I am a veteran PAF1 user. I have been using PAF literally since I was a baby. I did not have a computer but our Family History Center had one and it was love at first sight.
Later, I married someone who was a computer geek. We had an Amiga for years and PAF worked on it. Then progress followed, all the way up to version 5.2. But this is not an article about PAF. When FamilySearch announced that they were discontinuing PAF downloads from their website, I reinvigorated the ROOTS MAGIC ESSENTIALS ( the free version) on my desktop. I have since updated to their current version 7.
Like many genealogists, we have our "staple" data entry genealogy software and then, our prospective ones. Because PAF is gone, I am allowed to flirt with other programs out there. Roots Magic 7 exports spreadsheets so that was a determining factor for me. I also found out that you can create your own source templates.
On the RootsMagic Forum, Renee Zamora mentioned that one can create their own source templates which interests me because I use a lot of European sources that just do not cookie-cut into the templates at RootsMagic. So using Elizabeth Shown Mill's Evidence Explained2 examples, it has been an intriguing temptation to create my own.
So get a look at the templates that have been created already at this Roots Magic Homegrown Templates site and see if you like them. By the way, if you working with English records, someone has created some GRO templates already for your research.
1) Personal Ancestral File .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Ancestral_File
I, too, have transitioned from PAF to RootsMagic and have found it a challenge. RM offers so much more but then, it's so much more (if you know what I mean). It intimidated me for a while but not so much these days.
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