[TI] Legacy versus FTM

Wed Jan 27 21:57:30 CST 2010

Testamonial ahead! 
I switched to Legacy after a big FTM crash where I lost literally thousands of names and data bits. 
I used an old GEDCOM backup file and imported it in to Legacy to start and have populated it since. It is very easy to use, and I like the search capabilities. Love the marriage list, too! Name lookups in the Index are easy and show you more info on the person, rather than just the name, so its easier to find who you are looking for. This is especially key with Sicilian names! I have 17 Giuseppe Bondi's in my file! Navigation is intuitive, easy. 
I wasn't that keen on Legacy's book-making ability so far (granted, I haven't taken a lot of time to learn the ins and outs of the Deluxe version), but since the big crash of '09, I have kept a separate photo and map file for my family books and not integrated it with a family tree program in case that was cause of the crash. 
Since I did have 2 books nicely organized in FTM, I actually used Legacy to make an updated GEDCOM and transfer it back to FTM so I could print a book quickly for my cousin at Christmas. I still use Legacy as my master source. I hope to learn more about its capabilities as I go. 
I also LOVE not having to pour money out every year on upgrades and then wonder about stability. 

JMTC,
Corie

> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:34:32 -0600
> From: rngade57 at madisontelco.com
> To: terminiimerese at comunesofitaly.org
> Subject: [TI] Legacy versus FTM
> 
> I don't normally hype any software to excess. I like what I like and 
> don't try to force anyone to use what I like versus what they might 
> like. BUT in the case of Legacy versus FTM 2010 (or 2008 or 2009), 
> Legacy wins handsdown and has my full endorsement.
> 
> Here are some of the MANY reasons I switched to Legacy:
> 
> 1. Legacy has a free download which you can use FOREVER without paying 
> one cent for it. You only need to pay for the deluxe version if you 
> want to unlock all of the extra features. Even without the deluxe 
> features, the program is far above FTM and this includes ALL versions of 
> FTM.
> 
> 2. Legacy doesn't put out a new version every year AND you don't have 
> to upgrade to the new version if you don't want to. 
> 
> 3. Legacy has FREE updates to its software. FTM's updates are costly 
> as they become new versions you must purchase to get the new features.
> 
> 4. Two ways to search for a person:
> a. NAME LIST - this is a listing of EACH individual in the database 
> of the file you are using
> b. MARRIAGE LIST - EVERY marriage in your database shows in this 
> list. If a person is married 3 times, it shows ALL 3 marriages, not 
> just one. You don't have to highlight the husband or wife's name to see 
> who their spouses are. You can see the exact date of the marriage 
> WITHOUT having to go to the page were both husband and wife are listed. 
> No need to HIGHLIGHT each person to see who they are married to and/or 
> guess which one it is that has more than one wife or husband like in FTM.
> 
> 5. NAME LIST - this list is well worth everything you every wanted in 
> a genealogy program
> In the left window of the pane, you have the listing of the people in 
> the database with the years of birth and death listed. In the right 
> side of the window, you have 8 tabs you can click on to look at ALL of 
> the information about that person WITHOUT having to go to the page for 
> just that person. 
> a. FAMILY TAB - shows parents names, spouse's name, siblings names, 
> and their children's names - Can't see this in FTM without clicking on 
> their name and then moving between screens which take an extraordinary 
> amount of time in FTM.
> b. SOURCES - you can see all of the sources you have attached to 
> that person
> c. LDS - shows information for LDS recording
> d. TEMPLE - lets you record the information about Temple
> e. DETAIL - shows full dates of birth, baptism, marriage, death, 
> burial, mother and father and spouse's name. In the bottom part of the 
> same window, it shows 3 generation chart starting with the person you 
> are viewing
> f. EDIT - lets you edit details of any entry for that person
> g. EVENTS - shows all events attached to the person
> h. NOTES - lets you see all notes attached to the person as well as 
> you can edit them
> 
> 6. SPEED - The program is extremely fast. Moves quickly between 
> screens. FTM 2010 is too sluggish. Takes an extraordinary amount of 
> time to move between screens especially if you have a large database. 
> The TI file I am entering data from the certificate database has over 
> 48,000 people in it. It would take as long as 90 seconds or more to 
> move between screens in FTM. In Legacy, it is usually less than 2 seconds.
> 
> 7. CHARTING - I couldn't begin to tell you how much better and easier 
> and more features it has than FTM. More charts, better and easier to use.
> 
> 8. USER-FRIENDLY - Much easier to use the FTM 2010. Legacy is pretty 
> self-explanatory and intuitive to use. 
> 
> 9. SUPPORT GROUP - Legacy has a mailing list that is out of this 
> world. If you have a problem, someone will usually be able to help you 
> solve it almost immediately. Legacy also has some of their staff who 
> monitor the list and help as well. FTM doesn't have any one to help and 
> it only USERS of FTM who try to help others. 
> 
> These are just SOME of the many reasons I switched to Legacy and have 
> been using it for over 2 years now. I maintained FTM 2009 file until 
> 2010 came out and I saw no improvement in their program. I have totally 
> switched to Legacy
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TerminiImerese mailing list
> TerminiImerese at comunesofitaly.org
> http://comunesofitaly.org/mailman/listinfo/terminiimerese_comunesofitaly.org 		 	   		  