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Average user rating:
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Full user review
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3.0 stars
"Great program, but with too much left out."
Pros: Much easier to navigate and manage source information than previous versions.
Cons: What it does, it does well, but versions several years old have features that were left out of this one.
Summary: I've used Family Tree Maker for several years. Most recently, I used version 11, which dates back to 2003. So, with such an ancient program, I should expect a quantum leap forward. In many ways, it is.
First off, with any genealogy program, there is much information to sort out. Names, dates, places, source material, and history. This can become overwhelming to the beginning genealogist, but FTM 2009 makes sorting through and putting the information together simple. Go to one person in the file, and you'll see at a glance four generations back from that person, their dates of birth, marriage and death, then click on "person" to get all the details on that person.
One small, but well appreciated feature, is the "home person." Designate one person as the "home person" (usually the one that's doing the research), click one button no matter where you are, and you're back to the home person.
The program works with most of the popular genealogy web sites, which can be accessed directly from the program.
In short, the pluses are its a very powerful, yet easy to use program.
Now for the minuses. What the program does, it does well. However, what was left out makes is big minus.
When upgrading from a previous version, the 2009 version is installed, without touching the older version. Which is not really all that bad, because you may need the older version to do things the new one won't. When I installed FTM 2009, importing the information from my previous program worked seamlessly, with one hitch: The "To do" list didn't transfer over. Two days of cutting and pasting later, its done.
Speaking of the "to do" list, version 11 (again a SIX YEAR OLD PROGRAM!) worked better. When printing the list, version 11 allowed the list to be narrowed down by category. FTM 2009 only gives the option of printing all tasks, or not completed tasks. This becomes a problem when, for example, I go to a library, and only need the list for that library. Previously, I could print just the list I needed, now I don't have that option.
The publishing feature has many reports that can be made and printed. However, the "books" publishing, rather than allowing the user to make a book on his own computer and print it out, takes the user to Ancestry.com where the book can be printed, for a fee, of course. A rather hefty fee at that. If the book publishing was in the program, I would still have the option of using Ancestry.com, but there are some good reasons why you may not want to do so. For example, if a family member wants a copy of what you've done, you can print it out without waiting for a book to be printed. And you may not want to bear the expense of printing a book when you know that your next big genealogy trip will yield more information, and want to hold up for that.
I feel that the pluses far outweigh the minuses, I would only hope that what was left out is restored in the next version, or given as an update. I hate to think that I have to keep a six year old program taking up space on my hard drive just to do what FTM 2009 won't.
Where to buy
Family Tree Maker 2009 Essentials - complete package:
$26.24 - $29.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$29.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$26.24 | Yes |
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