KUGIG HISTORY, PURPOSE AND PROCEDURES by Alice Petersen After taking early retirement from teaching due to asthma, I intended to pursue my interest in genealogy. After a couple of years the allergy to library dust and on the papers I had collected forced me to curtail my library work and consider a computer for storage of collected material. In November of 1982 I bought a KPII and after taking two weeks to find the colon, the absence of which meant I couldn't get into B: drive I fell in love with the little bugger. As I sat there trying to figure out how to use the software that came bundled with the KP for genealogy (because back in those dark ages there was no program for genealogy in CP/M, as least not in Kaypro format) I wondered if there were other genealogists tapping away with Perfect Filer trying to create a database to do our thing. So I submitted an article the KUGRAM offering to share what I had learned, if other members would send me five disks (P. Filer then had to have each db on a separate disk) and return postage. I must have sent out 60 to 80 sets of those first five disks during the spring and summer of 1983. In late summer I began to get some new ideas on how to tame P. Filer, that is I could get material out of a database into a Family Group Sheet. So now I could make lists, create a Family Sheet, get material into word processing all from one entry into a P. Filer database and I figured out how to get it into a Pedigree Chart on P. Calc, but it required creating and merging some 60+ files for an eight generation chart and I just couldn't cope with that repetition. Can you imagine keeping track of 500 different disks from 100 different in your living room? I couldn't so I knew the time had come to buy disks myself and send out to interested individuals at cost. I set the fee for a years membership at $25.00 and guaranteed four disks in the next year and printed newsletters as necessary to keep the news flowing. Members were to send in the applications as they created them, I would put them together, copy and mail out the disks. At this time we were all learning at about the same level of computer knowledge so instructions on disks didn't need to be extensive. I settled on a schedule of Feb, May, Aug and Nov for disks to be mailed and April, July, and October for mailing of printed newsletter. This in hopes of giving me a three month respite from middle of November to Feb to recover and do some programming myself. The growth of the group has limited my creating applications but others do a fantastic job and as long as they share and I can keep the organizational work done the group will prosper. After a couple of disks had been shipped I totaled cost and realized I was loosing money on this venture and had to raise membership prices as of July 1, 1984 to $35.00. I have regretted many times going to a two disk system. But you can't imagine the confusing I was under when I was trying to help those with new KP4's use single sided disks. I was testing and writing instructions that fit with one kind of KP4 and KAYPRO was selling another kind. I'm sure many members thought I was a dummy and I surely felt like one. All that drove me to buy a KP4 myself and introduce double sided disk membership for those on KP4's and KP10's. Since I selected to use certified doubled sided disks which cost me $.50 more, formatting and copy of which take twice as long as for single sided disks, and the fuss of keeping track of two systems I choose to have two membership prices, of $35.00 and $40.00. With the advent of the UNIFORM program from Micro-Solutions I was able to format and write to most all CP/M and to PCDOS and MSDOS disks. I started offering membership to all those computers. It hasn't been a ground swell, so far we have 8 memberships other than Kaypro's , but at least we aren't keeping them out and it may grow. I now have access to MSDOS public domain software and thus they can get some public domain programs too along with genealogy ideas. I haven't pushed this aspect as we have needed to make sure the idea was working before I got many members on different computers. PURPOSE OF KUGIG-Genealogy Users Group The KUGIG name came from Kaypro Users Genealogy Interest Group, using first letter of that name. I suppose we will always have 90% Kaypro users and I will continue in my support of the KP as the computer of choice for genealogists. The price/performance of the machine for genealogy work is just outstanding. Their are good reasons for upgrading to other machines and I am sure that will happen as time goes on, but for the initial machine for genealogy I continue to recommend Kaypro and I think it will be the choice of more and more genealogist. Now due to format conversion programs, members who upgrade to other machines and to 16 bit computers do not have to "leave" the group. So the dedication to Kaypro and promotion of it as the initial genealogical computer purchase remains. One purpose that drove me was the observation of how many were going to get ripped off in this genealogical computer maze if voices of reason and information didn't yell loud enough to be heard. The result of that would be dissatisfaction with genealogical computing and thus fewer coming to the field. I saw software programs that were being sold for many $'s that weren't worth it at 20% of their price (they then reduced price to 20% and I still can't recommend the program). I also was nice guys in the field and wanted to make sure people knew about them and supported them. So a strong purpose of the group is to support the good guys and expose the turkeys. My policy is to look at everything in the field. If I review it or mention product it is at least worthy of consideration. If I think it is really a waste of time or money I probably won't mention unless it gets too much publicity and then I will knock it. I am not in this to knock people who are trying to provide service to genealogist, but also I am not going to recommend them or mention them until they get their act together. Any member that writes me a request for specific information, sends it on a sheet of paper on which I can jot answer (as I do one of my four hours of breathing treatments just after mail arrives each day) and a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) will get an immediate reply. If it requires looking up in my reference books, requires a long answer or asks "Tell me all I need to know about computers and genealogy" it will probably get put into answer mail box and maybe there for a long time. I really got into this because I enjoyed creating applications to software programs for genealogy. The growth of the group has pushed me into editing, keeping records, responding to questions, and keeping up with genealogical computing publications and organizations. I subscribe to all publications that I apply to genealogy and computing, some just for genealogy and some just for computers. I do this so I can keep up with field and pass on the necessary news to members. I won't pass on everything that would interest you but I also promise that you won't get left behind with without some really important news that a computer genealogist needs to know. So one purpose I feel strongly is to keep the most important news on its way to you can be free financially and time wise from reading all those journals. If I were to stop coordinating KUGIG tomorrow, the only publication I am sure I would continue to take is GENEALOGICAL COMPUTING. Perhaps on next disk I will give you a review of all the publication I receive. The procedures for KUGIG are really simple. Members send in their ideas, application, reviews to me on disks. I select the most widely useable ones for inclusion on newsletter disk and put additional contributions on alternate disks. As disks are created I keep members advised of new editions. I hope soon to get a description of all disks such as is included on this disk for all files on the disk. Where will we be in a year or two. Heavens only knows. I just take this one day at a time. Direction changes and we try to flow with it.