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Changing To Another Program

GrahamC

GrahamC

LostCousins Member
I have been using Brother's Keeper for over 20 years. I think I started with version 3 or thereabouts. Now on v.7, I am basically happy with it and accustomed to it's idiosyncrasies. But I am concerned that one day soon it will no longer be practical to use it for one reason or another.

I have been using a Mac for a few years and now run Bros. Keeper 7 in a Windows virtual machine so I am not restricted by operating system. Over the years I have tried exporting my data to other programs. I've tried FTM, Heridis, Gramps, Reunion on Windows and Mac and others I can't remember. The problem in each case seems to be in displaying or printing data because things like notes, references etc. don't always come out the way I want or where I want. This is exacerbated by the fact that I have entered some data in fields or formats different from what the programmer intended.

I end up getting frustrated and end up going back to BK. Can anyone relate to this problem or suggest a way around it?
 
Reading your comment on Brother's Keeper reminds exactly how I felt when Family Tree Legends (FTL) became extinct way back. (FTL was of more or less the same vintage as Brother's Keeper). I say extinct because up to Win98 and even XP, it performed as the makers (Pearl Street Software) intended. After that it became nonviable, and despite considering 'virtual' solutions, decided it was time to move on. Like you, I found FT software alternatives lacking...they were just NOT the 'Devil I knew'.

Acting on advice in the Forum I settled on Legacy and was making progress with that until I learned it had been bought out by My Heritage and that was step too far for me(Lots of reasons most of which I have aired in the Forum from time to time). Then I came across Tribal Pages (TP) which, although a subscription web site, suited my style of recording and reporting, better still it was 'user friendly' for family to view as well. I still have this and is a firm favourite.. I use it to record my main Tree and a handful of subsidiary ones all with photos and stories attached.

However, it was when I learned on the Forum about Family Tree Maker (FTM) and its ability to sync with Ancestry that I realised, this provided me with 'eggs in two baskets' so decided to invest. I began with FTM 2012 and moved on to its present 2019 incarnation . I am no great lover of MacKiev (FTM's current owner) who persistently try to sell their other wares, but this aside, the programs ability to sync with Ancestry is a real bonus.

So as FTL is little more than a memory for me Graham, I suggest you too will need to swallow hard and move on. I have described my own route and I am sure others will advise on other alternatives.
 
I'm also a long-time BK user, though I think I may have started on v4, and certainly when I first looked at FH software, I found it was the best - if not the only - program that suited my needs.

The choice of FH program is very much down to personal preference but have you looked at Family Historian? Although I haven't used it myself, I gather that it's more configurable than most other programs & also has a range of plug-ins to extend its capabilities further. As with most programs you can get a free trial version but you can't use plug-ins with that.
 
I have been searching around this topic on and off for a while.

I have BK used it for years as well. However since doing Ancestry Dna I am working through 2 trees, as fleshing out the tree there has helped with dna matches, then I do not always update my big BK tree when I get info - so need a solution,

I do not want to have all my records on Ancestry on either a public or private tree so going down the route of FTM seems the best option. Is there anything I should consider before doing this. I have hundreds of folders on the computer containing files - so a bit nervous, that I will spend the next few years sorting it out!
 
Heatherblether said:
I have hundreds of folders on the computer containing files
Click to expand...
Me too.
I have folders of docs and pics that I attach to my trees in Ancestry, then sync to FTM. FTM creates yet another folder for each tree with the same pics and docs. I have no problems at all.
I expect I should have a good tidy up but while my PC is running well it can wait for the proverbial rainy day.
 
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