I wrote the article in question so glad it helps.

You don't have to wait to install Ubuntu before using GRAMPS, try the Linux Genealogy Desktop CD — an Ubuntu based Live CD which has GRAMPS, GeneWeb and Lifelines installed.

Ryan

When you embark on family tree research (the software is largely secondary to this issue) there is always a risk of finding something you’d rather not know.

I know of a few cases where things like illegitimacy and “marriages” that were not in previous generations (who are still alive) have emerged following family tree research. Of course there’s also the risk that you find out your are descended from unsavoury characters as well.

In my own family research we thought we had discovered that my great grand-parents married after the birth of my grandmother but further (lengthy) research revealed we were looking at two very similar but different families. The risk is there and as with anything you simply have to calculate how far you want go with it. It’s also important to not react too quickly when you find something as I have indicated above.

With regards this:

what would happen if you saw two family members were related, would people start wondering how to save your marriage or start looking for counselors or lawyers.

Assuming you mean two married family members, then the legal issue is really only if they are siblings. In many countries anything more distant is still legal and only causes problems if it continues down many subsequent generations. Family tree research will not always be the catalyst to highlight this kind of occurrence anyway.