Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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251 of 253 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full featured and easy to use, with excellent source management, November 27, 2005
I discovered RootsMagic (v3.0) fairly recently. First, some background... I'm working with roughly 2000 names, and my goal is to research and publish the data, along with personal stories. I started with Family Tree Maker several years ago, but I didn't like the lack of citation capabilities with that earlier version. So, I switched to The Master Genealogist (TMG) which provides great source management but has a clumsy interface. The newer release of TMG has not improved this. Because you spend a lot of time entering information, the interface needs to be fairly painless and transparent. So, then I looked at Legacy, GenBox and RootsMagic, which have the necessary functionality but are also easy to use. It was a difficult choice between Legacy and RootsMagic, but I chose RootsMagic because I felt that it had a slight edge in its source management and that this feature was comparable to The Master Genealogist.
Installation was easy. After I exported my old TMG database files to a single .gedcom file, I used RootsMagic to import it. It was fast and the data loaded quite cleanly. RootsMagic lets you import GEDCOM files, Family Origins database and backup files, and PAF database files. Also, for anyone working with LDS, you can create and read TempleReady files and handle ordinances.
The interface is easy to use and it provides three views: Pedigree, Family and Descendants. You can access an individual or family by selecting the name from a list and loading it into the views. To modify an individual's data or relationships, you can right-click on the name (in any view or list) to access options from the popup menu. RootsMagic provides master lists for Sources, To-Do, Addresses, Repository, Correspondence, Places, and Fact types. Also, you can modify places, which contain addresses/locations, to include Latitude and Longitude coordinates, describe the history of the place, and include multimedia files (e.g., maps and photos).
Of course, this tool's major advantage is its source management capabilities. You can assign one or more sources to an individual, a family, or an event. Whenever you create a new source, you can define the information through a Source dialog box that has multiple tabs (Source, Text, Multimedia, and Respository), and link multiple media assets to the source (e.g., photos, files, sound, and video). Also, each time you assign the source to something, you can enter descriptive text for just that specific assignment.
As you enter data into RootsMagic, the application writes to an .rmg file for which you can create multiple backups. You can also export to the GEDCOM format for easy importing into other genealogy applications. When you export, you can define what will be exported and manage privacy options. You can generate books and reports (in many different formats). You can also publish to a web format (although I don't like the way RootsMagic outputs this). Also, I found some search capabilities to be better when they're done through the Reporting functions. Other RootsMagic options include calculators (relationship, Soundex and Date), shareable CD creation, timelines, color-coding of individuals, and charts (including wall-sized ones).
In conclusion, do not let the lower price or the easy-to-use interface dissuade you. This application has some serious citation/source capabilities that makes it competitive with The Master Genealogist and ahead of some other similar applications.
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108 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely the best in the business, December 20, 2005
I've tried 'em all. This is clearly the best genealogy software I've used. RootsMagic is the most intuitive software on the market. My database has over 50,000 names in it and this software handles the load effortlessly and quickly. It can create very nice charts and web pages. The publisher listens to the users and continually upgrades the software to meet their needs. He stays on top of the changes being made by the LDS church's Family History library system and updates the software to work seamlessly with the library's systems.
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128 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
This program is probably not for you, February 19, 2007
I recently bought RootsMagic on the strength of its Amazon reviews to manage the webs of geneological information that I've gathered from my extended family. In my opinion, the product was useless - not for lack of features (it will let you search records, organize information, include pictures, and find relationships) but because its family tree display functions are virtually useless and because its useability and display are appalingly bad.
On the first point, the charting features (which were the feature I was most excited about) are designed to display only direct ancestors and won't display siblings, aunts, uncles etc on the family trees. If, like me, you are interested in tracking the branches of your extended family - displaying your links to cousins and great-aunts, this program is not for you. You can enter information on them, but it won't present the linkages to these people in a useful form.
My second problem is with the claims that the software is user friendly and intuative. It isn't. I'm not saying this as a limited and hesitant computer user. I'm saying this as a software product manager who uses and designs software for a living. Remember what user interfaces were like 15 years ago? Lists of text, poor or non-existant graphics, no flexibility, and certainly no drag-and-drop? Now you've got the idea. If, like me, you're entering geneological infomation from non-computerized records, the program will quickly make you wonder why your going to all the trouble. The interface is un-intuative and clunky, and your reward for your trouble is search functions (which I don't need) and family trees that don't display 90% of the people you've entered.
Bottom line, don't waste your time or money.
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