When I tell people I don’t recommend Family Tree Maker for Mac 2, they often ask what I do recommend, which is understandable. But I really can’t recommend a genealogy program for other people without knowing what their requirements are. You must first decide what your priorities are. Then you can check on the web to see which programs meet your requirements. You can use Ben’s Feature Comparison Table or FindtheBest.com to find the features you need (but take the Smart Ratings on the latter with a grain of salt). GenSoftReviews.com lists lots of genealogy programs, although not all of them have reviews. But see Tamura Jones’ article, The Most Important Genealogy Software Feature. [Read more…] about What Genealogy Software Do We Recommend?
Editorial
Splitting a Tree with Family Tree Maker for Mac 2
I just sent the following in an email to a GenealogyTools reader who asked me how to split a Family Tree Maker for Mac 2 (FTMM2) tree. This person had purchased the genealogy software, downloaded a 13,000 person tree from Ancestry.com, and found it too cumbersome to manage. [Read more…] about Splitting a Tree with Family Tree Maker for Mac 2
Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac Version 19.2.1.241 Released
Launch your copy of Family Tree Maker for Mac to get the latest update. It’s apparently loaded with undisclosed bug fixes and enhancements. Here’s what the upgrade dialog lists:
- Numerous stability fixes were made
- Child sort order is shown correctly in reports
- Added support for GEDCOM 5.5.1
- Numerous other fixes and enhancements
It’s unfortunate when professional software developers can’t or won’t provide detailed lists of fixes and enhancements. Ancestry is not alone in this and there are some companies who do this well (like RootsMagic). While it’s good to know that GEDCOM 5.5.1 is supported and that the child sort order is fixed in reports, it’s of virtually no help at all to know that “numerous” stability fixes and enhancements are in a release. Come on! You know what they are and if you don’t you shouldn’t be publishing software. Please list them so that we can see if the problem fixes or features we desire are present in updates to our genealogy software.
Family Tree Maker Added to Comparison of Mac Genealogy Software
I updated my comparison of Mac Genealogy Software. This is the document I first made available on MacGenealogist.com. It reviews the features and capabilities of Family Tree Maker for Mac, Heredis Mac X.2, iFamily for Leopard, MacFamilyTree, ohmiGene, PAW2X, and Reunion for Mac. Here are the changes:
[Read more…] about Family Tree Maker Added to Comparison of Mac Genealogy Software
Is Family Tree Maker for Mac Too Expensive?
“Why is the Mac version of Family Tree more expensive than the Windows version?” I’ve read the question in the comments here and on Twitter. Here’s the scoop and thanks to GenealogyTools member Roger, the secret to a significant discount:
The Mac version price is higher because in bringing Family Tree Maker back to the Mac, Ancestry have had to pay to convert the program (a process called porting). They’ve got to pay for this expense and let’s face facts, Mac using genealogists are a tiny minority. That means the cost is spread across a much smaller group so the price will be higher.
We can complain, but it won’t do any good. We can refuse to buy it in protest, but that may simply lead to them leaving the market again. I think it’s better for us to have more competition. That’s why I welcome Family Tree Maker to the Mac.
On to the secret to a greater discount.
[Read more…] about Is Family Tree Maker for Mac Too Expensive?