Doug, I know only 2 people on this list of 1100+ that use Brother's Keeper (BK).
Ten years ago you checked out programs? Ten?? Um, isn't that kind of like still being on Windows Me? Was Windows XP out in 2003? Gedcom is an old, archaic format. Kind of like doing BASIC programming. I don't think BASIC is used anymore. The Mormon church developed the Gedcom format in the 1980s. It got up to version 5.5 (which is what is in everyone's genealogy software programs now). I think it was about the year 2000 when they were talking about Gedcom v. 6.0, but it never went anywhere (I'd have to pull my notes for the exact dates...this is part of my Gedcom speech that I give). So we are all stuck with this archaic format. I know TMG (The Master Genealogist) and RootsMagic developed their own proprietary software to handle file transfers between the different software programs. Legacy may have done this too. But no software company who is in competition with the others will buy each others file transfer software, so we can all be standardized. Nope, they all have to have their own. I have my program set to cap the surname. I checked and the Gedcom drops that. But that's dealing with a Gedcom viewer. If I imported someone's genealogy via a Gedcom, I'd just tell my program to cap all the surnames and then I'd merge it with mine. I don't use "about." I use circa. But it doesn't matter, because the Gedcom reads that as "abt." It's the way the formatting works. So after importing a Gedcom, I just have my program change it to circa. Just a couple of mouse clicks and no big deal. I have a date of 4 Feb 17?? The Gedcom import has 4 Feb 17?? It just reads the field. If you use the fields for their intended purposes, there isn't any problem. It's when users decide not to use their programs properly that creates havoc. A Ref Number field is a standard thing in Gedcom. I believe it wants numbers. So if you go typing in junk, then output it, it will come back with really, really strange things. You are not programming the Ref field correctly. You need to use a Note, Memo, or Anecdote field to write "pai incognito" or whatever. It displays as a note, exports as a note, and comes back in clean as a note (or memo or anecdote or whatever that field is called). And if you can't see your note, memo, or anecdote field on your screen, then it may be time to upgrade your program to something more modern that shows you everything at your fingertips. If you have 2 separate occupation fields (I think I've seen this one in Gedcom - I think it's just OCCU) then it will export 2 separate occupation fields and reimport 2 occupations. Do a test. Find some ancestors with question marks after the dates, the "about," and some with a couple of occupation tags/events. And with your Ref Number. Tell your program to do a File > Export. Export it as a Gedcom. Call it Test.ged. Then start a new family, project, or tree and have Brother's Keeper import your Test.ged. Then you can look and see how you are programming BK to talk to the Gedcom. Then you need to figure out how to make BK play nicely with Gedcom. My ancestor from yesterday...Maria Julia/de Jesus/Joaquina...the Gedcom exports and imports her name as Maria Julia\de Jesus\Joaquina. It flipped the slash. And the name that I typed as Fer_ goes out and comes back in as Fer_. But I have a date as 28 Jun/Jul 1872. The Gedcom doesn't like that and it comes back in screwy (guess I should take another look at that record and clear that up if I can). Gedcom is not going to go away. We are stuck with it, whether we like it or not. So you have to have clean entries in your genealogy program so the Gedcom can read them. It may not be the way you like it, but life is like that. My dad's DNA matches can see his tree and I'd say it's about 95% clean. Most entries make sense. A couple are screwy (the date with the double month above), but everything else comes through real clean. However, I use my program for it's intended purposes. I use the date fields for dates and the place fields for places. I think the only made up thing I have is a dispensation event/tag. But I coded that to the Note/Memo/Anecdote in Gedcom since Gedcom does not have a programming code for that. And that will come through clean and another Portuguese researcher will most likely know what that is. I'd recommend that anyone who wants to substitute one event/tag for another do it only once and then check it out with the Gedcom import/export and see what it does. Most genealogy programs have user groups (in person or via a list) that can tell you how they handle a particular event when Gedcom doesn't seem to handle it all that well. Cheri -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. 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