Customer Reviews

Family Tree Maker 2009 Platinum [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My wife and I have used Family Tree Maker for the last 5 years. I am generally one who always wants the latest version of programs -- but I had seen the early questionable reviews of FTM 2008 and stayed away from it. I watched carefully as the reviews toward the end (with the three major improvements) started to turn. I corresponded with Ancestry during the end of testing phase for FTM2009 and decided to take the risk. It was WELL-WORTH the risk and the wait. My wife does not like change and she was ready to stay with FTMv16 until she saw more of what I was doing and how things allow you to see more information clearly. We have not tried all of the features yet and there are a few disappointments (CSV export is not as good), but we are really excited about being able to continue our family research farther and wider back into history. I strongly recommend going for the Platinum version for the extra resources and the "built-in" 6-month subscription to Ancestry. (Hint: Do not activate the subscription until you are ready with everything else -- data updated and names entered).

FTM 2009 is simply the best program that I have used as a genealogist. Though I have used five different programs, I really focus on two: Legacy and FTM. Without question the best research tool available is FTM 2009. FTM 2009 will work for the novice and the expert and both will discover tools that will only improve their ability to find ancestors and their histories. More importantly, it makes producing a family history so easy.

I have been a beta tester for FTM for both 2008 and 2009 editions. In this process I have recognized the past shortcomings of FTM. What has impressed me most is the willingness to correct old problems and make past weaknesses into strengths in the 2009 edition. As a long-time genealogist, I recommend this program without reservation! I couldn't be happier with the product!

I have used Family Tree Maker since 1996. I was very disappointed with the 2008 version but I stuck with it because I knew it was an entirely new program and it would take time to find out what all the issues are and make the corrections. I was very glad to find out that they decided to scrap 2008 and were working on the 2009 version. I was a beta tester for 2009 and I was very impressed with how hard the staff worked to correct problems and how they were willing to listen to suggestions. One of the big problems with 2008 was the fact that it constantly crashed. Since I have been working with 2009 crashing hasn't been an issue. Since the media files are kept in a separate file, 2009 does not take as long to open as it did in versions prior to 2008. I do know that some people still say it takes too long to open for them, so they are still working on this problem. It has been said that the charts and reports are not as good as they were in versions prior to 2008. New charts and reports have been added and more are expected to be added, but this is an area where you must be willing to "play" with the options to really see what is available. Since I had so many problems with 2008 I didn't use the new features that were introduced, but I have tried them in 2009 and they are very useful. The web clipping feature is helpful. Please make someone aware of any issue's or concerns that you may have with 2009. Issues do need to be prioritized so your issue may not be taken care of right away, but someone is listening to all issues.

I have been a very strong advocate for Family TreeMaker since the early 1990s but would not recommend or endorse the 2009 version to anyone. I admit that I did not purchase the 2008 version as I had recently purchased the Version 16 and only upgrade approx. every 3 years, but had heard there were problems with it. I was very excited about 2009; however, it loads very, very slowly and when I initially installed and then tried to copy over my database from the Version 16 program, I lost over 200 individuals. This I find totally unacceptable. I especially didn't like the new "look" or the charts - they are not much different than from before. The program is hard to navigate around in, and I couldn't find anywhere to import data from a informational cd. The media section is ok, but I prefer seeing the photos in the scrapbook section for individuals rather than jumbled all together. As for being "user-friendly" ... this program is not! Save your money is my suggestion. I had signed up for the on-line special offered about the program but never was emailed w/ the time and password until after it occurred. I am very happy that I didn't uninstall Version 16 before trying 2009!!

I had no intention of purchasing Family Tree Maker 2009 since I was happy with the FTM 16 version I was using. However, when I became aware that it included a free six-month subscription to Ancestry.com when I was currently paying $29.95 per month for that access, the purchase became a no-brainer. [...].

Wrong! When I called to activate the free subscription, I learned that it is only a free six-month subscription to the US Membership Option. To upgrade that "free" subscription to the World Edition I need requires me to pay $10 per month for the six-month period.

So, I still save $32.21 but nowhere on this site does it say that the free subscription is only to the US option. Nor does it say that on the product box. In fact, the box clearly states that "Family Tree Maker Deluxe 2009 comes with six months of free access to Ancestry.com, the world's largest online collection of family history resources".

I would still recommend the product. I didn't like it at first because it seemed difficult to navigate. But, extensive usage soon let me gain familiarity and the improvements are substantial. It is definitely an industrial-strength genealogy program with features that are quite advanced when compared to the FTM 16 version I was using. The only area in which I would downgrade it is that report generation is too slow and takes far longer when compared to generating reports with my prior version. I've also noticed some character conversion problems that I'm assuming will be fixed with a version update.

My main point, though, is that potential purchasers should be aware that the free six-months of free access is to US records only. World access will require you to pay $10 per month during that six-month period. It should not be that complicated to make that point clear in marketing materials.

This is the most creative upgrade to Family Tree Maker, well, ever. Functionality is greatly improved, graphics, instant "hints", reporting, "uploadability" and much more. The downsides are only a few: 1) freezes more than it should; 2) double dates (1711/1712, etc) not only don't apear automatically, they can't even be inserted manually; 3) takes a bit more self trainning to find everything you're accustomed to using. The optional trainig manual "The Official Guide to Family Tree Maker 2009" is a must. Genealogy Networks has been helpful so far when I've gotten completely stuck on a few issues. Get their phone number and call.....I really don't find the self help guides very 'self-helping'! All in all, it's worth the time and effort if you enjoy keeping one or multiple data bases on file.

I have beta-tested both FTM 2008 and 2009 and have had excellent dealings with all the staff involved. From the first I realized that this product is a highly progressive and intuitive program, and it has been a joy to use. The continuing research by the developers of additional modifications to make the software even more user friendly is always on-going. I have used Family Tree Maker for a number of years, and I would truly be lost if I were to revert to either older versions or try and cope with another brand of genealogical sofware entirely. The on-line tutorials are great, as there are always little things that you either haven't tried, or forget about. All in all, I highly recommend FTM 2009 as an essential tool in any serious genealogical research.

I recently took the big step to upgrade from Family Tree Maker 16 to FTM 2009. I have been a FTM user since the 1990's, but feel that is now coming to an end.

I now realize what a huge mistake that was. Perhaps FTM 2009 is great for users of FTM 2008, but for users of FTM 16 or earlier programs, the two are just not compatible.

Problems I have found over the past 7-10 Days:

- NO NGS Quarterly (Descendant Ordered) capability;

- FACTS - In previous versions (excepting FTM 2008 which I know nothing about), it was relatively simple to add Facts:
Adding a Fact would open a pull down window where the Fact (occupation, military service, residence, etc.) would be filled in, followed by the date, followed by the Place or Description - ALL in the Same window. In FTM 2009, to choose a fact I first have to scroll down a long list of Facts before finding the one I want to use, then enter the data. This takes twice as long to enter facts as previous versions.
-- when facts were pulled over from FTM 16, FTM 2009 attempted to put the Facts in a format FTM 2009 wanted, not the format I used in FTM 16. FTM 2009 is a nightmare, is NOT user friendly as previous versions.

- FTM 2009 wanted to Spell the name of the State rather than use Standard State abbreviations, and then insert "USA" every time a State was used. I carry over 20,000 names in my Tree, over 600,000 facts, most of which are associated with States. Do you realize how much larger my file would be if I spelled out each state and added "USA" every time I typed in a location/place?? At least give the
user an option, when importing their old FTM genealogy file, to stay with the format the user prefers, not the format FTM 2009 prefers.

- Upon creating a Register Report: I created a Register Report for my ancestor in the 1600's and have thus far added more than 9300 descendants. Upon creating a Register Report (I really wanted a NGS Quarterly/Descendant Ordered Report as used in FTM 16, but was NOT available in FTM 2009), I had over 2800 pages. Unfortunately, I found that upon reaching source 9999, the 10,000th source was rendered as "1000". Source 1000 was used for ten different sources, then jumped to "1001" for the next 10 sources", then jumped to "1002" for the next 10 sources and on and on and on. The Bottom line is: FTM 2009 does NOT provide for numbering sources in excess of 9999 when making a Register
Report.

Also, in the Register Report, many of the Fact Descriptions are enclosed in Parenthesis; I tried modifying the fact, but nothing seemed to work. When using Fact Numbers (such as 1, 2 , 3, etc.), the entry would appear in the Register Report as (where the first field is the Fact Number, the
second field the date, and the 3rd field the description. For example: "Fact 1 for May 1891 moved to Iowa" is carried in the Register as:

"1 May 1891 moved to Iowa"

thus appearing as the Fact Number is part of the data.

I began the conversion to FTM 2009 with an open mind, but am now convinced it would take many, many months to make these changes, Additionally, I find entering data much more time consuming than with previous FTM versions and having to deal with a very cluttered screen in FTM 2009.

My only hope is to go back to FTM 16, but I have problems with that as I would probably never be able to upgrade my FTM to a newer Version of FTM as I would have to start from scratch with the errors (as I did with FTM 2009). My best recourse at this point in time is to go with a more professional genealogy software.

I am sure there are many problems I have not yet encountered. I have used FTM since Day 1 and the first FTM software program was available. Upgrading to newer programs was never a problem until FTM 2009 hit the street. Probably a great program for FTM 2008 users, but a very poor
Software program for FTM 16 and earlier versions. I would NEVER recommend this upgrade to those using FTM 16/earlier versions.

I have used FTM for years. This version adds many features but like other software, added features usually means relearning how to use the software and finding out how to do things you already knew in the earlier version. Overall its a good product but not very intuitive.

This program upgraded seamlessly from my previous version of FTM 2006. Plus with the ability the program has to link with Ancestry.com to pull up links to others published family trees and show birth/death/military/social security records, also has the ability to make multiple family trees at one time. Easy program to understand and use. Fast movement between individuals, children, grand parents and everyone. Fantastic family tree program all around.