Others say...

"One of two best genealogy programs"
This is a very good software program. The only other program that comes close is Legacy Software. The improvements in the 2005 and 2006 releases are very helpful, including easier interaction with the web and websites. The software is heavy with advanced items, but still fairly basic for people who are just starting and don't want to get bogged down in the heavier, advanced capabilities. I especially like the connection to Ancestry.com (can cost up to $20 per month). This package gives you free use of their HUGE database for 6 months. That makes the software almost free. The low review must be by a disgruntled ex-employee or a newbie to genealogy. His comments are WAY OFF BASE.

"A well evolved product"
I'd have to disagree with the negative review that claims anything you can do with this can be done with a Word Processor. That suggests the reviewer hasn't had much experience with genealogy software. Comparing a sophisticated and highly specialized database program built on years of profesional genealogy database usage to a simple word processor is like saying that you can do anything you could do with a helicopter with a bicycle.

GEDcom imports and handling other file formats are essential for genealogy software so that researchers can collaborate. It's how we communicate with other researchers to add whole family branches and trees. This software builds around that essential feature to add timelines, mapping and many flexible ways to report on all, or sub-sets, of the data you collect. The online integration seems to have finally evolved to a point where the software can be the focal point for research instead of data CDs, Web browsing and juggling books.

Note the reality that the majority of genealogy research CDs can are made in a format that can only be opened by this program or a related free reader version of it, and the that FTM is a much more commonly used program than any other, which makes it easier to exchange data.

I'd recommend reading the other reviews of other versions of this software as they are all essentially the same, with the Deluxe version adding more online subscriptions, and the basic not including a training video or as much time free online at the related Ancestry.com site. Be aware that premium access to that site does cost extra for access to all databases. But I've spent hundreds of dollars on Data CDs over the years and can appreciate that they don't give that all away for a free or low monthly subscription. I'm not thrilled about seeing things I own offered for sale to me online but tiered service access levels is the norm for subscription genealogy sites. The CDs are a pain to use as you can only search one at a time.

You can find a lot of data free online on the Web, but genealogy is filled with guesswork and bad research leading to false claims. It mirrors the reliability problem with using the Internet as a source for any research.

Verified sources are the root of solid family history research and eventually you'll have to go to the sources if you want credible research. That means spending lots of time in research libraries and pulling government and church records or pulling reliable references from databases researched credibly on CDs or online. There's a few sites and products that can help you get there faster and this is certainly one of them. It's not going to do all your reasearch for you, and you'll probably have to pay to access data for clues and visit regional archives or hire someone else to help you get the missing evidence to create a documented family history. Having good software is essential to map out what you need to research more.

I've seen FTM evolve considerably over the years and this version looks like it exposes much simpler access to family info on one page and makes it easier to edit and add parents, grandparents and siblings. Also the management of image files and ability to generate indexes, timelines and custom files of branches of ancestors or descendants is the kind of thing that makes this a versatile database product. It's easier to share pieces of research instead of giving away all your work to answer a simple query.

Other reviews raise concerns about publishing your research online via this software. The root of what makes genealogy fun is finding distant cousins and sharing the info you have that no one else has found yet, or finding that someone else already solved your roadblocks. I'd tend to agree about some of the concerns about sharing your data, but I think this is also less of a serious concern than some present it as. The genealogy community tends to be cautious and safe about not sharing recent data on living people that could be exploited for identity theft.

We've reached the golden age of genealogy. My grandfather spent more than half his life visiting cousins to compare notes. We see more databases, more sources of reliable data and more ability to search public domain history books than ever before.

The fun part of genealogy is finding the stories to add to the names, dates and places. To those of us that enjoy it as a passion it's like a good mystery novel. People often look for clues for years to try to find and confirm a missing parent or ancestor. It's getting easier with more data available but still takes a little sleuthing and creative ways of looking at records, neighbors, churches, land records and more to find the clues that solve ancient mysteries.

No software will do it all for you, but good software is critical to help avoid re-inventing the wheel and to incorporate the documented research others have done before you. What the 2006 version of this can do compared to the last version I bought a few years ago is pretty amazing, especially compared to what the state of genealogy software was a decade ago.

"Don't buy it!"
It stinks! I've worked with computers since 1960 and this is the worse piece of software that I've ever met. You can do everything this thing does with a good word processer. It's a gimmick to get your data and to hook you into a subcription of their service. Forgetaboutit!