Buyer beware: why dazupu asked for my database?

Posted: November 2, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Action |Leave a comment »

In early October when I was shopping for a new home (software) to move because I wanted to get out of Family Tree Maker that I’ve been using since 2003. Geni has very clean look/feel to it but I wasn’t too impressed (no particular reason – won’t accommodate Chinese names mainly .. ), when the same friend who suggested Geni mentioned dazupu that uses PGV, I did just that. I checked it out. The site runs very slow and not well organized: 乱乱哄哄地 in noisy disorder. When I found an US phone number on one of the pages I decided to give it a try. Peter Huang (中华大族谱协会理事长, 黄秉聪), one of the founders answered on the second ring.
I was very thrilled, interrupting him numerous times and he couldn’t wait to explain to me what his organization is all about. We both were excited.
One of the six founders of the site, four are in IT.
They ran seminars in China, training people to use PGV. Those trainees would go out and charge a fee [he mentioned a specific figure but I don’t remember now] to train other users. During one of their meetings held in China, Peter proudly said that the creator of PGV John Finley called from his home in USA [couldn’t be there due to having a child (?) sorry perhaps I didn’t have my hearing aid, so not too sure].
Yuan Shikai’s granddaughter [or ?] gave him/them her family tree and they’ve updated it
..
..
I explained my problems or expectations:

1. Most of all, I want the application/software to have separate fields accommodating zi 字, hao 号, etc.
2. The Alias field from FTM became junk in PGV
3. Built-in lunar calendar/Gregorian convertor

At end of our hour long conversation, he said he’ll give me permission to look at Yuan Shikai’s family tree (there’s at least one marriage between the Yuans and my branch), and I should add him to mine too.
That was Oct 6, 2011.
Oct 7:

Irene,
May I have an user name and password in order to visit your site?
Peter

I added him immediately. Few emails later, he asked to be added as Admin:

GEDCOM 是PGV和目前许多谱系软件通用的记录谱系资料的文件如您需要我帮助，可能要从您的系统上下载给我看看，或把我的户口改为Adm，让我进去处理。我的Dinner Time 是19：00-20：00.
Peter

I granted him the right. He went in and made name change, asking me if this was what I wanted.

Hmmmm … Not really! What I wanted is to have a solution for zi, hao, etc. Not superficial change. Actually I had it all worked out already – users in the forum were very helpful and patient to help me.

Oct 9,

Hi Peter, did you download my family tree? Have you figured out if there is a way to import Chinese properly from FTM into PGV? Thank you.

I heard nothing from him. I didn’t feel very good about someone have a run with my very private data, like inviting a stranger into my home and suddenly s/he just disappear inside my home. I wanted to truck him down.

Oct 11,

Hi Peter,
I haven’t heard back from you and don’t know if you’ve downloaded my family tree data. If you did, please delete it completely from your computer or anywhere that you’ve uploaded or distributed. This database is very private, I do NOT wish to have it distributed and or used in anyway, privately or publicly. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

He finally replied

Irene,
Sorry for late respond. I have not check my Emails for couple of days because I was busy on others tasks during last weekend.
I did not do any more works on your case yet since last Friday.
I will delete your file completely from my computer if I can’t resolve your problem this week.
Please remove my account in your system also.
Hope you will find solution to resolve the problem.
Peter

Oct 12

Irene，
我已完全刪除您的資料，只提取了其中這一小段做研究—我已下載了NJ Star。
如您認為連研究也不必，請即告知。我們不會強人之難的。更不會用您的資料。
我花那麼多時間為您回答問題都只是為您好，只是應您所求。相信您不會誤解。
記得請刪除我的戶口。我不會再進入您的網站。
如您也不再進我們的網站，我們當作相應處理。包括袁世凱的族譜。
歡迎您需要的時候回來DZP。再次看看我們網上的提示語

I did visit YSK’s tree once but it didn’t seem to be carefully noted, lacking citation, a far cry from the few family trees that I’ve seen. Beside, YSk’s genealogy is all over the internet. The details of the son who married into my family is very limited, I had more on him – granted, maybe the lady who gave Peter the tree isn’t the direct descendants.

Oct 16, 2011

Peter,
If you have any luck with the importation, pls let me know, I can (or you can) share it on the PGV forum. It’ll benefit anyone who seeks the answer. Thanks.
Irene

I haven’t heard from him since.

Over all, my brief experience dealing with Peter and dazupu wasn’t a good one, very disappointing. He didn’t understand my two problems, which didn’t require the solver to be inside my private database, did it? Adding zi and hao is on the developer side, and the importation should be rest on the Family Tree Maker instead my private database?

其实我的俩个问题都不需要他们进入我的数据库: 加添字,号等等是不需要进我的网站, 输进输出乱码是不是应该去FTM 找答案? 大族谱为什么不仅要全权进入我的数据库，下载我的数据放在他们的电脑上?

I really didn’t understand why did he need to have full access to my data, and copied it into his computer? Throughout my troubling days learning to use PGV, all the people in the forum never ever asked to have that kind of access.

I would assume if they’ve big plan, have a committee, charging fees off a free ware, etc. shouldn’t they be one of the developers of the project? Am I the only one demanding or dreaming of having the zi and hao fields? You can’t be serious?!

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