Genealogy Search

Review by Robin G. Sowton:

I discovered RootsMagic (v3.0) fairly recently. First, some background… I’m working with roughly 2000 names, and my goal is to research and publish the data, along with personal stories. I started with Family Tree Maker several years ago, but I didn’t like the lack of citation capabilities with that earlier version. So, I switched to The Master Genealogist (TMG) which provides great source management but has a clumsy interface. The newer release of TMG has not improved this. Because you spend a lot of time entering information, the interface needs to be fairly painless and transparent. So, then I looked at Legacy, GenBox and RootsMagic, which have the necessary functionality but are also easy to use. It was a difficult choice between Legacy and RootsMagic, but I chose RootsMagic because I felt that it had a slight edge in its source management and that this feature was comparable to The Master Genealogist.

Installation was easy. After I exported my old TMG database files to a single .gedcom file, I used RootsMagic to import it. It was fast and the data loaded quite cleanly. RootsMagic lets you import GEDCOM files, Family Origins database and backup files, and PAF database files. Also, for anyone working with LDS, you can create and read TempleReady files and handle ordinances.

The interface is easy to use and it provides three views: Pedigree, Family and Descendants. You can access an individual or family by selecting the name from a list and loading it into the views. To modify an individual’s data or relationships, you can right-click on the name (in any view or list) to access options from the popup menu. RootsMagic provides master lists for Sources, To-Do, Addresses, Repository, Correspondence, Places, and Fact types. Also, you can modify places, which contain addresses/locations, to include Latitude and Longitude coordinates, describe the history of the place, and include multimedia files (e.g., maps and photos).

Of course, this tool’s major advantage is its source management capabilities. You can assign one or more sources to an individual, a family, or an event. Whenever you create a new source, you can define the information through a Source dialog box that has multiple tabs (Source, Text, Multimedia, and Respository), and link multiple media assets to the source (e.g., photos, files, sound, and video). Also, each time you assign the source to something, you can enter descriptive text for just that specific assignment.

As you enter data into RootsMagic, the application writes to an .rmg file for which you can create multiple backups. You can also export to the GEDCOM format for easy importing into other genealogy applications. When you export, you can define what will be exported and manage privacy options. You can generate books and reports (in many different formats). You can also publish to a web format (although I don’t like the way RootsMagic outputs this). Also, I found some search capabilities to be better when they’re done through the Reporting functions. Other RootsMagic options include calculators (relationship, Soundex and Date), shareable CD creation, timelines, color-coding of individuals, and charts (including wall-sized ones).

In conclusion, do not let the lower price or the easy-to-use interface dissuade you. This application has some serious citation/source capabilities that makes it competitive with The Master Genealogist and ahead of some other similar applications.

Review by Blaine S. Nay:

I’ve tried ‘em all. This is clearly the best genealogy software I’ve used. RootsMagic is the most intuitive software on the market. My database has over 50,000 names in it and this software handles the load effortlessly and quickly. It can create very nice charts and web pages. The publisher listens to the users and continually upgrades the software to meet their needs. He stays on top of the changes being made by the LDS church’s Family History library system and updates the software to work seamlessly with the library’s systems.

Review by CHT:

Any run-of-the-mill genealogy software should be able to do at least the basic reports family researchers and professional genealogists use to some degree during almost every major session:

* register reports (descendant-ordered reports – “all descendants of”)

* ahnentafel reports (ancestor-ordered reports – “your ascending line”‘)

Family Tree Maker 2008 has now dropped these core reports they had supported throughout the past 16 versions of their software. The usefulness of the other core reports FTM 2008 still does provide, such as pedigree and descendancy charts, is significantly chilled by the near total removal of user options in designing what data elements to include in these remaining reports. Many other key features which longtime FTM users have enjoyed have also fallen by the wayside.

* Instead, FTM 2008 offers a lot of new fluff charts and reports, some of which are interesting for occasional analytical use, and some I don’t even see a real-world practical use for.

Another major show-stopper for me was that FTM 2008 has dropped the popular feature that allowed the user to produce “family books” on their own home computer, but now instead requires that such information first be uploaded to the parent company (Ancestry) with the option of then (for an additional design fee) eventually downloading and printing it out either on your own printer or through their professional press. In either case, you must first execute a waiver essentially allowing Ancestry to use your research information as they see fit. Many users may find these requirements as highly objectionable.

* Regardless, with the loss of the key reports mentioned above, I am not sure how much is left to put in a “family book” even if you could still produce one on your home computer.

* Also, all of your family books produced with previous FTM versions will now be lost.

* As for all those expensive CDs you have accumulated over the years, FTM 2008 will no longer read any CDs.

The final show-stopper for me was exceptionally poor performance:

* My copy of FTM 2008 crashed about every 8 minutes or so, requiring a cold boot to get started again. Slow install, slow loading, slow running — a perfect trifecta of poor performance.

* Even more importantly, and truly the “last straw,” was I could never get a clean upload of data from my previous version of FTM v16 to FTM 2008. Data would often be corrupted, or even missing altogether. A very large number of users have reported this same problem. I also noticed that if I did successfully do any work in FTM 2008, I could never be sure I could export it back out to a previous version so that I could do the basic reports and such which are missing in FTM 2008.

With regard to the radical new look of FTM 2008, the gee-whiz cluttered and complex new screen displays could be construed by some as a mark of sophistication or power computing, but this is all only a hollow shell if this genealogy software won’t even do the most basic register and ahnentafel genealogy reports many experienced researchers use so often.

* To be able to then effectively summarize your family research for yourself and others is the true end game of doing family research in the first place.

I view this release not as an upgrade to a new and improved FTM, but instead a very sad downward departure from the core functions FTM had consistently done so very well over the previous 16 releases. I have been an FTM user since 1998.

* Video-gamers will love this new software, but many experienced researchers will find many major disappointments.

I was so deeply disappointed that I uninstalled FTM 2008 so I could go back to FTM version 16 and once again be able to do basic genealogy reports summarizing my ongoing research.

That is why I buy genealogy software in the first place.

CHT in Virginia

Review by J. F Jones:

I had no problems loading FTM2008. But, as commented on by earlier reviewers, FTM2008 is missing MANY features already present in earlier versions of FTM without introducing any significant improvements (at least in terms of functionality). Most basic trees and reports are now gone. There is no longer an automatic backup of your data. Navigation is much worse than in earlier versions. You would think that the new version would support “grab and drag” functions for repositioning your view of trees and reports too large to fit on a single screen (almost all map programs do this now). I am returning my FTM2008 for a refund and returning to FTM16.

Review by S. J. Koblentz:

Today, I received an email from the makers of FTM who are hosting a webinare to try and get people more familiar with the FTM 2008 program. I also received a first – a survey to ask me what I liked and disliked about the program. Evidently FTM 2008 is not being embraced by enough people. For me it has been an unpleasant program to work with and I have removed it from my computer and have reverted to a much earlier version. I am not a Luddite – but if a program like FTM 2008 doesn’t work easily or make my hobby easier, then I have no time to fuss with it.

FTM 2008 is for me the Edsel of genealogy programs for two reasons. First, the developers have created a program for genealogy beginners, one that is very tightly tied to Ancestry.com’s fee based product lines accessible through their web site, and two, the developers have completely forgotten how advanced hobbyists approach family groups.

And like the dashboard of the 1958 Edsel, the user interface of FTM 2008 is full of lots of clutter, distractions and commands which seem to be counter intuitive. I would assume that for older users, this clutter would make it not only difficult to add data, but would also make those who use it yearn for Version 11, the last “plain Jane” version of the program.

What I wanted to see on this program was greater functionality in its report generator area and its ability (when exporting *.rtf reports) to better interface with standardized office productivity suites (MSWORD, etc.) – which is an issue with the core program not being updated to work with non-ancestry fee based services.

It just seems to me that with all the advances in data manipulation available today that the people behind FTM could do a better job at charting marriage between families and within families, but they seem to have a finite skill set and think that enough tinkering will distract people from the lack of innovation that their products feature.

In my personal opinion, this version of this program is not only unnecessarily complicated, and makes no real strives beyond what previous versions accomplished.

Review by Charlie C. Peterson:

This isn’t a step backward – it’s a three hour flight backwards. I’ve been using FTM products for 10 years, enjoying the improvements with most of their updated versions. Some have been minor and some have shown true innovation. Until now, none have been a step backward.

This program is a memory pig. It takes a long time to initialize – longer than any other program I run. Once up, the entire interface is new with no option to use FTM “classic” like so many other programs now permit. Processes that I have frequently performed quickly and easily in the past are now either unavailable or too complicated to figure out.

When I uninstalled the program to run FTM 9, I found that all the online support features had been disabled. So much for that. Trapped.

Online searches that used to be easy are now difficult and most require some sort of subscription, none of which are cheap.

Family Tree Maker is going to have to work hard to get my business next time. Frustrating.

Review by M. Calvo:

I am a long standing user of the Family Tree Maker genealogy program and have upgraded with each new addition that has come out. After upgrading from the FTM 16 (2006 version) to FTM 2009 several features are missing that I loved to use. The main one was the ability to create an outline genealogy report. This is why I bought the Charting Companion for Family Tree Maker. With this I am able to create the reports that I miss.

One may ask why I didn’t go back to using the FTM 16. The FTM 2009 program has so many great new features, and it would be very difficult to keep both programs up to date with genealogy information. This product allows me to have the best of both programs by bridging the gap.

Review by Ann:

ordered this in August 2009. Missed that it wasn’t compatable with the FTM 2010. Now its usless unless I buy another update.

Review by :

Finally there is an up-to-date guide to genealogy software. To boot, this one is loaded with great visuals, so you can see what you’re going to get before you buy a program. Now I don’t have to hunt down assorted reviews (which I don’t trust anyway)to find what’s best for me.

Review by KM:

I really liked this book because the author didn’t try to sell me on any one particular program, or one a certain type of software I needed. Instead she surveys all of them, and lets you make an informed decisions. There’s lots of pictures and printouts so you can *SEE* exactly what the program and reports look like before you spend your money.The book is a little dated now, but I found it still very helpful. The software reviewed is for IBMs, but there are chapters listing Macintosh software as well, and there is a chapter on utility programs that are useful to family historians. I was really pleased with this book!!

Review by C Hanson:

I have used Family Tree Maker since 1996. I was very disappointed with the 2008 version but I stuck with it because I knew it was an entirely new program and it would take time to find out what all the issues are and make the corrections. I was very glad to find out that they decided to scrap 2008 and were working on the 2009 version. I was a beta tester for 2009 and I was very impressed with how hard the staff worked to correct problems and how they were willing to listen to suggestions. One of the big problems with 2008 was the fact that it constantly crashed. Since I have been working with 2009 crashing hasn’t been an issue. Since the media files are kept in a separate file, 2009 does not take as long to open as it did in versions prior to 2008. I do know that some people still say it takes too long to open for them, so they are still working on this problem. It has been said that the charts and reports are not as good as they were in versions prior to 2008. New charts and reports have been added and more are expected to be added, but this is an area where you must be willing to “play” with the options to really see what is available. Since I had so many problems with 2008 I didn’t use the new features that were introduced, but I have tried them in 2009 and they are very useful. The web clipping feature is helpful. Please make someone aware of any issue’s or concerns that you may have with 2009. Issues do need to be prioritized so your issue may not be taken care of right away, but someone is listening to all issues.

Review by Sally Tomson:

Family Tree Maker 2009 EssentialsFamily Tree Maker 2009 PlatinumFamily Tree Maker 2009 DeluxeI was surprised that I don’t hate it. From the reviews, I thought I would. I have been using this program since the DOS days, because I am averse to change. When the new one came out, it lost most of what I used it for, so I stayed with the old one. This is my first try at the new one.

I was very pleased that it didn’t try to overwrite the old one, or store files in the same place. It meant I could try it without worrying about losing my data,

It is not user-friendly. That is the first thing I noticed. I realized that because it is a new program, it doesn’t have sixteen ways to do something, the way older programs do. It only has one, and you have to learn what that one way is. Just like the DOS version I started with. The print is vey small and hard to read, and I just today found out how to change it.

It is a good data-base. It has helped me find a number of errors I never knew I had, and to regularize entries, so the same thing is always written the same way. It has helped a lot with place names, for instance. That said, there are problems with default place names. They are alphabetical. For instance, Portland is in Multnomah County. The default is Clackamas County, because it is first in the alphabet. I looked for Iowa City, and found one in every county in Iowa, with no way to tell which was right. I can look straight at a town on the map, and find the program doesn’t recognize it.

The program has gone into a partnership with Microsoft on some of it’s features. With all the new software out there, much of it better, that might be a bad choice. There is a note that those features may drop without notice.

It is a space hog, and does crash. I could probably solve that with a new computer, but then my old program wouldn’t be available to me, and the new one just isn’t up to snuff yet. The thing I really use, regularly, is the book function. I print books almost yearly for family. This one says I can build the book on line, and still print it myself, so it is not as useless as I thought when I read that it had to be done on line, but I dno’t know how they are going to get the program on line to print the accurate index, which is essential in a family book. And, because it is only a data base, there is no place in the new program for the essays on family history, family homeland, stories, recipes, and so forth that make such books more than a list of names. The old program could keep everything together, which was nice.

I am a suspicious sort. When I saw that it would no longer work with the disks we own, but is made to work with data that they expect you to pay monthly or yearly fees for, and that they want you to pay them large amounts to publish a book, I think “greed”. After seeing the program, it is possible that it just doesn’t have space for those features. I want to be able to print a descendant chart, with a photograph of each person, the information, and then the next person. I have not yet been able to find a way to do that. It should be an obvious option.

This is not a bad program, but I think it is finally time for me to seriously investigate all the other ones out there.

I can’t run the new program satisfactorally on my current machine, and I can’t run version 16 on a new machine, so if I atick with this program, I am stuck.

Review by David Watkin:

Despite the name, this product bears no relation to previous versions of the Family Tree Maker product line. It is a brand new product, written from scratch, and does not utilize any of the old code.

Much of the functionality that was present in the previous version (FTM 16) is missing in this one, including pretty much all of the genealogy reports. Without these reports, the product is only good for data entry, and publishing on [...]. Other omissions include the ability to read the family tree CD’s that have sold alongside previous versions, and the ability to create books from your genealogy on your own computer.

To create a genealogy book, you now have to upload your data onto the [...] servers, giving them the rights to share the data as they choose, and use the new web based Ancestry Press functionality to generate your book (for an additional fee). Ancestry Press, also being new, is extremely limited and does not contain a fraction of the functionality of the old, local book creation software.

So, buyer beware. This is NOT Family Tree Maker as you know it. I would recommend treating it as a 1.0 version of a new product, and holding off on buying it until they complete the implementation of the basic functionality which is missing.

Review by J. Affolter:

I’ve been using different versions of Family Tree Maker for at least 15 years. I’ve never seen a new version go so far backwards. Gone are all the features I most often use. I can no longer make the reports or charts I use most commonly. I can’t make a book. My old books are gone. Now I guess I have to find a “pre-Vista” computer to run version 16 on if I actually want to do anything with my family tree? I predict the next version will simply be a link to the Ancestry website and nothing else…. for about 100 bucks.

If anyone can recommend a replacement program by a different maker, please e-mail me.