INSTALL.TXT: Installation instructions for Geni
===============================================

This file gives instructions on how to install Geni onto your Psion 3a,
3c, Siena or Acorn Pocketbook II. If you have not done so yet please
look at the README.TXT file. If you are a registered user of an earlier
version of Geni please read UPGRADE.TXT for details on how to stop Geni
from losing your registration details.

For many users Geni is the first piece of third-party software which
they have installed on their machine. I have tried to make the
instructions as simple as possible but you should make sure you have
looked at the PsiWin manual (or the equivalent for non-PC users)
before continuing any further. In particular look at the sections
which describe how to transfer files to your Psion.


Notes
=====

For clarity I will refer to your desktop computer as a PC and your
transfer program as PsiWin. The procedures are exactly the same for
Apple Macintosh users with PsionLink/MacConnect/PsiMac; users of other
computers should be okay as well.

I also refer to the term "directory" into which files are placed on
your Psion. Windows and Macintosh users may be more familiar with
the friendlier term "folder" which means the same thing.


Preparation
===========

1. Make sure your Psion and desktop computer are switched on and that they
   are connected together. Also make sure that the remote link on your Psion
   is switched on. Refer to the PsiWin manual for more details if necessary.

2. If your Psion does not have a \APP directory then create one. Again
   you should refer to the PsiWin manual or your Psion manual for instructions
   on how to do this.

3. Make sure you have a GEDCOM file - either use GENIDEMO.GED which comes
   with Geni or, better still, use your desktop genealogy program to create
   one with your own family tree in it.


Installing Ged2Geni
===================

Ged2Geni is the program which converts GEDCOM files into Geni databases.
Before you can use Geni you must install and run Ged2Geni - after that
you can remove Ged2Geni and the GEDCOM file from your Psion. The instructions
for installing Geni itself are given after this section.

1. Create the following directories on your Psion:

   \APP\GED2GENI
   \GED

2. Copy these files onto your Psion:

   GED2GENI.OPA into \APP\

3. If you have accented characters in your database you should copy
   one (or both) of the following files into \APP\GED2GENI\

   MAC.TBL   for GEDCOM produced by an Apple Macintosh
   WIN95.TBL for GEDCOM produced by a Windows PC

   If your GEDCOM comes from a DOS, Windows NT or a Psion computer
   you don't need to do anything - Ged2Geni understands their accented
   characters automatically.

4. On the system screen of your Psion, choose the "Install" option from
   the "Apps" menu. Use the left or right arrow keys until "Ged2Geni" is
   visible and then press ENTER. A strange icon divided into two parts
   along the diagonal will appear.

5. Copy your GEDCOM file from your PC into \GED on your Psion. The name
   of the file should now appear under the Ged2Geni icon - if it doesn't
   you should press the System button on your Psion.

Ged2Geni is now installed - refer to TUTORIAL.TXT and MANUAL.TXT to see
out how to use it. To uninstall Ged2Geni you should delete the file
\APP\GED2GENI.OPA and the directory \APP\GED2GENI\ along with its contents.
You should also delete \GED and its contents.


Installing Geni
===============

Geni is the main program. Before you can use it you must create a database
using Ged2Geni. The installation instructions for that program are given
in the previous section. To install Geni you should: 

1. Create the following directories on your Psion:

   \APP\GENI
   \GENI

   If \GENI already exists then you don't need to create it.

2. Copy the following files onto your Psion:

   GENI.OPA into \APP\
   GENI.HLP into \APP\GENI\

3. On the system screen of your Psion, choose the "Install" option from
   the "Apps" menu. Use the left or right arrow keys until "Geni" is
   visible and then press ENTER. The Geni icon consists of a stylised
   family tree with the word "Geni" in big letters underneath.

5. If you haven't done so already, use Ged2Geni to create a Geni database.
   The name of the database should be displayed under the Ged2Geni icon -
   if it doesn't then press the System button.

Geni is now installed - refer to TUTORIAL.TXT and MANUAL.TXT to find
out how to use it. If you decide that you don't like Geni and want to
remove it from your Psion you should delete the file \APP\GENI.OPA and
the directory \APP\GENI\ along with its contents. You should also delete
the Geni database by removing \GENI and all its contents.


Have You Installed Everything Correctly?
========================================

If you have installed Ged2Geni and Geni at the same time you should find
the directory structure on your Psion looks something like the following
(with my comments in <>):

   \
      APP\
         GED2GENI\
            MAC.TBL
            WIN95.TBL
         GENI\
            GENI.HLP
         GED2GENI.OPA
         GENI.OPA
         <any other files already in \APP>
      GENI\
         <to hold your converted database>
      GED\
         <your gedcom goes in here>
      <other top-level directories e.g. DAT\, WRD\ etc.>

Note that you don't need MAC.TBL or WIN95.TBL for Ged2Geni to work
so don't worry if you haven't installed them. Also, if you have used
Ged2Geni or Geni already you may find extra files inside \APP\GENI
and \APP\GED2GENI. This is perfectly normal.


Saving Memory
=============

Not everyone will have enough memory to install Geni as described 
above so this section gives some hints and tips on how to solve this
problem. Firstly just install Ged2Geni, use it to convert your GEDCOM
into a Geni database and then delete Ged2Geni and the GEDCOM file. 
Now install Geni on its own.

If you have Flash or RAM SSDs then you can install Ged2Geni and Geni 
on these instead of the internal drive. Repeat the steps described
in the installation sections but use whichever drive you want. You
can even split the distribution over two disks provided the path names
are the same. For example you might have \APP\GED2GENI.OPA on drive A
with \APP\GED2GENI\WIN95.TBL on the internal drive if it makes you happy!

If you are really desparate to save disk space you can delete on-line help
file GENI.HLP: if you do this then context-sensitive help will still work
but choosing "Help" from the "Help" do nothing.


Large GEDCOM Files
==================

If your GEDCOM file is too large to fit onto your Psion then leave 
it on your desktop machine. Read the PsiWin or PsiMac manuals for
instructions on how to get your Psion to access the hard disk of your
desktop machine. Users of Apple Macs may have a program called McLink.

To achieve this properly you will need to read your Psion manual to 
see how to load files on other drives. Basically you press the TAB key
when on the system screen or at a file selection dialog and then press
the left or right arrow keys to change drives. Locate the desired file
and then press ENTER to select it.

Ged2Geni can also read GEDCOM files across the link in this way and will
write the Geni database back across the link if told to do so. Geni
can also read the database across the link. It is possible to take
this to the extreme and install and run both Geni and Ged2Geni over
the remote link - only the hidden preferences files were stored on
the Psion!


Using Your PC To Speed Things Up
================================

If you own a PC or have access to a PC emulator for your desktop
computer then why not try the Psion 3a emulator? This is a program
written by Psion themselves to help software developers try out their
programs before they get near a real Psion.

The advantage is that the speed of the latest PCs is enough to
drastically reduce the time taken for Ged2Geni to convert your GEDCOM
into a Geni database. For many users this might not be a problem but
if you have more than about 1000 people in your database this option
could be a real time saver. As a rough guide, a 1500 person database
can be converted in about 20 seconds on a 200MHz Pentium. Compare this
with about 30 minutes on the Psion itself (an hour using the 3Link?)!

To obtain the Psion PC emulator you should visit the Geni home page
for a link to a suitable download site. Users without Internet access
should contact the author for more details.

Note that if you own a PowerMac or RiscPC it should be possible to
run the Psion emulator inside a PC emulator! Obviously there will
be some degradation in speed but I'm sure it will be faster than the
Psion itself.

  ===============================================================
   (c) Martin N Dunstan  (mnd@dcs.st-and.ac.uk)  March 20th 1998
  ===============================================================
