GEDCOM. You hear it mentioned in sentences like "If it doesn't have GEDCOM support, don't buy it" and "The latest GEDCOM specifications can be found on my Web site at..." and "Feel free to download my 60,000 name GEDCOM." Many people new to computers (and some old hands as well) are confused -- is GEDCOM a file, or a specification?

Actually, it's both! GEDCOM is the acronym for GEnealogy Data COMmunication, and was created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to allow genealogy data to be exchanged between different types of software. GEDCOM specifications consist of rules for encoding information such as name, dates, locations, relationships, and events. Currently, the latest version of GEDCOM is 5.5, but new standards are being worked on.