Ancestral Quest

What works

• Ancestral Quest 15.0.19 Registered Windows download and install.
• Loads data file with over 2,758 individual and 1,813 marriage records quickly. Backing up, 
• Database re-sort very fast. Moving up and down the pedigree tree is 3x faster than FamilySearch online. Still has the Windows 95 graphical User interface look. 
• Printing 51 page cascade pedigree report to a LAN printer. 
• Sub-windows: add, edit, selection, search, relationship calculator, compare/merge databases, database check/repair, merge individuals and help.
• FamilySearch sub-windows; login, Link my record, View my person in Family Search, Check for changes, import family lines
  Note: the latter only works when there are no parents attached to the selected individual. This is an undocumented feature, only mentioned in the site FAQ
• All tool bars.

What does not

• FamilySearch > Review/Sync Individual... which opens the "Review and Selectively Synchronize FamilySearch Person with Local Individual" window.

  The program attempts to load a side by side comparison of the details in the FamilySearch record with the details in the Ancestral Quest record in the lower window of the "Link [name] with FamilySearch" window. 

  The information displays for only a moment then slides to the left and disappears completely.

  A similar side by side window displays when using Tools > Merge > Merge [local] Individuals but it functions normally, including the ability to re-order and match entries.

  The spreadsheet style listing of possible matches with minimal details in the upper window functions as expected.
  

  Once the match is checked and [Link] is clicked the information in the two files are synced.
  

  
  

Workarounds

The only work around I could discover for the "Link [name] with FamilySearch" window is:

checking the checkbox a match of the matching FS person row, using only the information in the upper window section, 

or If unsure:

1. Note the xxxx-xxx FS ID indicated in the upper window section table.
2. Close the "Link [name] with FamilySearch" window
3. Open a FamilySearch Search in a browser
4. Search using the xxxx-xxx FS ID indicated in the upper window section table.
5. Comparing the detail in the browser individual record display with
6. Check the checkbox of the matching FS person row.
7. Click [Link] 

The information in the two files are then synced. 

Note: Have installed and run under Oracle VM VirturalBox As a Windows 10 guest on my Ubuntu 18.04.1 Host. 

The up side is that Syncing with FamilySearch and use of the hints is seamless and for this amateur genealogist impressive. The downside is VirturalBox fills the swap and is constantly running the hard disk on my 2 GiB RAM machine. Because of this I am only using VirturalBox when needing this particular feature and WINE for all else. 

This dual installation of Ancestral Quest requires keeping the database in a folder like /home/user/Public [The name is arbitrary] VirturalBox accesses this folder as a drive E:/. I do backups from each session on an external drive which both can access. Ancestral Quest locks the database when in use, but allows both WINE and VirturalBox sessions to open it but only one to write to it. Once the other tries a long string of Database Error Popups is the result.

To avoid this situation you can keep both Ancestral Quests open, but be sure to close the database in one before opening it in the other.

Will re-test with each new WINE update.

What was not tested

• Internet and Collaborate menus
• Scrapbook
• Publish a family book

Hardware tested

Graphics:

• GPU: Intel
• Driver: open source

Additional Comments

Operating System Version

• Kernel: Linux 4.18.0-21-generic (x86_64)
• Version: #22~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Thu May 16 15:07:19 UTC 2019
• GNU C Library / (Ubuntu GLIBC 2.27-3ubuntu1) 2.27
• Distribution: Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS

Computer

• Processor:  Intel(R)  Core(TM) i5 CPU M 580 @ 2.67GHz
• Memory:  3834MB (2522MB used)
• Machine Type: Notebook