Mac Magic

The scarcity of Macintosh-friendly genealogy software became slightly less acute with the October debut of Heredis Mac X, a new version of the Windows program from France’s BSD Concept.

Like its Windows counterpart, Heredis Mac X features a simple program interface, with all functions accessed from the main screen. Tabs let you choose from three navigation modes: Family Tree, Personal Data (information on an individual) or Union Data (for marriages). The innovative 3-D illustrated family tree claims to assist you in understanding relationships, but it can look a little bewildering. Tech junkies, though, will appreciate the ability to “walk” among their ancestors with pivot and zoom tools.

You can enter as many individuals, photographs, data, documents, or audio and video clips as you want. A source management function allows for detailed documentation, and you can search for a particular record within the program. Other special features include publishing to the Internet and creating interactive family history CD-ROMs. Look for a full review of Heredis Mac X in the April 2004 Family Tree Magazine.