Supported Software

So I'm a brand new Tech Specialist in my Stake and I find out that waiting for me are eight new computers for our Family History Library. So I got them all unboxed and set up with the standard software suite. The first thing the users did was complain that the new computers didn't have Irfan Viewer, which I find out is an image processing software. I see that on the software list is Xn_View - which looks to be a tool with similar capabilities. While I'd prefer to stick to the supported tools, I'm still new to this so I don't know whether or not to go ahead and install Irfan Viewer on the PC's as an alternative or just tell the users to refer to the new user guide for Xn View (which the installer conveniently places on the desktop and which has the Family Search logo on it). The FHC leader has been very supportive and was disappointed in the users criticism and is willing to proceed in either direction.

Thoughts?

From the Family History Center Operations Guide:

You may install other software products helpful for family history research. If there is a cost, it must come from your operating budget.

The TOS for IrfanView indicates it's free for libraries.

I would lean towards using the pre-installed software – it will be easier to support if it's FamilySearch-endorsed, and will require less setup with updates, etc. – but I don't know enough about their feature sets to know if there are compelling reasons (beyond habit) for choosing one or the other.

For what it's worth, though, IrfanView is a lot more powerful that the built-in Windows image viewer (especially if you install the plugins), and it does seem to be a popular choice as far as locally-installed software goes. It's true that FS won't support it, but that just means it's all on you if you want to get it installed and running.