Ancestor+

Ancestor+

Preface

History

Ancestry I was written by Graham Crow some years ago, and marketed by Minerva. It was extremely popular, but as it was a single-tasking program, written in the days of the Arthur operating system, when RISC-OS arrived a new desktop program was needed. Graham began work on this, but Minerva rejected it, and chose a different approach from another programmer. This was released as Ancestry II.

Ancestry II was not much liked, perhaps because many users had become used to Ancestry I and didn't like the new style. In 1997 it was pointed out to Graham that there wasn't a good genealogical program for RISC OS computers, so he decided to revive his original replacement for Ancestry I. As the name Ancestry II had already been used by Minerva, he named the new program Ancestry+.

Ancestry+ was first demonstrated, in an unfinished state, at the Wakefield show in 1998, and there was an enthusiastic response from people who saw it. It had been Graham's hope that the program would be ready in time for the Acorn Southeast Show at the end of June of that year, but, tragically, he died suddenly and unexpectedly before he completed it.

APDL had been associated with Graham by selling and co-operating with him over some of his other programs, notably the Desktop Suite, MenuBar, Worktop and Tiger. While he was working on Ancestry+ he had expressed the wish that APDL would distribute it, so after his death we agreed to finish the program and market it.

Just before the program was released Minerva Systems declared that they owned the name 'Ancestry' in all it's permutations and threatened legal action if it was released with that name. To avoid this, and the ensuing aggravation whatever the outcome, we decided to alter the name (slightly) to Ancestor+. This should not be regarded as acknowledgement of Minerva Systems claim to sole ownership of the word Ancestry as applied to computer software, for which they have offered no evidence.

Current state and future development

Graham intended to release Ancestry+ as a direct replacement for Ancestry I, and then to develop a new program, provisionally titled Ancestry III, which would have had many additional features. Ancestor+ now has all the functions that Graham intended for Ancestry+ and many more. However, it is a fact that no program is ever really finished, it just gets less 'unfinished'. We shall continue to improve and add functions to Ancestor+. It is not intended that Ancestry III will ever exist as a separate program, but that Ancestor+ will acquire all the functions that Graham had specified for it. What additions and the priority given to the work will largely depend upon feedback from users, and how difficult it will be to add the suggested features to the present program.

Conventions

The conventions used in this Manual are those normally used to describe RISC-OS programs. It is assumed the user is familiar with these and their computer.

The Left, Middle and Right mouse buttons are referred to as SELECT, MENU and ADJUST respectively. A phrase like 'click MENU over the window' would mean 'position the mouse pointer over the window referred to and press the middle mouse button'. 'Double-click' means press the mouse button twice in rapid succession.

When describing items on menus Link > Partner would mean slide off the item 'Link' on the menu described to display a sub-menu from which you should select the item 'Partner'.

Hardware requirements

Ancestor+ can be used on any RISC-OS computer with a minimum 1Mb of memory and RISC-OS 3.1 or better. A hard disc is not essential as Ancestor+ will work perfectly from floppy disc, but although the program itself does not require a hard disc, and most databases will fit easily on even an 800K floppy, the amount of material that can be accumulated about the subjects will be limited, especially if you only have an 800K drive. For serious work a hard disc is therefore recommended.

Disclaimer

The software and manual, including any additional support programs, are provided 'as is' with no warranty or guarantee as to fitness for purpose, express or implied. APDL offers no warranty concerning security of data entered into this program or the accuracy of results of calculations and reports produced by the program.

The software at all times remains the property of Graham Crow's estate and David Holden of APDL. The 'purchase price' paid grants the purchaser a non exclusive license to use of the software and does not grant any other rights. Unless specified otherwise this is for use on a single computer.

In the event of any problems or queries, please contact -

A.P.D.L., 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN
Phone: 020 8778 2659 - Web site: apdl.co.uk

Telephone is the preferred method of communication for problems, it's the only way of holding a proper conversation. Invariably when people email I need to ask for more information or the answers are in the manual or the problems has been fixed. Please don't send long, involved e-mails unless other means are impractical.

Licence to Use and Copy

Ancestor+ is � David Holden and Graham Crow. No part of the program or the documentation may be reproduced or copied without the prior written permission of APDL except as specifically described below. You are permitted to make copies of the program for backup purposes. The normal licence for use is for a single user on a single machine. Multi-user and site licenses are available.

Every copy of Ancestor+ has a file called 'Register' in the User sub-directory of the !Ancestor+ application directory. This file contains the registration details of the user. Removing this file causes the program to revert to the 'demonstration' version which may be freely distributed, subject to certain conditions, as follows

You may only distribute copies of the program which do not have a 'Register' file in the User directory and which display a start-up banner limiting the maximum number of People and Families.
You must include a copy of the RoyalFam database with its Resources directory.
You must include a copy of the text version of this manual.
No part of the program or documentation may be altered in any way or abridged.
The purpose of this Licence to Copy is to enable a user to give a restricted copy of the program to a prospective user so that they can try the program before purchasing. Any action which implies or leads such a person to believe that they have any rights to use the program other than for such evaluation would be deemed as outside of this Licence, and hence a breech of Copyright.

Any distribution of the program outside of these conditions will be regarded as a Breach of Copyright, and appropriate action taken.

Updates

Updated versions of Ancestor+ will be available from FTP sites and will always be posted on the APDL web site. This will normally appear as the restricted 'demo' version, but will be converted into the 'fully registered' version when you place your Register file in the User sub-director. Removing the Register file makes the program revert to the demo version.

Updated manuals

The latest version of the manual will be available from the APDL web site as a text file. As Ancestor+ is developing rapidly the printed manual supplied with your copy may get out of date. You can obtain a replacement if you return the original manual with �1 (preferably in stamps) to cover return postage and a self-addressed label. You must return your original manual to obtain a replacement. Overseas users should send payment for return postage, �1.50 Europe, �2 elsewhere.

APDL