# Advantages, Disadvantages, and Features

### Advantages

- GEDKeeper is a freeware, open-source product with no advertisements.
- GEDKeeper supports both Linux and Windows. It is a cross-platform project—one can build a release on Linux or the Windows operating systems.
- GEDKeeper doesn't limit data size.
- Main functions are always being improved—such as the kernel which is continuously developed and tested. We always seek new ways to improve program reliability and performance.
- Wholesome conservatism for the user interface. The author does not change the GUI from version-to-version each time, following all new trends blindly.
- GEDKeeper can be easily extended: it supports scripts and plugins. Any user comfortable with programming in VB.NET or C# can create a plugin.
- GEDKeeper supports several localizations. Anyone can create a localization for the program for their native language.
- The author emphasizes maximum improvement of navigation and search over information in very big data arrays of genealogical information (filtering, search, and navigation).
- GEDKeeper does not integrate with genealogical social networks, databases, or cloud services, and never forces users to save their data to such storages.
- GEDKeeper guarantees data safety and integrity in case of possible system errors.
- You have the freedom in choosing how to process tree and pedigree images.You can export tree and pedigree pictures into a file and then perform some optional processing of the file in a third-party tool—before printing the file with the help of that tool-chain. Also, GEDKeeper provides built-in services for printing documents (which may be less flexible than specialized third-party tools).

### Features

- GEDKeeper almost completely meets the full requirements of the GEDCOM specification version 5.5.1. GEDKeeper includes a compliant European extension for storing notes and references to geographical locations with coordinates.
- GEDKeeper itself adds compliant extensions to the GEDCOM specification to store and process social groups, researches, tasks and correspondence. Most genealogical software have such extensions but unfortunately, they are all custom (non-compliant).
- GEDKeeper cannot save its database to meet the pure GEDCOM specification without using extensions.
- GEDKeeper primarily targets Russian users, therefore some functions, for example, one that handles names, are not flexible enough and could not meet requirements of non-Russian users.
- Currently GEDKeeper does not store data in a relational database. Experiments revealed that with databases having less than 500,000 person records, relational database do not give any benefits. This software will never support storing data in a commercial relational database—like MS Access or Oracle or MS SQL Server. If a relational database becomes a necessity only freeware products may be chosen—like SQLite, PostgreSQL, Firebird.
- The GEDCOM specification defines two equivalent ways to store internal references to multimedia content, notes, and sources: local storage in the form of an event object and as full-fledged records, paired to other types of records like persons and families. GEDKeeper uses only the latter, and converts, on-the-fly, any GEDCOM file when opening from an external source. This instantly makes all notes, multimedia content, and sources available for viewing and navigation, and you can see what records reference those objects.