Status questionis

Genealogy has held great interest for me from my late teens on.

Active research started a couple of years ago - after retirement. I have around 6000 names in my databases. I try to document all my direct ancestors (male and female lines) as well as their respective brothers and sisters, godparents and other witnesses.
My database contains a significant number of possible doubles (for instance when I am not sure about the specific identity of a godfather/mother or another witness I create a new entry in the base).

I use the free Aldfaer software, but I am still looking for the "most" performing and reliable software available.

My furthest "documented" ancestors lived in the 12th and 13th century (I have some names in the 25th generation).

As a devoted contrarian, I must put question marks behind most lines which go beyond the 15th or 16th century : even if the surviving documentation could be proven correct, serious doubts as to the historic reality of the links may remain. It is a well know fact that in earlier times some family trees were invented to prove "noble" descent ; moreover the legal fathers were not always the natural fathers.