Family Tree Maker 2008 - Planned Improvements
Essential Upgrades to Family Tree Maker 2008
"Dear Family Tree Maker Customer:
Thank you for your recent purchase of Family Tree Maker 2008. We are continually working to improve the product and wanted to let you know about some upcoming enhancements. Free Program Updates
Service Pack 1: We just released a program update that resolves some performance issues that have been brought to our attention. If you have registered your Family Tree Maker software, the next time you open the program you will automatically receive a message prompting you to install the program update (you must be connected to the Internet to receive the automatic notification). The installation process is quick and secure. We urge you to take advantage of this program update, which will improve your experience using the software.Service Pack 2: In mid-October we will enhance the program’s Publish capabilities. In particular, this release reintroduces several popular reports from previous versions of Family Tree Maker. Again, if you have registered your software, you will be automatically notified when the program update becomes available. You can also access up-to-date information about program enhancements by visiting the Program Updates page on the Family Tree Maker website.
Book Publishing
Many of you have asked about our plans for expanding the program’s book publishing capabilities. Some Family Tree Maker customers have already explored Ancestry Press, our new online self-publishing application, and are excited by the possibilities it offers for creating customized family history books. Other customers have contacted us to say they would feel more comfortable using a desktop book building tool. Our goal is to offer an integrated solution that combines the advantages of both an online application and a desktop application.
Ancestry Press: In the coming months we will be adding many new features and templates to the Ancestry Press book building tool. We are also working to improve the integration between Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Press. Next month you will receive a coupon for 50% off your first professionally printed Ancestry Press book.Desktop Tool: We are developing a desktop book building tool that we will provide free of charge to all Family Tree Maker 2008 customers next summer. This tool will allow you to print your book from home or, if you prefer, create a PDF that you can have professionally printed and bound through the Ancestry Press book printing service or another vendor of your choice.
Customer Feedback
Family Tree Maker 2008 represents a new strategic direction for the software and provides a robust platform for future development. While we are excited about the program’s many new features and the opportunities to extend its functionality, we recognize that the new approach is a departure from previous versions of the software and that some of our loyal customers have concerns about switching to the new version.
For information about specific features that have changed, please visit the Knowledge Base on the Family Tree Maker website. If you don’t find an answer to your question, please let us know. You can use the enhancement request form to submit questions and comments as well as suggestions for new features. While we cannot respond personally to each message, we do consider all suggestions and will post answers to frequently asked questions on the Knowledge Base for the benefit of the whole community.
Thank you for your patience and support as we work to offer an even better family tree building experience to our valued customers. We appreciate the feedback you have already provided and look forward to an ongoing dialogue about how we can improve the product.
Best wishes,
The Family Tree Maker team
A NOTE ABOUT PRIVACY: When you upload your family tree to Ancestry.com, you can control the privacy settings on your tree and on projects you create in Ancestry Press.
If you choose the Personal Tree setting, other Ancestry members will not be able to view your tree, but the names of deceased individuals in your tree—as well as their birthdates and birthplaces—may appear in the search index. Ancestry members searching for those individuals can contact you anonymously through Ancestry’s Connection Service to request more information.
If you choose the Public Tree setting, other Ancestry members will be able to view your tree and, if they find common ancestors, merge specific lines into their own family trees. Ancestry members who are doing research on your family lines can contact you anonymously through Ancestry’s Connection Service to request and share information.
Regardless of your privacy setting, information about people who appear to be living is automatically hidden and will not be displayed in the search index. By default, any project you create in Ancestry Press is completely private unless you choose to share it with specific individuals or with the community. Beginning in October, you’ll have the ability to invite your family members to view and contribute to your project—even if they are not Ancestry subscribers."
Comments
How is that message being sent? Must be by snail mail, as I haven’t received an email regarding this info. Fortunately, thanks to blogs I heard about this yesterday. I have had problems with this program and was disappointed in its format. I so far, do not find this program easier to manuever than the older version. I did update yesterday with the service pack 1 and it seemed to operate quicker. I still need more time to get accustomed to the new format. Hopefully, this change is for the better.
I have the 2008 FTM and am disappointed because I cannot print out a genealogy report. Also having difficulty in making sure of relationship, ie, natural, step, etc.
Besides the obvious issue of trying to find previous functionality, I came across a real concern on my part. I converted my old file from 2006 to the the new 2008 and found some source’s attached to the wrong people. This brings real concern on my part since I have a large database with many attached facts and graphics. I’m going to try another install and convert. Don’t delete your old 2006 version just yet!
This new version is such a dud that I’ve gone back to the previous version. If you haven’t bought this yet, don’t bother.
I received my CD copy of the Family Tree Maker 2008, along with the two discs “History in Images”; “Training video”. All three cannot be installed in my Vista Dell computer. Can the CD’s be downloaded from the internet?
Thanks for the help ASAP.
How to get rid of lead Leaves that info is not relavant to person. Confusing for leaf to remain unless there is new info available.
I too am disapointed in FTM 2008. I have been very pleased with all the other versions.
I loaded 2008 in my new Vista laptop and then used a CD of my old FTM 2007 family data and photos and it would not merge. So I decided to hand put in a few names to see how the new FTM worked and it couldn’t connect to the internet. Is anyone else having issues with the new Vista Windows and FTM together?
I am a Photobook publisher and am pleased to hear that FTM will be releasing the publishing feature. We often get asked to print various books, calendars etc. I am still using version 10, so will upgrade soon and hope the patch comes sooner rather than later.
I will make sure I back-up my old files first, after reading one of these comments. I have 13 years of research that’s too precious to muck up.
Frustration for sure. I have to go back to my old version to do some of the things needed.
I was actually missing all information on a pedigree sheet on one name in the new program.
How on earth do I crop or change a picture?
I am trying to do a simple print a family group and it won’t give me the right one. It keeps wanting to give me the first marriage and I want the second and I even have the second on the screen.
I could go on and on.
Even copying stuff from Ancestry looks awful when it is a chart. Looks much better in the old one.
Better have more patches and SOON!
I have a rather large FTM database (12,300 individuals; 3,769 marriages; 194,103 text records). I DO source every bit of information I enter into FTM16.
I’m very concerned with the new FTM2008. I lost data when I exported my data from FTM16 to a GEDCOM 5.5 file - then imported that file into FTM2008.
To check validity of the transfer, I exported all data from FTM2008 to another GEDCOM 5.5 file - then imported that file back into FTM16.
When I compared “Family File Statistics” on the FTM16 original file with the same data exported to FTM2008 and then back into FTM16, I had the same number of people, same marrages — BUT — lost over 42,000 text records ! ! ! The file size was 5 MB smaller after the re-import.
Either FTM2008 is not importing all of the GEDCOM 5.5 file — OR — is importing it incorrectly — OR — is losing data when FTM2008 exports to a GEDCOM 5.5 file. —- Don’t know which situation is happening — BUT — something’s not right.
SO — BE CAREFUL WHEN MOVING TO FTM2008 ! ! I have notified FTM Tech Support of the issue, and consequently, do not intend to use FTM2008 until Tech Support has fixed and released a new version/patch to the new FTM2008 that ensures data is not lost.
Dan Hunter
I also did not get the email about problems though I do have the patch. I am not as knowledgeable as the writers of the other comments but I have noticed some information on my tree which I did not put on (?). The worst thing is that the program keeps shutting down which is very annoying. I did not get the 2 disks of history but instead it came with a useless postcard disk. Shirley Brooke
Family Tree 2008 is the most user unfriendly software I have ever tried to use. I have deleted and gone back to Family Tree 16. When I tried to transfer data from Family Tree 16 to 2008 I lost items, such as “notes”. After three hours I finally gave up and deleted FT 2008.Purchase some other software. I had purchased the Official Guide. It’s totally useless. Save your money. The writer is out in “left field”.
I have got FTM 2008, and I transferred all my data from FTM 2005 via a GEDCOM and I was lucky in that it did transfer all the data. I admit it has took a little getting used to as it is completely different, but I have to say I think it is great. Yes I do have a few niggles, mine does shut down occasionally, I cannot get Individual reference numbers to assign automically any ideas anyone …..? The Reports are a little disappointing yet I hope that SP 2 released in mid October will sort that out, but the Maps, FANTASTIC, some might think gimmicky, but I found to be useful, I think it is a case of giving it a bit of time and getting used to it, however, I have not deleted my 2005 version yet ……
When I opened 2008 I couldn’t believe how stupid this program was. It is not Family Tree Maker it is “Ancestry Tree Maker”. The programmers must be on Meth, because no sane person would have released this program to the previous customers who want to continue using the World Family Tree disks. Then when I tried Genealogy Report and saw it downloading my file to Ancestry.com, I was livid. How dare they steal my file. I will not let my file go to Ancestry.com because I don’t trust the company. This is a disgrace. I’ve called various genealogy clubs in So. Calif. so they could warn members not to buy this poooooor excuse for a genealogy program. Buy Legacy or any other program before you would ever spend another penny with Ancestry.com
I didn’t send my program back, instead I loaded it on my notebook computer so I could go and demonstate this abortion of Family Tree Maker.
If Ancestry.Com doesn’t recall and redo this program they can be one of the also ran’s in the future. These people don’t have a clue as to what they are doing for now. I’ve tried to tell FTM what is wrong with the older versions since ver 10 and of course they have never been interested in correcting problems that started with ver. 10. I give up. I’m still using ver 9 since that’s the last version that somewhat runs so so. I would never use the Genealogy report directly because of all the double spacing problems. So I used that feature for instant viewing of my file, but then export to PAF Companion to do my genealogy reports, extra work but I want to trim my reports that look like a real book release, with an index that is correct.
I have always backed Family Tree Maker. I recently demonstrated the new 2008 version to my computer genealogy users group. I was all for the new interface, once I discovered where I could locate things. THEN, much to my dismay, I found out you “hijacked” the book feature and took some of the standard reports away, slyly not saying so upfront. So, now, one has to wait for your programers to restore things that were once in the prior versions. Since when is a program “new and improved”, without notice that you are removing some of the features your users use and assume will still be in future versions? I have since let everyone I know this program is not worth the $40 that is being asked for. I am seriously looking at other programs, even though I was one of those foolish people who jumped on the bandwagon based on my history with your prior products. This one is a real “dud”. I think you didn’t do enough market research before making some of the moves you did with this one. I, and others, can see that the almighty dollar was driving some of these decisions. Is the book add-on feature going to cost us something? I wonder? Also, some of us don’t want our data and research going through third parties. That personal decision should be respected.
Looking for another genealogy program,
Mary Dancer
Critical Data Losses Associated with Family Tree Maker 2008
Be afraid – be very afraid — of losing valuable data when transferring/upgrading to Family Tree Maker 2008 (FTM2008) software. I highly recommend NOT upgrading to this product at this time, and instead staying with earlier versions of FTM or using other vendors’ software.
I am an experienced genealogist with an extensive IT software development and testing background. When I recently attempted to upgrade to the recently released FTM2008 from Family Tree Maker 16 (FTM16), I experienced an large number of problems, the most dangerous and severe being LOSS OF DATA ! !
Below are my file statistics before and after upgrading to FTM2008:
File Size: (BEFORE UPGRADE) 18.598 Mb (AFTER) 13,855 Mb
Total individuals in data base: (BEFORE UPGRADE) 12,300 (AFTER) 12,300
Total marriages: (BEFORE UPGRADE) 3,769 (AFTER) 3,769
Total Text Records: (BEFORE UPGRADE) 194,103 (AFTER) 152,213
More than 20 percent of my text records were lost and failed to transfer. The lost records appear to be source data documenting events (i.e., birth, death, etc.) and individual notes for individuals. Also, some sources that did transfer appear to have been scrambled and no longer relate to the correct events.
I initiated numerous communications with the technical staff who purportedly supports FTM2008, and, in turn, received comments such as “I do apologize that you are frustrated with the software” …and… “I am not sure why this information has not transferred to the new software”. Other than these comments, there appeared to be no concern for the problem, nor any expressed intent to fix it.
Because of the seriousness of data loss, I subsequently sent a message to David Humphreys (Project Manager responsible for FTM2008) and two letters to Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of The Generations Network (TGN) – the company that owns Ancestry.com and produces Family Tree Maker software. THERE WAS NEVER A RESPONSE FROM ANY OF TGN’s MANAGEMENT.
It was recently announced that in mid-October 2007, Spectrum Equity Investors acquired TGN (which included FTM2008, Ancestry.com, and MyFamily.com) for $300 million. So, I sent correspondence to the two Co-Founders and Managing Directors of Spectrum Equity Investors advising them of this critical problem with FTM2008 – and like the correspondence sent to the senior management of TGN – NOTHING HAPPENED ! !
I highly encourage all using, or who might be considering using, FTM2008 to proceed with utmost caution. Besides the FTM2008 software being less than adequate in it’s present form (generally “buggy”, reduced reports, more cumbersome, difficult to install, etc.), as genealogists, we can not afford to lose the results of our research. I would suggest everyone retain their previous versions of their data files and software and refrain from using FTM2008 until the company announces a new release and CAN PROVE that their buggy software is fixed and reliable.
FTM2008 definitely has a long way to go before regaining and earning back the reputation that it enjoyed with the earlier versions !
Users may confirm the many problems being encountered with FTM2008 by doing a Google search using “Family Tree Maker 2008” and “problems”. Literally 100’s of sites are listed ! !
Dan Hunter
Have never been able to register this product despite numerous attempts with suggestions from the techs. Therefore, I also am unable to update with any service pack. I have gone back to using my old version of FTM and would definitely not recommend this FTM 2008 to anyone.
This is a follow-up to my Nov. 3, 2007 posting concerning the potential for data loss while transferring information to Family Tree Maker 2008 (FTM2008).
Although efforts to make contact with the management team of FTM2008 were unsuccessful prior to my posting, two days after the posting, David Humphreys initiated contact which resulted in ongoing communication.
For those who are only “scanning” this posting, I will sum up the info below by stating that I now tend to believe there is NO LOSS OF DATA when info is transferred into FTM2008 from external sources.
After establishing contact with the FTM development team, I shared a copy of my database with the team and they repeated the same processes I described that I believed contributed to data loss. They report they could not identify any data loss in the transfer to FTM2008, and explained that the apparent loss of data is due to the fact that FTM16 (the old version) stores data differently in its internal database dependent on whether the data was “entered directly” into FTM16 - or - was “imported” into FTM16 (e.g. from an imported GEDCOM or other file).
I’ve been advised that the new FTM2008 uses a totally differently schema (data base storage structure/content/semantics) from the older software — BUT — does not result in any loss of data.
I have begun checking their explanation with a smaller sub-set of my data, and have so far found their explanation to be true.
The main difference I’ve found (and which led me to believe there was data loss) between FTM2008 and FTM16, is a difference in how some source information appears to the end-user in FTM2008. ALL source information in FTM2008 is a more hidden, and harder to view than it was in FTM16, but in certain situations the source information within FTM2008 for events (i.e., Name, Birth Date, Death Date, Marriage Date, etc.) is more “secreted” than FTM2008’s “norm”.
It appears that when source comments stored in FTM2008 DO NOT reference (or are not linked to) specific records within the Master Source file, these comments appear differently than source comments that ARE directly linked to an entry in the Master Source file - - BUT - - they are stored in the database and appear to the user (and in reports) somewhat differently in FTM2008 than these same comments did in FTM16 (they appeared with the comments but showed “No Master Source”)
Coupled with the fact that FTM16 stores data in different ways (discussed above – ‘direct-entry’ versus ‘import’) the other factor that led me to the conclusion that data had been lost results from how FTM2008 produces a GEDCOM file, as opposed to how FTM16 produces a GEDCOM file. It appears both versions DO produce standardized GEDCOM-compliant files; however, each version uses different rules to produced those compliant GEDCOM files (i.e., FTM2008 appears to take long comments and/or notes, and generates multiple short “CONC” lines within a GEDCOM file (instructions that cause those lines to be later concatenated/linked) - whereas FTM16 takes those same long comments and/or notes, and generates longer lines within a GEDCOM file.
To recap - - - I now tend to believe that the importation of data to FTM2008 will not result in a data loss within the new version’s database. Some of the info may be a bit hard to find, but everything appears to be there.
As far as needed improvements to FTM2008, the management team responsible for FTM2008 development advised me that the ‘just-released’ Service Pack 2 strives to improve the reliability of the application and should improve some performance issues. The new SP2 also added the Ahnentafel & Register reports to the application. They assured me they were “looking hard” at ways to improve the way FTM2008 deals with ‘Sources’ along with other on-going performance-enhancing improvements.
For me personally, I will continue to use FTM16, but will regularly re-evaluate FTM2008 for performance and functionality issues, and will probably upgrade in the future when I can be as comfortable with the new version as I am with the old.
Dan Hunter
I had Family Tree Maker 10 and went to Family Tree Maker 2008.
I had a computer power supply blow up and take out my system and was forced to upgrade to Vista. SQL Server 2000, which Family Tree Maker 10 is based on is not compatible with Vista.
I will put this into technical language that everyone can understand. FTM 2008 is a Bad DOG, it Barks, Howls, and sh*ts on the rug.
The people who write for FTM spin it very nicely, saying that things are improved. When you take away program capabilities, I don’t call that an improvement. (That is what Micro$oft does) They say it is intuitive, I can’t see why. I am a programmer and the old design was elegant in its simplicity. You could use it right out of the box.
For FTM 2008, they’ve gutted the program. It is not Family Tree Maker any more. I am thinking of setting up a dual boot so I can run Win Vista and Win XP Pro, so I can run FTM 10. I would also like to get my money back for this worthless FTM 2008 software.
PS: I didn’t get any notification of any patches or upgrades for FTM 2008.
04-13-2008