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Family History software

DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO BUYING AN MH SUBSCRIPTION. You WILL regret it.

Countless horror stories from that lot, basically the consensus is that they harvest tree data with little regard for content. They have NOTHING that isn't better on other sites.

Having had my Rootsweb tree 'harvested' by Ancestry many years ago I am now very wary of having another online tree anywhere. Placenames were altered - Mx (Middlesex) became Mexico, West Ham, Essex became West Hampshire, USA etc,etc....and hidden personal data was exposed without my knowledge and as I didn't have an Ancestry subscription at the time, I became powerless to correct the errors. The tree has finally been removed, but only after some 10+ years of correspondence with Ancestry and copying by name gatherers. (For those who bothered to contact me, I corrected all the mistakes!)
 
My advise is keep you old computer and the reunion software . It be might slow and need updating but it still works .
Buy a new computer . You can take you time learning use to the new computer and software . When you are ready you can copy the everything to the new computer . Also make a separate back up on a usb stick or external hard disk .
I am now using Ahnenblatt which free to download. work well with the FT Analyzer.
It is from Germany so are some of my ancestors .
 
That's the conclusion I have come to in the past, but it's only a matter of time before my elderly computer dies.....and I am not sure whether Reunion will still work with a newer version of Windows. (It work with Windows 7)
 
I use FH and version 5 was great. I upgraded to V6 and had problem with the automatic link with My Heritage. I should have ticked a box disabling it before I downloaded the upgrade. However, thanks to the forum I managed to disable this function. I find that FH is more than adequate and I probably won't use most of the functions as like you Chrissy1 I am not very computer savvy, and I don't have a lot of patience to work my way through problems.

PS What annoys me about the My Heritage smart matches is that I usually have more information about my ancestors/relatives than the smart matches. Also, as mentioned before you get a free subscription to begin with but this soon expires and I don't feel inclined to pay for a subscription to give other people information about their ancestors which I have taken years, time and money to accumulate.
 
Hi Chrissy just a quick response really on computer compatibility with old FH programs, and your Reunion (of which I have no knowledge sorry) in particular. You are extremely lucky to get such a vintage program to work with anything beyond Vista, and then only in compatibility mode. My own Family Tree Legends (FTL) of similar but not quite vintage, refuses point blank to work in Windows 7, compatibility mode or not. To get Reunion to work is Windows 8 (or its upgrade 8.1) may well be a bridge too far. I will let others recommend a modern FH program but, as you will learn, there are pros and cons to each and like your Reunion, people cling to those they have long used and love as will be made clear. Good luck anyway.
 
sheelak said:
PS What annoys me about the My Heritage smart matches is that I usually have more information about my ancestors/relatives than the smart matches. Also, as mentioned before you get a free subscription to begin with but this soon expires and I don't feel inclined to pay for a subscription to give other people information about their ancestors which I have taken years, time and money to accumulate.
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AVOID MY HERITAGE like the plague, the best advice you will get on the Forum as I am sure others will reiterate and there are been a fair few posts on the subject if you do a search.
 
Thanks, Bob. I will cross that one off my list as I have noticed that several people are dissatisfied with MH and if I am going to use a program which links to a site, I would be better off with Ancestry, to which I already subscribe. Unfortunately it seems as if I will need a new family history program before my computer finally gives up the ghost. I feared that could be the case. Not sure what you mean by 'compatibility mode', though.

Does anyone know if Generations succeeded Reunion and if so, what has since replaced it?
 
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Willibrod said:
My advise is keep you old computer and the reunion software . It be might slow and need updating but it still works .
Buy a new computer . You can take you time learning use to the new computer and software . When you are ready you can copy the everything to the new computer . Also make a separate back up on a usb stick or external hard disk .
I am now using Ahnenblatt which free to download. work well with the FT Analyzer.
It is from Germany so are some of my ancestors .
Click to expand...
I have to say I think that is unwise, keeping old software and relying entirely on a machine that Chrissy says might die at any time is putting way too many eggs in one basket. If you meant she should backup and then use a new computer to learn new software then yes I can concur with that. The only difficultly is keeping two versions in sync.

Bear in mind you'll want a program to work in Windows 10 which is the free upgrade to Windows7/8/8.1 that comes out in 8-10 weeks time. Given its a free upgrade from the first twelve months after launch and full price after that most users will choose to upgrade in the free period especially those with the horrid Windows 8. This means in future a lot of new stuff is likely to target Windows 10 as a minimum. Thus it would be a mistake to stay with Windows 7/8/8.1.

If you work a lot with Ancestry then being able to use the hints features of Family Tree Maker can be a huge boon. This doesn't need you to upload your tree at all it resides entirely on your computer. It looks up ancestry for you and puts little shaking leaves when it finds records online that might match. You can then investigate and decide if its a match or not. If it is you can then use the merge option to copy that record into your tree. Note its best to do this with census/military/birth/death/will etc records rather than matches with other people's trees. Indeed you can turn off matching with other people's trees as an option. You can also get an app for tablet devices to browse your data on a tablet.

That said a very quick google search came up with Reunion which is now at version 11 and still going strong. Indeed v11.0.1 was released on 1st May 2015. Which is only 10 days ago so pretty modern. So your best bet is probably just to upgrade to Reunion 11.
 
chrissy1 said:
Not before time, I am looking for a replacement for Reunion for PC (available on floppy disc ca 1995-98) which must be extremely user-friendly and preferably similar to Reunion with
  • easy navigation
  • ability to see parents and children of a couple in the same frame
  • the capacity to hold 15,000+names per tree
  • ability to hold a number of different trees (currently 40 trees as I sometimes research for friends and record one name studies)
  • ability to merge two trees if a link is found
  • ability to link a person to 2 families in a tree (eg when cousins marry or families or an individual marries 2 sisters)
  • ability to produce family reports from any source couple for a specific number of generations, with the option of including/excluding any notes/details entered.
  • ability to show relationships to source person
  • ability to attach notes
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Legacy Family Tree is user-friendly, will do all these things and more. You can download the free Standard Version here http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/. It is the up-to-date version, free, not time-limited - use forever if it suits you. Buying De-Luxe version for about $30US unlocks some advanced features like mapping and more varied Reports.
I have never used Reunion so can't compare.
 
I've been using LEGACY FAMILY TREE since version 4 ... a long time now! Before that, Brother's Keeper for DOS was great, but IMHO did not cope well with transition to Windows. Perhaps John Steed has got over that bump now! I do really, really miss the BK Four-Family Descendant Chart. Haven't found another program to provide anything similar.
During the transition to Legacy, I had a short brush with Family Tree Maker, but at that time I found it very expensive, upgrades every year at quite high price, and each one seemed worse than the last. Maybe FTM also has got over that bump!

I may be moving from PC to Mac in the next year or so, and possibly running both computers in tandem for a while . Someone said earlier in this thread, that ancestry provide FTM for Windows/Mac. Does that mean, a different version for each OS? And is the database fully transferable from Windows to Dos and vice versa - or does one have to export/import via gedcom?
 
Jonathan C said:
. Unlike Legacy,which I used for a while, it doesn't bring up irritating links to other peoples spurious research online
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I've been using Legacy for many years and, thanks to Cathy, but also to Alexander (albeit via FTA), have learned to get much more out of it since joining this forum. On reading through the interesting posts about software in this discussion, I'm puzzled by Jonathan's remark above (posted about 2 years ago!) about irritating links to other people's spurious research. I've never once in all my Legacy years ever had a link to other people's research, spurious or otherwise. I think the remark could more fairly be pointed at Genes Reunited.
 
That said a very quick google search came up with Reunion which is now at version 11 and still going strong. Indeed v11.0.1 was released on 1st May 2015. Which is only 10 days ago so pretty modern. So your best bet is probably just to upgrade to Reunion 11.
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Isn't Reunion only available for MAC now? I think the version for PC disappeared long ago and was poss replaced by Generations.....though I could be wrong..........and the link does seem to suggest it's for MAC or i-pad only. If there is still a version for PC, then that will do me! Thinking out loud here - I wonder if GenPro developed from Generations which I seem to think may have succeeded Reunion?

Alexander, you mentioned that Windows 10 is due out soon and mentioned a free upgrade. I assume I wouldn't be eligible since I still work on Vista purchased whenever I last replaced my computer. However, my husband recently purchased Windows 7, so perhaps he could get a free upgrade (and give it to me?) How would I set about getting the upgrade?
 
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MaryY said:
Legacy Family Tree is user-friendly, will do all these things and more. You can download the free Standard Version here http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/. It is the up-to-date version, free, not time-limited - use forever if it suits you. Buying De-Luxe version for about $30US unlocks some advanced features like mapping and more varied Reports.

Thanks, Mary. I will download that and give it a try.
Click to expand...
 
chrissy1 said:
Isn't Reunion only available for MAC now? I think the version for PC disappeared long ago and was poss replaced by Generations.....though I could be wrong..........and the link does seem to suggest it's for MAC or i-pad only. If there is still a version for PC, then that will do me! Thinking out loud here - I wonder if GenPro developed from Generations which I seem to think may have succeeded Reunion?

Alexander, you mentioned that Windows 10 is due out soon and mentioned a free upgrade. I assume I wouldn't be eligible since I still work on Vista purchased whenever I last replaced my computer. However, my husband recently purchased Windows 7, so perhaps he could get a free upgrade (and give it to me?) How would I set about getting the upgrade?
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Ah yes. The last windows version of Reunion was in 1997. That's 18 years ago which in computing terms is like a Caxton printing press compared with a modern printer, ie: hideously out of date and should be put out of its misery asap. ;)

I cannot believe that there aren't lots of modern programs that will perform dramatically better and make it far easier to do your research than such an ancient program. Bear in mind that a lot of modern software has features like auto complete of text, spelling checking, little quality of life improvements that check your data and make it quicker and easier to find information.

You mentioned GenoPro its focus is on drawing trees and it is extremely good at that. You said you weren't too bothered about drawing trees so it is probably not the program for you. As others have said lots of programs have free trial versions so try things and see what you like. As has been said time and time again using family history software all the programs do things well and preference tends to revolve around the program you first used simply because you are familiar with it. Which is why when a new version comes along that changes the look and feel people moan and hanker for the old version.

Legacy free trial has been mentioned and Family Tree Maker works in a similar way with a free version and a paid version. The difference being that the free version has all the features but is an older version of the software. Alternatively the latest version is available by purchasing it and getting 6 months ancestry subscription. You may find that the cost of purchasing FTM with 6 months ancestry subscription thrown in is cheaper than purchasing an ancestry subscription for six months!!! Peter regularly mentions such offers with the note that you can put the FTM aside if you decide not to use it and still save money on an ancestry subscription.

On windows 10 no you can't just transfer a licence not only would that be illegal, but the vista version would fail the upgrade and the windows 7 licence would likely cease to be valid so bad all round. Upgrading a PC from vista to windows 10 isn't advised as the PC is likely to be beyond its working life anyway. Your husband should be able to upgrade his machine for free though.
 
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chrissy1 said:
Not sure what you mean by 'compatibility mode', though.
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You will usually only come across this if a program refuses to work in a Windows edition that is not FULLY compatible. After failing to install you may get a message asking if you want to try compatibility mode? You say yes and it will then ask you to choose a Windows mode that worked previously. Hopefully there is one and it will then load and you get the chance to see it is working or the opportunity to try again with another Windows edition. When (and hopefully if) it is finally running the program header will usually show (Compatibility mode) but to all intent and purpose the program will work OK. I have one or two 'old' programs (not all genealogical ones) running in compatibility mode.

You can if you wish elect to run any program in Compatibility mode or 'Troubleshoot Compatibility' for any program on your computer. As you say you are not over familiar with computers best leave both for another time, but do no hesitate to ask if you want to know more.
 
chrissy1 said:
if I am going to use a program which links to a site, I would be better off with Ancestry, to which I already subscribe.
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If you are familiar with Ancestry and have (or set about creating with a Gedcom) a Tree -Public or Private - you may be best advised to buy its own FTM Program as Alexander suggests. Then as mentioned by Alexander -and by Peter on many occasions in his Newsletters -you can take advantage of the free 6 month Ancestry subscription, or extended subscription in your case. The two programs then sync so that the information added into one is automatically added to the other. FTM can take a little getting used to, but with use it sort of grows on you and knowing that every time I add something new in Ancestry it can be synced into FTM is a real bonus.
 
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As Bob says you can sync your tree on Ancestry with FTM but of course you don't need to have your tree on Ancestry for FTM to work. The major benefit of having a tree online even a private one is that it is really easy for you to share with family members to let them view what you have found. All they need is a web browser. Note this sort of sharing is in your control the default is they can only see what you have entered but if you were for instance working on a shared project, eg: I'm part of a Bisset DNA project then you can grant people edit rights too. I'd never grant edit rights to my own tree, but I'm happy to grant edit rights to the DNA project so that the members can share what they find and we can cross reference our finds with each other instantly. For a joint project such as that its wonderful.
 
Bob Spiers said:
You can if you wish elect to run any program in Compatibility mode or 'Troubleshoot Compatibility' for any program on your computer. As you say you are not over familiar with computers best leave both for another time, but do no hesitate to ask if you want to know more.
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Thanks, Bob, Much appreciated, but as you say I am not over familiar with computers (understatement to put it mildly!!) and you have lost me here. However, I may return to this when I have decided on a plan of action - poss 1) New computer and 2) new family history program
 
Alexander Bisset said:
Ah yes. The last windows version of Reunion was in 1997. That's 18 years ago which in computing terms is like a Caxton printing press compared with a modern printer, ie: hideously out of date and should be put out of its misery asap. ;)
Click to expand...

I know Reunion's archaic, but I am TOTALLY USELESS with computers, so I have been too scared to try anything new and I have no idea how I am going to transfer the data. If there are 2 options, I always choose the wrong one as computer logic doesn't appear compatible with the way my brain is wired. (I think Peter invited me to join the forum so that he could evaluate how technophobes cope, so I appreciate your patience! It took me several days to find the way in to the forum.....but that's another story)

However, the advice I have received has inspired me to download a free copy of Legacy and Roots Magic, to see how I get on. I would also like to try out FTM since I use Ancestry as my preferred site, but can't find a free download.
Can someone point me in the right direction or give me a link, please?
(I have never downloaded anything before - always scared it would be some kind of scam, but I trust personal recommendations) My next problem will be to transfer the data from Reunion, as I haven't seen any instructions for doing this, but perhaps I haven't got to that point with Legacy yet. Still trying to fathom out what the given options mean and which buttons to press before I can progress. Normally I would simply type in all the data again, but with 25+ years' research and 40 different trees/branches, this isn't an option......

Also, I have a Worldwide Ancestry subscription, but the free trial is only for basic UK as far as I know - does anyone know if can it be upgraded if I purchase FTM? However, I want to try it out first and see if I like it, as the ease of use of the program is of paramount importance to me.

Many thanks for everyone's help so far. It has inspired me to take the plunge at last and replace Reunion.
 
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You can extend your Ancestry World subscription by 6 months by purchasing FTM for £74.99. If you are going to renew your Ancestry subscription anyway then doing it this way gives you 6 months + program thrown in for less than the usual £99.99 for the subscription. I've not found a way from a search to get an old version free. They used to do this perhaps they stopped.

To export your program what you do is to export a FULL GEDCOM file just as you would to import to FTAnalyzer. You can then transfer this file to your new computer, lots of methods of doing that simplest is possibly using Dropbox if you don't have a memory stick. Dropbox is great and very very simple to use.

To use Dropbox you go to this website and register. You then download and install the dropbox program. It's got big friendly buttons to make it easy. Do this on your old machine and your new one. This will then automatically share files between the two machines.

All you do is to save a file from the old machine into the new "Dropbox" folder and it will be automatically transferred to the new "Dropbox" folder on the new machine. Its a great way of making sure you transfer any old notes, pictures etc from your old machine.

Once you have the GEDCOM file on your new machine you can load it into the various family history programs you are trialling and they will create a new file from that GEDCOM. They should give you a report after they import the data to say if there were any warnings to be aware of after the import.
 
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