Just been thinking about the problems noted above and while i am not a programmer byany stretch of the imagination, I think I have a solution that a programmer could make a reality.I have my entire family tree on one page. I can navigate it very easily, but others look at it, smile politely and say they are glad they arent doing it. So I don't realy need to merge different parts of my family as such.
However, I do receive data from family members around the world as well as people who are not certain if they are related or not. I, like many I am sure, receive this data as genopro files, gedcom files, fax trees, fax databases, etc, etc. You all know the story.
I always end up setting up a second tree to check it through before I put it on my tree. I then have to go through the process of transferring information, one person at a time. Often, the information I have conflicts with the information I received.
My thoughts are that if i were to build up the second section of tree, could it be imported into my primary tree as an 'overlap' that can be edited?
Eg: my family is DL, EL, HL, CL, ML, CL, SL. If I created a second tree with the same names, and then imported it as an overlap, I would see all of the names in my primary tree highlighted in one colour as well and any new names in another.
To resolve confilicts, I double click on the name and it comes as an edit screen showing old and new data in different highlights so that it can be edited.
As each name is edited and the screen closed, the data is absorbed into the primary tree and the name returns to its normal colour format.
Using the same principles, the fellow who had several people working on different parts of the tree can easily update what ever is sent to him without having to get stressed.
Hope this idea helps.