Family Tree Maker 2008 Platinum [OLD VERSION]

by Encore

Product Features

• Software for exploring, preserving, and sharing family history
• Build a family tree starting with names, dates, and events
• Attach photos, documents, and audio and video files
• Design and print charts to display at home and share with family
• Includes 6 months of premium access to ancestry.com

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000SQNBP2
• Item model number: 14860
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,545 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #56 in Software > Home & Hobbies > Genealogy

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Whether you're new to family history or a seasoned genealogist, Family Tree Maker 2008 Platinum Edition makes it easy for you to discover, explore, preserve, and share your family history. Six months of premium access to ancestry.com is included.

Family Tree Maker 2008 lets you easily:

• Build a family tree starting with names, dates, and events
• Attach photos, documents, and audio and video files
• Quickly merge new facts and records from the Web into your tree
• Use interactive maps to explore the places where your ancestors once lived
• Design and print charts to display at home and share with family

This completely redesigned program has dozens of new features, including:

• A new interface that combines elements of a pedigree chart and a family group sheet, making it much easier to enter, view, and edit your data
• Vastly improved integration with Ancestry.com
• A Web clipper that lets you merge data from anywhere on the Web into your tree
• Standardized criteria for rating your sources
• Features that make it easy to manage photos and other media files and incorporate them into charts and reports
• A place authority with more than 3 million place names that helps you correctly enter locations
• Dynamic lists that show you all the people and events associated with a particular place
• Timelines that highlight personal, family, and world events that occurred during your ancestors’ lives
• A robust tool for sorting and managing your to-do list
• The ability to import data from other genealogy programs, including Personal Ancestral File, The Master Genealogist, and Legacy Family Tree

By using Family Tree Maker 2008 together with Ancestry.com, you can:

• Quickly compare information you find on Ancestry with the data in your tree and use a merge wizard to selectively import new facts and records
• Take advantage of Ancestry Hints--a contextual search feature that automatically suggests records pertaining to people in your tree
• Back up your Family Tree Maker data by automatically creating a member tree on Ancestry (you can choose to share your tree with others or keep it private)
• Create heirloom-quality books using the new Ancestry Press self-publishing tool

Product Description

Whether you're new to family history or a seasoned genealogist, Family Tree Maker 2008 makes it easy for you to discover, preserve and share your family history.Windows® XP (Home and Pro) SP2/Vista¿¹, Pentium® II 500 MHz processor or equivalent (recommended Pentium III 1 GHz or equivalent), 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended), 400 MB free hard-disk space (additional space required for data files), 2X CD-ROM drive or faster & DVD-ROM drive for bonus content [recommended 32X CD/CD-R (CD-R required for the Backup to CD Feature)], Monitor with 800 x 600 resolution (recommended Monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution), Keyboard and mouse, Note: ALL online features require internet access². ¹Administrator privileges are required to properly install the program on Windows XP and Windows Vista. ²User is responsible for internet service provider account, all internet access fees, and phone charges.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

232 of 233 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Family Tree Maker in Name Only, September 1, 2007

By 

David Watkin (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Family Tree Maker 2008 Platinum [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

Despite the name, this product bears no relation to previous versions of the Family Tree Maker product line. It is a brand new product, written from scratch, and does not utilize any of the old code.

Much of the functionality that was present in the previous version (FTM 16) is missing in this one, including pretty much all of the genealogy reports. Without these reports, the product is only good for data entry, and publishing on [...]. Other omissions include the ability to read the family tree CD's that have sold alongside previous versions, and the ability to create books from your genealogy on your own computer.

To create a genealogy book, you now have to upload your data onto the [...] servers, giving them the rights to share the data as they choose, and use the new web based Ancestry Press functionality to generate your book (for an additional fee). Ancestry Press, also being new, is extremely limited and does not contain a fraction of the functionality of the old, local book creation software.

So, buyer beware. This is NOT Family Tree Maker as you know it. I would recommend treating it as a 1.0 version of a new product, and holding off on buying it until they complete the implementation of the basic functionality which is missing.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't spend money on this!, December 27, 2007

By 

J. Affolter - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Family Tree Maker 2008 Platinum [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I've been using different versions of Family Tree Maker for at least 15 years. I've never seen a new version go so far backwards. Gone are all the features I most often use. I can no longer make the reports or charts I use most commonly. I can't make a book. My old books are gone. Now I guess I have to find a "pre-Vista" computer to run version 16 on if I actually want to do anything with my family tree? I predict the next version will simply be a link to the Ancestry website and nothing else.... for about 100 bucks.

If anyone can recommend a replacement program by a different maker, please e-mail me.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Software is SLOOOOWWW, January 14, 2008

By 

StarWomyn "StarWomyn" (Kansas City, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Tree Maker 2008 Platinum [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

While there are some things I do like about this version, and things I did not like about the previous version 16, be aware that the sofware is extremely SLLLOOOWWW and is a memory and CPU hog. You can no longer search for a married woman by her married surname, there is no Family Sheet, etc.
I'm not getting any corruption errors like previous versions, and there are features I do like, but the speed, or lack thereof, will drive you nuts!