Family Tree Maker

[elsinore]

I've just received an email from Anc** informing me that they are 'retiring' FTM software.

Now, I don't use FTM. although I had considered switching to it after Anc** introduced its new 'improved' online tree.

Have Anc** reacted to a reduction in renewals/new business concurrent with a spike in FTM sales? If Anc**'s blog is anything to go by, the response is, shall we say, less than enthusiastic!

Or am I just being an old cynic (as usual)?

Peter

[emmteeyess]

I too have just had this and have posted my disgust with their decision on their blog.
It's a disgrace on Anc'try's behalf to do this and ride roughshod over their loyal subscribers again. (don't get me started with their laughably 'improved' online version). Once again a large company think they hold a monopoly and can do whatever they like to loyal customers.

I know Anc'try often get a bad press on here but I've put up with, and worked round, their annoying features but this one is inexcusable.

When the day comes that I need to stop my Ancestry subscription (I’m now retired and funds are not limitless.) I will want an up to date version of my tree and years of research to continue to work with. It now looks like that time may come sooner rather than later – and from choice rather than necessity.
If you can open this link - https://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2...aker-software/ have a read of the comments. i echo them all!

Cheers, MTS

[Lesley Robertson]

I've been using FTM since about ver 3, but have not bothered to update every year, especially once Anc removed several features that I like after Broderbund sold it to them (so I now have 2 versions running side by side). My family research and OPS are both in it, and I don't propose to stop just because they're not selling new versions with more features that I don't consider useful...

I doubt whether I'll change in the near future, the versions that I have do everything I need! Anc are pretty irrelevant in this context, but then I haven't been keeping my work in their system. I like to keep it where I can control it, on my own computer.

[Megan Roberts]

Well they are obviously being selective about who they tell, as I haven't received an email, which as a long time user/buyer of FTM and subscriber to Ancestry I would have expected to receive such an email. So I am very grateful to Peter for bringing this to my attention.

Having read the blog, they are "promising" to keep Treesync and general support going to 1 Jan 2017. So I think this gives me a year to move my tree back up away from Ancestry and also to look at software that will be supported. Apart from the back up on Ancestry I really am not in favour of backing anything up on line, because I have no way of independently verifying whether such back ups are secure. Unfortunately I suspect that the way the World is developing we will increasingly find that software is only available on line.

I think that this reinforces the need to ensure that we have good paper files as well.

[Wilkes_ml]

I received an email today. Personally, I haven't updated my FTM since 2012. I rarely actually use the programme other than synching via ancestry to back up my work I do through the Ancestry website.

I only got a fraction through the comments on the blog. Many users questioning how to transfer their data from Ancestry or from FTM to a new programme. As far as I was aware, there was the option to back up trees via gedcom files, though I need to check this out. Certainly I used to be able to export a gedcom file from FTM, and this should be a generic file that can be imported into other family History software products. However, I don't believe that images transfer with a gedcom file, so I think one key thing to do is make sure all images that are online in your ancestry tree is backed up somewhere electronically or printed off if you still use paper files.

Many people saying they will cancel their subscriptions...which is OK if there was an alternative source to many of their databases such as the London parish registers which I used frequently.

[Megan Roberts]

Well they are obviously being selective about who they tell, as I haven't received an email, which as a long time user/buyer of FTM and subscriber to Ancestry I would have expected to receive such an email. So I am very grateful to Peter for bringing this to my attention.

I have to rescind this part of my earlier post, as I have just found their email in my spam folder .............................................

[Megan Roberts]

There is obviously quite a lot of discussion about this subject out on the internet. In one of those discussions I found reference to a site that compares different genealogical software packages, which I thought might be something that other FTM listers would want to look at over the coming months as the dust settles:

https://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

[christanel]

I have never used FTM but do use Roots Magic and received this by email yesterday. They were very quick off the mark in reaction to ancestry's news.
Join up the two bits in a search engine

https://blog.
rootsmagic.com/

Christina

[elsinore]

Thanks for the link Megan.

If I do decide to opt for some tree software, I should at least be able to make an informed decision.

Peter

[Wilkes_ml]

I can see Ancestry are going to lose a lot of sales to Rootsmagic! Their switch over price for FTM users is very good, and I'm tempted by it, even though I had no intention of upgrading my FTM 2012 edition for at least another couple of years.