Software – On Granny's Trail

Conferences and workshops, Institutes, Software, Technology

A Firsthand Look at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG): Day 1 – Tech Day

Posted on January 21, 2018April 19, 2018 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Curious about what it’s like to attend a genealogy institute? Follow along as I share observations and experiences during my week at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), held annually in Salt Lake City, Utah. I touched down in Salt Lake City International Airport two days ago and have already begun my adventure. Continue reading “A Firsthand Look at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG): Day 1 – Tech Day” →

Software

Ancestry Announces Family Tree Maker Solution

Posted on February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

happy-woman-using-computer

Here’s today’s announcement from Ancestry.com–sure to make all the Family Tree Maker users out there happy:

“Software MacKiev

Software MacKiev, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, is acquiring the Family Tree Maker software line as publisher for both Mac and Windows versions. Software MacKiev has been the developer of Family Tree Maker for Mac for more than six years and is thrilled at the opportunity to publish future versions of Family Tree Maker for Mac and Windows.

This new agreement means you will receive software updates and new versions from Software MacKiev, and have the ability to purchase new versions of Family Tree Maker from Software MacKiev as they are released. You will have continued access to Ancestry Hints, Ancestry searches, and be able to save your tree on Ancestry with Family Tree Maker moving forward.

RootsMagic

We have made an agreement with RootsMagic, a leading genealogy desktop software program publisher, to connect Ancestry with the RootsMagic software by the end of 2016. With this new relationship, RootsMagic can serve as your desktop family tree software, while having access to Ancestry hints, Ancestry searches, and the ability to save your tree on Ancestry.

We have heard your concerns and are working to provide the solutions you requested. These new agreements will make it possible to preserve your work on Ancestry and Family Tree Maker and enable future features and benefits to help you discover your family history. Be assured that Ancestry, in cooperation with Software MacKiev and RootsMagic, will continue to support you as you discover your family history.

We ask for your patience as we work diligently through all the details to make these solutions available. You can find additional details about these Family Tree Maker partnerships on our blog. We also encourage you to continue to check back on our blog for future updates in the coming months.”

Software

Life After Family Tree Maker

Posted on December 24, 2015December 25, 2015 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Capture On December 8, 2015 Ancestry announced it would no longer sell Family Tree Maker desktop genealogy software as of December 31, 2015, and would support current owners only until January 1, 2017. This caused an outcry among FTM users, who are all wondering what to do next. This has also raised questions among genealogy software users, in general, regarding the pros and cons of genealogy software and online trees. Here are some of the issues FTM and genealogy software users are facing, along with possible options going forward:

First, there is no need for FTM users to panic or take action immediately. FTM will continue to be fully functional and supported until January 1, 2017, provided your computer operating system does not have any drastic updates that conflict with it. You have eleven months to consider your options, although other makers of genealogy software are currently offering special deals for FTM users.

FTM issues as of January 2017:

FTM will not sync with an online Ancestry Tree.
FTM will continue to work, but only as long as your operating system upgrades do not outgrow it.
The product will not be supported. No customer service, upgrades, or fixes.

Overall considerations:

GEDCOM is the language used by genealogy programs that enables data to be shared between them. A GEDCOM file created in one program can be imported into another program.
Exporting files from one genealogy software program to another via GEDCOM will result in the loss of some data, depending on the programs.
Some programs will import files from certain other programs directly, without the need for a GEDCOM.
If you keep your files only on Ancestry or any other subscription site, you will not have access to it if you cancel your subscription or do not have internet access.
Media files will not download from Ancestry or other online trees if you export a tree via GEDCOM. Media files must be saved to your hard drive and then added to your desktop program individually.
Software companies that do not also have online database services are going to be committed to the success of their desktop software. This is no guarantee they will be around forever, but is something to consider.
Maintaining your family tree in a desktop (not online) genealogy software program allows you to have control over the content, and provides you with far more features for research, recording and reporting.

The options for FTM users:

Export FTM data into another desktop software
- Most companies have free versions, and some of the free versions are quite full-featured. Download several products and import your tree into each one to see which one works best for you
- Read “Replacing Family Tree Maker, Part 1: How to Scrub Your Data” found on Genealogytools.com. Also see instructions on that blog for moving FTM files to specific software products. The link is below.
- Many companies are offering special deals to FTM users right now
- There are some that will already sync with FamilySearch Family Tree and MyHeritage, and Ancestry is exploring possible relationships with other companies for syncing
- Other software will continue to be supported as long as their companies are in business
- You will continue to have control over the content in your tree
Keep your tree on your desktop in FTM and use it as long as you can.
- If you have created an extensive tree on Ancestry.com but do not have FTM, buy it before December 31, 2015 and synch your online tree to your desktop, including all media files.
- Manually add content from Ancestry to your tree (no syncing) after January 1, 2015.
- It will likely be usable until you upgrade your operating system, and before doing that you can then import it to another software program

FTM 2

Popular desktop genealogy software:

Rootsmagic – Windows and Macintosh. Imports FTM directly.
Legacy Family Tree – Windows, but reportedly works well with Macintosh.
Family Tree Builder – By MyHeritage. Windows and Macintosh
Ancestral Quest – Windows and Macintosh
Reunion – Macintosh
Mac Family Tree – Macintosh
Gramps – Linux and Windows

For reviews of genealogy software and discussions on the retirement of FTM see:

Software, Websites

Desktop Genealogy Program or Online Family Tree?

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Have you wondered whether you should bother to use a desktop genealogy program now that online family trees are popular and feature-filled? Folks ask me this all the time.

In today’s edition of the RootsMagic News (RootsMagic is a popular desktop program) an article by Renee Zamora appeared which discusses this and sums up the reasons why both are useful for genealogists. She gave her permission to reprint the article in the RootsMagic News, and provided a PDF version that is shareable. I liked it enough to share here. Check it out for yourself.

For the question of which desktop genealogy program is best, I always tell folks to download the trial version of programs they are interested in. Most of the major programs, such as RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, Ancestral Quest, and Family Tree Maker, have a free trial or basic version. The best program will be the one that feels most intuitive to you.

They all are powerful and are likely to have everything you could hope for, but it comes down to which one you will actually feel comfortable using. It doesn’t matter how robust a program is if you are overwhelmed or confused by it. So give them all a test-drive like I did, and settle on the one that feels best. I happen to use Legacy Family Tree because it suits the way I research and organize myself, but you may prefer one of the other excellent choices.