Updated version 102 (Intel, OS 10.6.6+)

[Howard Metcalfe]

Version 102 of Personal Ancestry Writer II (aka PAWriter) was updated on 10 January 2013. As before, it runs only on Intel Macs under OS 10.6.6/7/8 (Snow Leopard), 10.7.x (Lion) and 10.8.x (Mountain Lion).¹

The following changes were made in the original PAWriter version 102 posted 4 January 2013 and in the updated version 102 posted 10 January 2013:

• N.B. Please add the extension .paw to the end of each PAWriter data file name. This was noted in the version 98 release and is now being enforced by Apple.
• N.B. Typinator version 5.3 contains an error which causes PAWriter (and other applications) to launch incorrectly when double-clicking a data file or dropping a data file on the application. Typinator version 5.4 corrects this problem.
• PAWriter was re-compiled using Real Studio 2011 Release 4.3, rather than any of the later releases all of which contain at least one error when formatting notes for drafts and reports. This is the change made in the update.
• Operations which display the progress window (e.g., loading and tagging data files, listing possible problems, analyzing linkages, etc.) have been significantly speeded up.
• PAWriter has been code signed for OS 10.8 Mountain Lion with a new certificate.
• Animation has been restored to the watch curser.
• The previously "secret" feature that took a GEDCOM file and produced a "reformatted" version of that GEDCOM file is now made explicate as the Format GEDCOM menu item in the File menu. In the reformatted version of a GEDCOM file, the GEDCOM "records" (lines starting with level 0) are separated by a blank line, and within a record the lines are indented according to their level.

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¹The last universal version of PAWriter (version 100) which runs under OS 10.4.x (Tiger), OS 10.5.x (Leopard), OS 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) and 10.7.x (Lion), but not under 10.8.x (Mountain Lion), is available at:

[Howard Metcalfe]

Jan 4, 2013, 1:26pm, lipwak wrote:
The first time I opened the new version it had a splash screen of bright green. The next time, the splash screen was brown. I don't remember which one was how I had set my preferences in the old version.

Sorry to have missed this question last week. The answer is brown. The first time a new version is opened it temporarily uses aqua, so just ignore that. If you want to see the your selection in the color picker, just click on Change Background Color in Preferences and then just cancel without changing the color.

Best,
Howard

[linicx]

I just downloaded this on OSX Lion and played with it before I removed it. These are general comments. I live low vision issues. I could not find a way to increase the size of the box or the size of text. I was forced to answer the same questions about the same name counties several times. I have no way of knowing what a zip code was in say 1890. Because of it, I was forced to remove city and state in a private note. Most of my family was cremated, not buried. There is no cremation box. I had to enter it in a Note. I had two ancestors with the same first name that married seven times. It was a mess as the women did not use their native name for their marriages; they were widows. There is no Widow/Widower box. I do not know all of the answers to all of the dates. I thought it hilarious to learn my ancestor had her only child six years before she was born even though a married date was showing

PAW demands too much correction too often for my vision level. I cannot read the red error messages, either.

I cannot even begin to imagine much fun it would be to try to enter Dutch names and places in a principality that did not become a Kingdom until 200 years after my ancestor was born. I have no idea with the zips codes were in Europe in 1500 or today.Further, I would no idea where or how to find it. I have men with same names, similar ages, neither married that lived in adjoining counties in the same years, and they were unrelated.

The good news is for the most part all genealogy software, regardless of the price, have the same shortcomings. PAW is actually a very good little program, that is very well written. With 60,000 lines of code and growing, I can't begin to imagine what grief it would be for you to try to anticipate what searchers know now about their ancestors.

Thank you for opportunity to use PAW. I'm sorry it doesn't work for me. ~ linicx

[Howard Metcalfe]

Feb 3, 2013 7:50:12 GMT -5 linicx said:

I just downloaded this on OSX Lion and played with it before I removed it. These are general comments. I live low vision issues. I could not find a way to increase the size of the box or the size of text. I was forced to answer the same questions about the same name counties several times. I have no way of knowing what a zip code was in say 1890. Because of it, I was forced to remove city and state in a private note. Most of my family was cremated, not buried. There is no cremation box. I had to enter it in a Note. I had two ancestors with the same first name that married seven times. It was a mess as the women did not use their native name for their marriages; they were widows. There is no Widow/Widower box. I do not know all of the answers to all of the dates. I thought it hilarious to learn my ancestor had her only child six years before she was born even though a married date was showing

PAW demands too much correction too often for my vision level. I cannot read the red error messages, either.

I cannot even begin to imagine much fun it would be to try to enter Dutch names and places in a principality that did not become a Kingdom until 200 years after my ancestor was born. I have no idea with the zips codes were in Europe in 1500 or today.Further, I would no idea where or how to find it. I have men with same names, similar ages, neither married that lived in adjoining counties in the same years, and they were unrelated.

The good news is for the most part all genealogy software, regardless of the price, have the same shortcomings. PAW is actually a very good little program, that is very well written. With 60,000 lines of code and growing, I can't begin to imagine what grief it would be for you to try to anticipate what searchers know now about their ancestors.

Thank you for opportunity to use PAW. I'm sorry it doesn't work for me. ~ linicx

Hi,

Sorry that PAWriter didn't work out for you.

Some comments off the top of my head:

There is no requirement or even a place to enter zip codes. (You can, if you want to, enter them in notes.)

Best practice is to enter a place name that was used at the time of the event. (I don't do that but many do.)

Best practice is to enter a women's maiden name. See most genealogical compilations.

You can magnify a Mac's screen by holding down the control key and rolling a scroll wheel up. And down to de-magnify. Also see the options in the system preferences for Accessibility under the Zoom icon in the sidebar.

etc.

Again, sorry that PAWriter didn't work out for you.

Best regards,
Howard