For those who were concerned about the genealogy reports that were not in Family Tree Maker 2008 when it was first released, good news. These will be added to the program via a free patch in October.
Here is the most recent communication from Family Tree Maker to its customers:
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.
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.
I like Family Tree Maker 2008 , and I think that the program will continue to be improved as time goes on. I've been using it since it was first released. This week, I have been using the Source Management Workspace to clean up sources that I had entered in much older versions of FTM when their sourcing feature was rather basic.
Here are many of the features I found in FTM2008 - FTM 2008 Thoughts
Family Tree Maker 2008
3 comments:
I am using windows vista. I received the service pak1 download and it said successful, however my version still says 17.0.0.435; they say it should say .438. No matter how I try, and I've done everything they've said, it doesn't change. HELP!!!! I had upgraded my version 16 ftm with the 2008...I downloaded my huge ftm files...do I need to uninstall 2008 and then reinstall? Will I lose all my family entries????
According to the FTM Knowledge Base at http://ftm.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ftm.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_sid=Vl13ZCMi
Vista Users must follow these steps:
Microsoft Vista users may need to complete the following additional steps to receive the service pack:
1. Close Family Tree Maker if it is open.
2. Right-click the shortcut for Family Tree Maker 2008 and select “Run as administrator.”
3. You will be asked to confirm that FTM.exe should have rights to access the computer. Click “Allow.”
4. The notification that an update is available should appear at this time. If not, please complete the remaining steps listed below.
a. Click the “Help” menu item at the top of the program.
b. Click “Check for Updates…”
c. The program will check for an update and notify you if one is available.
To verify that the update worked do the following:
1. Open Family Tree Maker 2008
2. Click the “Help” menu item at the top of the program
3. Click “About Family Tree Maker…”
4. On the Product Information tab there is a version number. If the update was successful the version number will be 17.0.0.434.
I hope this works for you. Kathi
The FTM Knowledge Base continues:
To verify the update worked do the following:
Open Family Tree Maker 2008
Click the Help menu item at the top of the program
Click About Family Tree Maker…
On the Product Information tab there is a version number. If the update was successful the version number will be 17.0.0.440.
Note: If your Family Tree Maker 2008 experiences issues or if your update version number is 17.0.0.435 after installing the patch, we recommend you uninstall your Family Tree Maker from your computer, this will automatically uninstall your update/patch. After you have uninstalled Family Tree maker re-install it.
Kathi
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