2014-08-20 FamilySearch removes GEDCOM specifications

FamilySearch removes own standard from own site

FamilySearch has, without any warning, unceremoniously removed the GEDCOM 5.5 and 5.5.1 specifications from their site.

broken links

The FamilySearch GEDCOM 5.5 and 5.5.1 specifications used to be available from the FamilySearch site, and several of my articles linked to their page for the GEDCOM specifications. A few days ago, I noticed that FamilySearch has broken these links.

FamilySearch GEDCOM page gone

FamilySearch has, without any warning, unceremoniously removed the GEDCOM 5.5 and 5.5.1 specifications from their site.
I have googled for another page anywhere on their site containing the GEDCOM specs, but there doesn't seem to be one. I have also tried downloading the files directly, but that does not work either. FamilySearch has not just removed their GEDCOM page, they have also removed the GEDCOM 5.5 and GEDCOM 5.5.1 specifications themselves.

FamilySearch GEDCOM 5.5 gone

The older URL https://devnet.familysearch.org/docs/gedcom/gedcom551.pdf redirects to https://familysearch.org/developers/docs/gedcom/gedcom55.pdf, and that URL worked until the file was removed.

FamilySearch GEDCOM 5.5.1 gone

The older URL https://devnet.familysearch.org/docs/gedcom/gedcom551.pdf redirects to https://familysearch.org/developers/docs/gedcom/gedcom551.pdf, and that URL worked until the file was removed.

New developers need access to the GEDCOM specifications just as much as existing developers who already downloaded them.

outrageous

For better or worse, GEDCOM 5.5.1 is the de facto standard for the industry, and will remain the standard for many years to come. However sloppy the GEDCOM specifications are, these specifications are the industry standard. New developers need access to the GEDCOM specifications just as much as existing developers who already downloaded them.

The GEDCOM specifications are part of the industry. Even if there was a good replacement for GEDCOM, even if GEDCOM was distant a memory, these documents would still have historical signficance, and occasionally be needed for some research.

FamilySearch has bluntly stopped providing these specifications. This is outrageous behaviour for an organisation that still longs to be a standard-setter in our industry.

specifications

I've collected several FamilySearch GEDCOM specification together on the FamilySearch GEDCOM Specifications page.
The FamilySearch GEDCOM Specifications page provides not only the GEDCOM 5.5 and GEDCOM 5.5.1 specifications, but also the much harder to find GEDCOM 5.3 specification, the GEDCOM 5.6 specification including GEDXML, and two different GEDCOM XML specifications.

updates

2014-08-21: GEDCOM 5.4

FamilySearch GEDCOM Specifications includes the GEDCOM 5.4 specification now.

2014-08-29: deleted months ago

There are three revisions dated 2014 Mar 20 to Wikipedia's GEDCOM article. The first revision notes that links (to the GEDCOM specifications) were dead now, and therefore removed from the article. A second revision added links to FamilySearch GEDCOM X pages, and removed a link to the GEDCOM Specification Future Direction document; a second less prominent link to that document remained.

2014-08-30: FamilySearch GEDCOM page

When FamilySearch removed the GEDCOM resources from their site, they were hoping no one would notice. In response to this article, and the creation of the FamilySearch GEDCOM Specifications page, which offers more GEDCOM specifications, FamilySearch has created a new GEDCOM download page at the old location. There is no word how long that page will remain available, and other GEDCOM resources are still missing.

FamilySearch GEDCOM page 2014