Re: Roots Magic over Family Tree Maker

I currently own Family Tree Maker (FTM) 2005 under Windows 2000 have
been noticing some problems lately. I do not think that FTM in
completely happy under 2000?

So I have been wondering changing to Roots Magic v.3, does any one
currently have this and what do you think of it?

Peter Williams

John Nichols...

I've been using Roots Magic for just over a year now, and upgraded to
version three over the Christmas holidays. I'm very satisfied with it, I
especially like its Source Wizard which makes it incredibly easy to enter a
source correctly, along with comments about it. It's ability to search the
Internet, particularly IGIs on the LDS site is quite good.

My only gripe with it is that doesn't display an individual's relationship
to your root individual by default. Instead you have to use its
relationship calculator, which does not appear to "stick" once it's been
calculated.

sull1927...

Certainly each user is interested in a genealogy program doing
everything he wishes. But for purposes of discussion...

I know the relationship of almost anyone in my direct line starting
with my gggg grandfather. It's only out of curiosity that I want to
know my relationship with those not in my direct line.

Even though that is one of your interests, what am I, or the average
user, missing by RM not having the feature you would like?

John Nichols...

Hugh, if it's not important to you, then you're missing nothing. And direct
lines are not so hard. But, and this is a biggie for _me_, when you tracing
the children of your great granduncle, and their children, and so on, then
it gets to more complicated. Even more so if you're tracing down the
children of the brother of your third great grandfather (or grandmother).

I have to admit that this is one of the things that I miss about
Generations, which I no longer use. On any given screen, without having to
go through a separate menu, you always knew if somebody was your third
cousin four times removed.

Obviously, YDV. :)

Richard Bland...

John:

Version 3.0.4 of Roots Magic does have the feature you want.
Go to Tools - Set relationships.
The relationship of any person to the root person appears in the
status bar at the bottom of the screen.

John Nichols...

Dick, I want to thank both you, and Sue (who sent me a private email for
this), for pointing to this. I've set it, and now I see the relationships
at the bottom of the screen.

Jerald H. Mathews...

RootsMagic is very good. The author pays close attention to user
complaints and wishes, fixes problems (mot many of those) and
includes wish lists on a timely basis.

I started with Family Origins (Same Author) and moved to RootsMagic
with no problems.