Genealogy Software
If you are working on your genealogy, you need a piece of software to record everything you find. I have some strong feelings when it comes to software because that was my profession for over a decade. I have designed, tested, sold and installed software and taught people how to use it. So when I talk about things in that arena, it comes from some very specific ideas and experience.
Here is some historical perspective and a bit of information different than the reviews you will find on most Software sites. I have dealt with many of the developers first hand over the years and know there many motivations. I have also seen many companies destroyed by tactics that reek.
First of all, I used a product called “Ancestral Quest” and I have for years. But! I do not use their latest version because it has added features I don’t want, won’t use and I have also had issues with the way the company has been handled over the years. I use their version 3.0.40 that was released in April 2002.
I did upgrade to their Version 2002 and after having issues with several of the features and a really poor response from the company, fell back to the Version 3. It does almost everything I would want it to do and what it doesn’t do, I have created Access Templates to do. I tried at one point to get those templates included in some manner in any of the major software programs for Genealogy and all of the developers blew me off cold. So I put them up for sale on my own.
Anyway, with Ancestral Quest I am able to track and print my database, print gedcoms that can be used to transfer data and print basic Books that can be customized using Microsoft Word and also converted to PDF files using a software called “PDF Creator.” Ancestral Quest in this version has an extremely simple and intuitive interface, something that has become convoluted in newer versions of the product.
Many of you are probably using or may have heard of a product called “Family Tree Maker.” This product started out as a badly done piece of software from a company called Broderbund, who’s better fame was various game software. The user interface was horrible from the beginning and hasn’t changed much over the years as they have added features. It take three to four steps to do simple tasks and the results can be far less than you hope for and wanted. Unfortunately, most of the major retailers only shelf this product because it has the backing of Ancestry, so many users become trapped in it before they learn there are other products available.
Legacy Family Tree Genealogy Software is another long survivor in the Genealogy World and has a solid core and features. For those of you who want a feature packed product that can interface with Access more easily than some of the other products, Legacy is the product you want to consider.
The last product I want to mention is called “The Master Genealogist.” I consider it to be the most complete Genealogical Software available, if you want to track hundreds of tiny details. It has scores of fields you can enter information into and by far the most complete data composite available.The ONLY reason I never used the product is that I do not computerize that much detail in my database. I found it overwhelming for how I wanted to track my data. But, for those of you who want to computerize EVERYTHING, it is the product for you.
I am sure there are other new entries into the Genealogical software market, but quite frankly many that I have seen are geared more toward multi-media than pure database manipulation. Yes, it’s wonderful to be able to produce a slideshow, but the point of the database is tracking the information.
What I will encourage and have encouraged for decades, is a break away from the GEDCOM standard that has held back Genealogy Software from the beginning. Most major software brands have added features that break from this standard, but the core data remains tied to this antiquated, outdated, data structure. I challenge any software developer to contact me so we can create a Genealogy Software Suite of products from scratch that will import user data from the other products, but also create a whole new software world for Genealogists.
I remember the thrill when I databased my first 200 people. It was a printout that stretched all the way across our 20 foot living room. I wonder how far my current 23,383 printout would stretch. Quick math tells me it would be roughly 1169 feet. Just a little less than the Empire State Building. Puts it all in perspective. How high is your research!
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