FamilyTreeMaker Bombshell Rocks the GeneaSphere

Yesterday evening the Genealogy Community almost exploded with the sudden news that Ancestry FamilyTreeMaker (FTM) is being discontinued. Part of the blog post and email sent out by Ancestry stated

....we’ve taken a hard look at the declining desktop software market and the impact this has on being able to continue to provide product enhancements and support that our users need. With that, we’ve made the tough decision to stop selling Family Tree Maker as of December 31, 2015.

And it began - owners of FTM, furious at the news, began screaming on Social Media sites. One of the top complaints I spotted was "It's the busiest time of year! How can I get my media files and online tree saved to my computer before the end of December!!!"

Those FTM owners who continued reading the announcement would have seen this bit

"Ancestry will continue to support current owners of Family Tree Maker through January 1, 2017. During this time, all features of the software, including TreeSync™, will continue to work, and Member Services will be available to assist with user questions. We will also address major software bugs that may occur, as well as compatibility updates."

In other words, those affected by this decision have an entire year to do whatever they need to do.

I happen to be a long-time user of FTM (over 18 years! Check out my personal collection of FTM versions in the graphic above) but the sync feature is not that important to me. I like the Ancestry hints that pop up when I view the Pedigree of an individual but I can get the same results by searching on the Ancestry website. 

I hope folks understand that the software program itself will continue to work until you upgrade your operating system to something that doesn't recognize the program! So we all have time to find a new program and start learning how to use it.

There are many alternate software programs available for family trees. If you are a windows user you have Legacy Family Tree , RootsMagic (with a special $20.00 offer for FTM users) and many others. 

Mac users (like me) have fewer options. RootsMagic has a special time-limited offer on their software. If you are an FTM user wanting to switch you can get the full RootsMagic version for $20.00  

I decided to buy RootsMagic for Mac but I was confused by the page for the FTM users to switch. It seemed to only be for those wanting to buy RootsMagic for Windows. So I reached out to Bruce Buzbee, CEO of RootsMagic and here is his response

"The CD version includes the download also. It is shipped because it includes the printed book"

After learning that, I ordered the RootsMagic software this morning. I'm not going to set it up until after the New Year and then I'll get started. Who knows, maybe I will like it better than FTM! 

Ancestry.com Releases Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync™, Allowing Family Tree Updates from Anywhere via the Cloud

Update of the No. 1 Selling Family History Software Makes Researching & Sharing Family History More Rewarding Than Ever

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 29, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the release of Family Tree Maker® 2012, an improved and expanded version of the world’s No. 1 selling family history software. Now with its new TreeSync™ capabilities, Family Tree Maker 2012 enables family history enthusiasts to sync their desktop family trees and their trees online at Ancestry.com unlike any other desktop software available on the market.

“We have a long-term vision to make family history simple and more accessible to the masses,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product for Ancestry.com. “Now with the combination of Ancestry.com, the Ancestry mobile app and the new Family Tree Maker, users can work on their family tree anywhere, anytime.”

Family Tree Maker 2012 introduces TreeSync, which enables family historians to sync their online tree at Ancestry.com and their desktop family trees, including photos and other historical records they have attached. This enables Family Tree Maker users to bring their desktop tree online to share with invited guests and continue their research from wherever they are.

The new software comes with a free membership or free trial to Ancestry.com that gives users access to billions of historical records, and millions of memory-making historical photos, stories and family trees. Membership with Ancestry.com connects Family Tree Maker 2012 users to the largest family history community in the world, and helps users find other members who might be researching the same ancestors so they can compare notes and discover more together.

Other improvements in Family Tree Maker 2012 include:

·         An easier-than-ever user interface to get users started right away

·         Upgraded help content and video tutorials

·         Improved content-generation and editing options to create engaging “Smart Stories” about family history and family members

·         The ability to combine families into one harmonized tree, bringing step-families and adoptees into the main family tree

·         Simple generation labels and text boxes to make family trees more interesting and informative

Expert users of earlier Family Tree Maker releases will find new power-user tools in Family Tree Maker 2012, including:

·         Upgraded personalization capabilities enabling users to add their own images, adding narrative text and displaying explanatory generation labels to charts

·         Index report of every individual in a family tree with birth, marriage and death dates

·         Chart the line of descendancy between an ancestor and any descendant in your family tree