Comparison of GRanDMA OnLine
and Brother's Keeper® for Searching GRanDMA
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The GRanDMA database requires some software
to make sense of it: to search for information and make reports.
At present there are two primary, rather different, approaches available,
GRanDMA OnLine and Brother′s Keeper®. (Other software
is used by some users as well.)
Each has its own advantages.
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Overview of GRanDMA OnLine
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Overview of Brother′s Keeper®
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GRanDMA OnLine operates
entirely on the web. Both the data and the app reside at grandmaOnline.org.
You don't need to install or update either the software or the database.
The database updates are installed, usually monthly, on a shared server (the GMOL website),
so everyone sees the same information.
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Using Brother′s Keeper®
(BK), you pay for a copy of the database, download it to your computer, and search it
on your own computer with BK (or other software of your choice with a GEDCOM download.)
You can edit your copy on your computer as you wish. When you want the new information in a new version of
GRanDMA,
you must update it, but if you choose not to update, your current file never expires.
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Features of GRanDMA OnLine
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Features of Brother′s Keeper®
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- No installation of software.
- GRanDMA database is updated automatically.
- Requires the internet.
- Many ways to form searches including unique two- and three-person combinations.
- Automatically converts Mennonite names to codes for equivalent Mennonite names.
- Faster on most searches and reports.
- Keeps bookmarks and session history.
- Many reports.
- Draws maps of locations, timelines, ancestries, etc.
- Provides a navigable ancestry tree.
- Manages user-shared photographs of individuals and groups.
- Easy to share Individual Profiles with non-subscribers.
- Prints Ancestry Charts up to 15 generations.
- Runs on any computer with a browser (Windows, Macs, Chromebook, Linux).
- Follows the Mennonite Genealogy, Inc. requirement that birthdates of living persons not be displayed.
- Pay only for database access. Cost: $20 for 2 years.
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- Searches can be made without the internet.
- Requires code lookup for searching for equivalent Mennonite names.
- Has several ways to form searches.
- Many reports.
- Sometimes faster on searches and reports.
- Attaches photos to individuals.
- Prints Ancestry Charts up to 9 generations.
- Runs only on Windows (or Macs after installation of an emulator).
- Requires installation of Brother′s Keeper® software. The shareware version of BK is free; the full version costs $45.
(The shareware version of BK has most of the functionality of the full version.)
- Requires download and installation of GRanDMA database updates to stay current.
- Displays birthdates of all persons, living or not.
- Updates cost $40/2 years.
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