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  • FTM to be retired??

    Saw this on the Family Historian User Group website



    Anne

  • #2
    Just got an e-mail from Ancestry saying the same thing. Doesn't seem to be going over very well judging by the comments on their blog page.
    Linda


    My avatar is my Grandmother Carolina Meulenhoff 1896 - 1955

    Comment


    • #3
      I've just received the same email. They will stop selling FTM on 31 Dec 2015 and will only support existing users until 1 Jan 2017.

      Joanne

      Comment


      • #4
        Ancestry to retire Family Tree maker



        wonder what this will mean to our trees?

        Comment


        • #5
          Huh, seems an odd decision. I wonder why they are doing that.
          Eighteen -- Hadleigh, Suffolk; Reading, Berkshire
          Hendry -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire
          Wylie -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire

          Comment


          • #6
            I wonder if its because of the free Ancestry you get with FTM, it must be costing them money.

            Comment


            • #7
              Doesn't worry me too much as ever since FTM 2012 I stopped using that programme, too complicated for this tired old brain, but I am sure it is going to affect many genealogists.
              Whoever said Seek and Ye shall find was not a genealogist.

              David

              Comment


              • #8
                They are trying to force us to use their online tree program. I think it's a ruse to keep us paying our subs! Currently, if you have an offline tree, or if you use Ancestry's FTM "TreeSync" then you would download to your PC a copy of each relevant doc that you find on Ancestry (or any other site that you use) and link it in to your tree on FTM (this is done automatically with TreeSync I believe, though I don't use that feature personally). However, if they force us to have our trees on their site and stop supporting FTM (and presumably therefore TreeSync also) then you won't be able to link to documents on your PC - you'll have to upload them to Ancestry first, or in the case of Ancestry documents, link to them directly from within Ancestry. Once you have done the latter you will only be able to see those docs again if you keep up a current sub. It will also discourage people from using other sites (FMP, etc) due to the extra hassle of having to upload any docs from those sites to your online tree on Ancestry. You will also lose control over your own tree as you will be completely at the mercy of Ancestry as to how you view, use and manipulate your own data.

                I really think this will backfire badly for Ancestry. Personally I would never switch to an online-only system, and if FTM disappears I am sure there are plenty of similar programs out there that will be ready to fill the niche - I will simply switch to an alternative software. It's a shame really as FTM has many useful features, but I will not be bullied by Ancestry into conducting my research in the way they say I should, or only using the tools that they provide. I wish Ancestry had stuck to simply being a provider of quality genealogical data but it seems as though they are intent on becoming a one-stop, automated, "push-button-to-make-your-tree" shop, and if you don't like the way they do it then tough!

                Richard

                Comment


                • #9
                  I agree Richard, but will someone please tell me what is the best "similar program"???? I don't know of anything that comes close to FTM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by bev&kev View Post
                    I agree Richard, but will someone please tell me what is the best "similar program"???? I don't know of anything that comes close to FTM.
                    That's an easy one to answer - Family Historian.

                    I've only bought FTM occasionally for the reduced subscription and then uploaded my GECCOM to Ancestry but I can see that if you have relied heavily on the sync feature then it will be infuriating.

                    I am more concerned about this news!! http://www.familytreeforum.com/showt...storage-issues since that is what I currently use to sync my offline trees and hope it doesn't close altogether.
                    Caroline
                    Caroline's Family History Pages
                    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I still use FTM 2006 as I prefer that version. No longer have my tree on Ancestry and stopped my subs there over two years ago.

                      I shall just continue to use FTM though.
                      Wendy



                      PLEASE SCAN AT 300-600 DPI FOR RESTORATION PURPOSES. THANK YOU!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I received the email this morning. Funnily enough I only sent a complaint about the new, what I consider, dumbed down version and mentioned I hoped this would not affect the synchopation to FTM, I would think it probably does.
                        Bubblebelle x

                        FAMILY INTERESTS: Pitts of Sherborne Gloucs. Deaney (Bucks). Pye of Kent. Randolph of Lydd, Kent. Youell of Norfolk and Suffolk. Howe of Lampton. Carden of Bucks.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by bev&kev View Post
                          I agree Richard, but will someone please tell me what is the best "similar program"???? I don't know of anything that comes close to FTM.
                          Everyone might find it worthwhile to sign up for Dick Eastman's' newsletter as he will be looking at alternatives:

                          Caroline
                          Caroline's Family History Pages
                          Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Ancestry to stop selling FTM

                            Linda, have merged your thread with similar one on Research.
                            Elaine



                            Just had an e-mail from Ancestry to say that they are to stop selling Family Tree Maker software. I shall try and copy the content and paste on here. Thought you might all like to know.




                            Ancestry <Ancestry@ancestry.com>
                            Dec 8 at 10:59 PM

                            To



                            Message body

                            Ancestry
                            &nbsp;Dear Family Tree Maker™ community,

                            Ancestry is proud to have made a significant investment this year to bring valuable new content and records to the Ancestry site. In 2015, we’ve made 220 million searchable historical records from Mexico available, more than 170 million pages from the largest collection of U.S. will and probate records, among others. We’ve also introduced new features such as Ancestry Academy, and major advancements for AncestryDNA.

                            As we strive to provide our customers with the best experience possible, we are constantly evaluating our services and product offerings. True to this focus, we’ve taken a hard look at the declining desktop software market and the impact this has on being able to continue to provide new content, product enhancements and support that our users need. With that, we’ve made the tough decision to stop selling Family Tree Maker as of December 31, 2015.

                            We will continue to support existing Family Tree Maker owners at least through January 1, 2017. During this time, all features of the software, including TreeSync™ will continue to work. Our Member Services team will also remain available to assist with questions or issues you may have.

                            These changes are never easy. But by focusing our efforts, we can concentrate on continuing to build great products for our loyal Ancestry community.
                            Last edited by Elaine ..Spain; 09-12-15, 08:51. Reason: reason for merge
                            Linda - Happy Hunting

                            A tidy house is the sign of a broken computer

                            Researching: Brown, Bell, Key and Musgrave from Cumberland. Dodds, Green, Campbell, Hall, Armstrong, Davison from Co. Durham. Raymond from Devon/Cornwall.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Consumer level desktop software has been a rapidly declining market for quite a few years now - lots of other very useful programs have disappeared. As computer users we have become used to getting things for free, finding websites that allow us to do anything we want and using free "apps" on our numerous devices. You only need to look at things like Google Docs, Office 365 and numerous PC games to understand how things have shifted away from using software installed on your own machine. Encouraging people to just use their on-line system makes things much easier for Ancestry, it solves the expensive issue of keeping the Treesync feature working and it locks people (who don't know better) into their subscriptions.

                              I would expect FTM will continue to work for some time - the problem will come when another major operating system change (like Windows 10) comes along, although those types of things can usually be worked around. I still use the excellent Microsoft Money to deal with my home accounts and that was discontinued years ago. Using FTM as a standalone to document research shouldn't be a problem - it will be the sync and integration features with Ancestry that may or may not still function beyond the support date.

                              There are a few excellent alternatives out there which are still being developed (hopefully they can survive) ... try a different one, you can usually get a free trial , you might like it !
                              Last edited by AntonyM; 09-12-15, 08:57.
                              Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
                              Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by Richard in Perth View Post
                                They are trying to force us to use their online tree program. I think it's a ruse to keep us paying our subs! Currently, if you have an offline tree, or if you use Ancestry's FTM "TreeSync" then you would download to your PC a copy of each relevant doc that you find on Ancestry (or any other site that you use) and link it in to your tree on FTM (this is done automatically with TreeSync I believe, though I don't use that feature personally). However, if they force us to have our trees on their site and stop supporting FTM (and presumably therefore TreeSync also) then you won't be able to link to documents on your PC - you'll have to upload them to Ancestry first, or in the case of Ancestry documents, link to them directly from within Ancestry. Once you have done the latter you will only be able to see those docs again if you keep up a current sub. It will also discourage people from using other sites (FMP, etc) due to the extra hassle of having to upload any docs from those sites to your online tree on Ancestry. You will also lose control over your own tree as you will be completely at the mercy of Ancestry as to how you view, use and manipulate your own data.

                                I really think this will backfire badly for Ancestry. Personally I would never switch to an online-only system, and if FTM disappears I am sure there are plenty of similar programs out there that will be ready to fill the niche - I will simply switch to an alternative software. It's a shame really as FTM has many useful features, but I will not be bullied by Ancestry into conducting my research in the way they say I should, or only using the tools that they provide. I wish Ancestry had stuck to simply being a provider of quality genealogical data but it seems as though they are intent on becoming a one-stop, automated, "push-button-to-make-your-tree" shop, and if you don't like the way they do it then tough!

                                Richard
                                The "push-button-to-make-your-tree" is exactly what a lot of people are looking for - I know many people who think that trees are generated from 'automatic data matching' that does not require any human intervention and so Ancestry has seen the business angle in this and of course who can blame them, it's a burgeoning area until every tree is done!
                                Margaret

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  I've just been writing some notes for a beginners course I am running in January - I usually recommend using FTM (mainly because of the subscription deals included) .... I'm going to have to rewrite that section now !
                                  Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
                                  Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    The forthcoming demise of FTM may also be a good time to review your record keeping strategy - anything held on a computer (or on the web) is always dependent on someone else, now or in the future, being able to access it in the format you used.

                                    I have documents my father wrote 10 years ago on floppy discs, but don't have a drive to read them on .... things change very rapidly.

                                    If you want your research to be available to future generations, think very carefully about how you store your information. At the moment , nothing really beats paper ( apart from vellum, and that's probably a bit expensive for most of us).
                                    Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
                                    Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Agree Antony - I have paper backup but also use Tribal pages and FTM so I can print off charts and reports easily. Also access is restricted to who I want it to be.

                                      What is Family Historian?



                                      Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        Antony you can buy a usb floppy disc reader. About £7 from Amazon.
                                        Linda - Happy Hunting

                                        A tidy house is the sign of a broken computer

                                        Researching: Brown, Bell, Key and Musgrave from Cumberland. Dodds, Green, Campbell, Hall, Armstrong, Davison from Co. Durham. Raymond from Devon/Cornwall.

                                        Comment

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