PHPGedView is web-based, which means that you’ll need either a webserver, or PHPGedView hosting.  The good news is that once it’s set up, it’s yours.  You can allow relatives or friends to log in and add their own information.

The interface is terrible, though.  Simple operations are often complicated and require multiple popup windows.  The code is outdated and excessive, and because of this the software is slow and difficult to use. The menus are poorly organized, and all the themes are equally unattractive.

Despite it’s flaws, though, PHPGedView is one of the best options available for serious genealogy researchers. Having your genealogy info online makes it easy to work on multiple computers, and it’s easy to make sure that a website has the most current info (as opposed to trying to figure out which computer has the newest version of a Microsoft Word file).  And although it’s complex and ugly, most other genealogy is too.

I find the Hourglass chart to be the most useful part of PHPGedView.  It shows a person’s descendants and ancestors, and lets you easily expand the chart.

If you’re an advanced user, PHPGedView is a great research tool, although there’s a lot of room for improvement.  Casual users should probably stick with something like Ancestry.com.