies. NARA plans to expand the system to more than 500 databases.
• The ability to search, retrieve, print out, and download records. Researchers will need to determine the series and file units of interest before they begin their search.
• Important contextual information to help researchers understand the records better, including code lists, explanatory notes from National Archives archivists, and for some series or files in AAD, related documents.

• Preservation survey of Civil War sites
• Combat casualties from the Vietnam and Korean Wars
• POWs from World War II and Korean War
• Japanese-American Internee Files from World War II
• Port of New York ship passenger lists,1846-1851 (Irish Famine database)
• Death records from the Gorgas Hospital Mortuary in Panama, 1906-1991
• Indexes to black and white and color NASA photographs, 1958-1991
• After action combat and air sortie reports from the Vietnam War
• Military Prime Contracts in excess of $10,000, 1965-1975
• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ownership Reporting System, 1978-1998
• SEC Proposed Sales of Securities System (Insider trading), 1972-1993

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Ever wonder if the Kellys on your mom's side were listed on a ship manifest from the mid-1800s? Whatever the reason, if it's part Irish, part American (the ratios are irrelevant), then most likely you'll find it at the American Irish Historical Society.

The AIHS has a comprehensive library, a genealogy section, and even a bit of Irish art. The society also holds monthly cultural events. While you are there, check out the library and look for the book, "Why Catholics Can't Sing."

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For years I have heard stories about the 1960 U.S. Census. The stories vary a bit on each telling but usually say something like, "The 1960 U.S. Census was stored on a computer media for which there no longer was any equipment to read it. The census data has been lost because of the change in technology."

I always doubted that story. I was just starting my career in computers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and I remember well the tape drives of that era. I spent many hours repairing those half-inch and three-quarter inch tape drives! I think I still could disassemble and reassemble a Honeywell 204B-9 half-inch tape drive while blindfolded. That device was an 800-pound maze of electronics (without integrated circuits), disk brakes, a big vacuum pump, and numerous solenoids. I know that half-inch tapes created on those drives in the early seventies can still be read by the tape drives of today. The tape drives of the early sixties were in a different format, but I would still be surprised if the data was entirely lost.

Some time ago I read several articles about the 1960 census. I also corresponded with David G. Hendricks, a historian at the U.S. Census Department. Here is what I learned:

The 1960 census returns were microfilmed in 1961 for long-term storage. In addition to the microfilm, the Census Bureau also creates many reports from the information in each census. These reports are mostly demographic in nature. They describe the ethnic make-up of the U.S. population; they document American migration patterns and even tell how many bathrooms are in the average American home. The reports in question never list names or address of any individuals.

In 1961 the staff at the Bureau of the Census had access to a brand-new electronic behemoth known as a "computer." In order to simplify some of the data analysis that the Census Bureau conducts, the staff used the new computer to create "microaggregation files" that contain statistical information. This information had been entered on punch cards in earlier censuses, but magnetic tape was the storage medium of choice in the sixties. The Bureau of the Census had the required data keypunched and then stored on 9,121 reels of magnetic tape: 7,297 reels created with UNIVAC II-A tape drives, 1,678 tapes created with UNIVAC III-A tape drives, and another 146 magnetic tapes created on still other brands of tape drives. The reports were generated and printed on paper. Once the reports were completed, the tapes were placed in storage.

Following consultation with staff of the National Archives in 1975, the Census Bureau created a plan to provide for the "adequate retention of the 1960 data." The plan specified that the Census Bureau would copy only 642 reels of tape onto more modern storage media, at least modern by 1975 industry standards. The other reels of tape were deemed to be unimportant and of no long-term value. All of the stories about loss of 1960 Census data revolves around the 642 reels of tape readable only by UNIVAC II-A tape drives.

By 1975 the UNIVAC II-A tape drives were obsolete. Despite the challenge, the Census staff managed to find some old tape drives still in use that could read the tapes. These old drives were installed on a computer system which also had newer drives installed, so a tape conversion seemed simple. By 1979, the Census Bureau successfully copied 640 of the 642 II-A tapes onto newer-format tapes. The two tapes that were not copied were, in fact, missing. The missing tapes had 7,488 records, or about 0.5 percent of the total of approximately 1.5 million records on all II-A tapes that had been identified as having long-term value. Of the 640 tapes that were located, only 1,575 records (or less than .2 percent of the total number of valuable records on II-A tapes) could not be copied because of deterioration.

The bottom line is that 99.3% of the 1960 microaggregation data was saved on modern tape formats and can be read today. Remember, too, that the findings of the original study had already been published on paper in the 1960s, and that paper is preserved.

As mentioned earlier, censuses prior to 1960 had the microaggregation data entered on punch cards. However, those cards were always thrown away after the studies were completed and published (on paper). The loss of 0.7% of the 1960 microaggregation data files on magnetic tape doesn’t seem like such a big loss. That is still 99.3% more data preserved than in any earlier census. As historian David G. Hendricks of the U.S. Census Department wrote to me, "These files performed their function and all of the data are available on paper, if not electronic, form; so none of the information from the 1960 census has been lost."

All this discussion of magnetic tape really isn’t important to genealogists anyway. All of the microaggregation files mentioned here did not have any genealogy value since there were no names or street addresses listed. Genealogists should have no fears about "missing data." The magnetic tapes only stored a subset of the census data, a subset of no interest to genealogists.

The original 1960 U.S. Census documents were recorded on microfilm, and all that microfilm is still in good condition, locked up at the National Archives. In compliance with U.S. laws, the complete 1960 U.S. Census documents on microfilm will be released to the public in the year 2032, 72 years after the original enumeration. I hope to be around to read those films!

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Microsoft Office is the most popular office productivity suite in the world, and for a very good reason: it has a great selection of programs. Microsoft Office includes Word (a word processor), Excel (a spreadsheet program), PowerPoint (a graphics presentation program), and Outlook (a scheduling and contacts database). Depending upon which version you purchase, you may also receive Access (a database program), FrontPage (for creating and editing Web pages), and developer tools.

Microsoft Office is available for Windows and for Macintosh. In fact, it is so popular among Mac users that it gives Microsoft the honor of being the world's biggest producer of Macintosh software, a fact that I don't remember seeing mentioned in Microsoft's advertising. In this case, "biggest" is measured in sales dollars, not in the number of units produced.

Microsoft Office is powerful, so powerful that probably 99% of its users never even attempt to use the advanced features. It is also expensive. Depending upon which version you buy and where you obtain it, prices for Microsoft Office vary from $400 to $600 or even more. That is a lot of money for home use. In fact, I suspect that many copies of Microsoft Office installed in private homes are pirated copies; someone brought the CD home from the office and installed an illegal "extra" copy.

Most people do not realize that there are excellent products available at much lower prices. Some of these products even have most of the capabilities of Microsoft Office. This week I'll describe one such product that has the best price tag of all: free. And, yes, it performs nearly all the functions of Microsoft Office on Windows and on Macintosh. In fact, it also works on Linux, Solaris, and other operating systems. Too good to be true? Not really.

End of "preview." To read the rest of this article, you must be a subscriber to the Plus Edition. To learn how to subscribe to the Plus Edition, go to http://www.RootsForum.com/plus

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Two weeks ago I wrote about an effort by California legislators to curb "spam mail," those unwanted commercial e-mail messages that we all receive for various scams and questionable products. Now two U.S. Senators have introduced similar legislation at the national level.

Sponsored by Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns and Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, the bill takes aim at a popular spam tactic by requiring Internet marketers to provide legitimate return addresses on their messages. Spammers usually hide behind false return addresses in order to slip through filtering software.

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The PR Budget for this newsletter is $0.00. I rely upon "word of mouse" advertising in which you recommend this newsletter to your friends. This newsletter is a private project of mine, and I have a zero budget for a publicity campaign to get more readers.

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