Hello all: need your help with Family Tree programs as I am looking to purchase something newer. I am using the 98 version of Family Tree Maker and it is acting up, having problems inserting graphic files. I am not looking to publish or download from the web, just want something user friendly. I have comparisons of the 08 Family Tree Maker which requires membership to Ancestry.com and the 07 Legacy Deluxe edition, both seem like excellent programs. Also looking into the Heritage Collector Suite for photos. Does anyone have experience with Legacy? Can I transfer my files from Family Tree Maker to Legacy with ease? Any pros or cons? Is this newer version of Family Tree Maker worth the extra expense of membership to Ancestry? I have Adobe Photoshop and HP Photo software but want to seperate historic docs and pictures from the everyday photos. Anyone have experience with Heritage Collector Suite software? As I am not that comuter savy I want the transfer of info to be as smooth as possible, Help!

For ease of transfer, moving to FTM will be the simplest.

I have no experience with Legacy, but there is a free application through the Church of Latter Day Saints ... I don't have the exact name or site handy.

There is also a web based application called TNG (The Next Generation) that does a LOT of what you are looking for which is inexpensive and easy to use. I have mine here genealogy.fornal.org ... this does require hosting and setup, but they are rather easy to do and I can assist with this if you are interested.

Legacy has a free standard version you can get online. You can see if it is what you want. You can import your old Family Treemaker files into it quite easy.

www.legacyfamilytree.com/

Give it a try and see if it works for you.

I have FTM 08 which I am quite content with but I had an Ancestry membership prior to purchasing the program.

lilbees

Thanks Bob and Lilbees: I have been reviewing each program, trying to determine exactly what I need and want. Legacy seems to be very detailed and has some wonderful reports. I like TNG's screen layout for each individual. Decisions, decisions....

Legacy can be as detailed as you like. Some of their tutorials are great. I am not as detailed as I should be so I am happy with FTM 08. The problem in Legacy I run into is transferring all my sources. I just can't find them after I transfer and I don't really feel I want to do them all over again. This is not a problem when moving to FTM 08.

lilbees

I did go through the tutorials for Legacy and they are very helpful, but I am concerned that this Legacy program may be TOO intricate for me, LOL. I do not want to have difficulty with this transfer and certainly do not want to re-enter information. The extra expense for Ancestry with the FTM is really not a concern as it would be convenient to access the site from home, but if I decide to cancell my membership would this effect my program?

It shouldn't affect your FTM program. Just makes it more difficult to do searches there without a subscription. I went to the World Membership and luckily I pay monthly via auto debit. Works fine for me and I can cancel or go back to the basic subscription if I need to or cancel completely. At least I didn't have to put out a large chunk all at once. You do have to call to enroll if you need to have that as one of your choices. Can't enroll online for that.

lilbees

Bob: TNG is basically a website program?

Thanks Lilbees: wow, World membership, not something I had thought about. Is it worth the expense?

I think so. But, I am searching everywhere. Italian, Albanian, Lithuanian, Russian, Tunisian, German, French. I go to the various Country websites like Ancestry.it, Ancestry, uk, etc. Many times I can locate things on those foreign sites that cannot be located on the US site. Example: located the New Jersey State census on the German site long before it was integrated into the US site. Ironic, but that's okay. At least, many times I can find leads on the foreign sites. Thank goodness for freetranslation.com. At least I can get the gist of what some information I find is saying.

lilbees

LOL! I have difficulty with some of the Italian text on this site, never mind from another country! But it sounds interesting as I am researching in Russia and Germany besides Italy. Thanks for the info, you have been very helpful

Yes, TNG is Web Based ... this allows for different options for me ... I can enter information at almost any location, regardless of whether I have my computer or not. This assumes there is a computer available with an Internet Connection.

It only imports GEDCOM ... I had to reload my images onto my site, but once everything is in place I simply did a database back up and backup of the Site itself ... very effective.

The program is simple and effective in my opinion ... but given the thread I read above, it does not come with options to search based on the information entered; what I like is that OTHERS can locate the information I have posted and even include their own ... it does handle multiple users efficiently.

Thank you Bob: Have been studying each program avaliable to see what will suit my needs. As I have not imported any gedcoms, I am not sure if this is the direction I want to go in. I prefer to keep my files private. I have not been satified with FTM 08 based on the reviews, many negatives. Although it does allow a direct link to Ancentry, this is not of importance to me. They have also eliminated some of the reports and books that were on the 06 program. May want to wait until ther FTM 09 reviews comes out, hopfully there will be improvement. Legacy was looking good until I discovered that alot of the charts have to be purchased seperately or I purchase another program just for charts. Prices are reasonable. Both FTM and Legacy may drop some info in the transfer, concerned with that possibility. I am also entertaining moving all family files to my laptop as my husband has become obsessed with Ebay and he does not like to use the laptop. Anyway, I am not in any rush. Thanks again, Carol