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Released: 2009-10-08 Rating:  More Details: Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum Edition (PC CD) Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum Edition (PC CD) @Amazon Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum Edition (PC CD) @aStore |
Customer Reviews:
Download problems
The only problem I have found was trying to import existing files from FTM 2006 edition. This did not happen even after following instructions to the letter and searching the web for information, maybe it's not set up to go back to that edition. Otherwise quick and simple installation, free 6 month subscription to Ancestry set up in minutes and working well. Seemed a little clumsy in use at first but once you find your way around it works well and does everything I need and I am sure I will discover even more useful items as I use it.
Family Tree Maker, 2010 
I have been using FTM 2010 for several weeks, and am very satisfied with it. Having previously used FTM 2009, there are several features that I have found to be considerably improved. The most significant of these are the 'enhanced nodes' in the 'People' workspace, the improved mapping controls in the 'Places' workspace, and the better integration with Ancestry website. The 'enhanced nodes' feature adds thumbnails and lifespan dates to the 'boxes' in the pedigree. If you have several generations of ancestors with the same name, this greatly reduces the likelihood of confusion when working on your tree. One of the most irritating aspects of the previous version of FTM was its propensity to mis-locate places on the map, even when you entered the correct county and country. This issue has been addressed in the 2010 version by the provision of a push-pin facility, which enables the user to override the software's automatic choice. The integration with Ancestry allows both uploading trees to, and downloading them from the website. However, the trees are still not synchronised, so that working on either one will not update the other. This is one aspect that will hopefully be addressed in the future. The only other major gripe I have with the software is that there is no facility to identify individuals on group photographs. If you have a wedding-group photo with a dozen or more people on it, you can very easily link all the individuals to the one photograph, but in order to know who is who, you have to write tedious descriptions - "the third person from the left on the second row from the front, etc" - in order for them to be of any real value. Having previously been a user of the (free) Family Tree Builder software, which has this facility, it is disappointing that FTM have not made something similar available. Notwithstanding this, the software is both very easy and satisfying to use, and has advanced features that will suit the most demanding of family historians.
So very little has changed 
I really like FTM. I have used it since the early days when it came on a single floppy!
I didn't move to FTM 2008 because of the really bad reviews but once FTM 2009 came out I went for it and liked it very much. I am someone who normally fears significant re-designs in products I am used to but the new look in FTM 2009 I think has been a great success.
Therefore I upgraded to FTM 2010 with high hopes. All I can say is that if you have FTM 2009 then don't bother! This has to be one of the feeblest upgrades in the history of PC software! Can someone please tell me why this wasn't simply a patch to FTM 2009? I am annoyed I paid good money for hardly anything extra. I know companies make their money out of upgrades but this is a joke.
If you have a version before FTM 2009 then I believe you will like the upgrade. If you have FTM 2009 then don't waste your money. Wait for FTM 2011 (or whatever they call it) and hope this time they have actually made some changes worth having!
FTM 2010 platinum edition first impressions
I originally purchased FTM Deluxe which claimed to have 3 months subscrption to ancestry, but only had 2 weeks. This edition had 6 months and when on special offer was worth considering as subscription to ancestry is £100-150 annually.
The software is powerful. There is starting guide (with a demo to work though- this is based in Diana Spencer and I found it upsetting to have her as an example) there is also a hints and tips booklet, v helpful when the basics are mastered. There is also an online video overviews and help functions.
The basic operation is quite simple, but soon becomes quite complex to use the full facilities. There are several 'views' of the data. It's not clear to me whether it is better to have one large tree with every one on it or split into smaller files with significant branches of the family.
People- where the classic family tree is shown -child their parents, the parents parents etc.. Here two to four generations can be seen in overview. The platinum version shows DOB-DOD and will display a thumb nail image if one is available. If connected to the web ancestry displays a leaf sign to indicate info may be available on this individual. A niggle here is that only one sibling is displayed. So if your grandfather had 4 children only the direct descendants of one is shown at any one time. To access the others you need to highlight grandfather and the children will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. I have one ancestor who married twice and had 14 children. The software asks for a prefered partner and they and their children are shown. You need to recall there is a seconds wife and then switch to them to see that part of the family. To get an overview of the ~200 relatives I've had to print a family tree and stick accoss 2m of wall!
There is a detailed person view where birth date, place, christening, occupation, residence, marriage can be displayed. Facts can be preferred or alternative where there is conflicting information. The facts are customisable so you can include those which are relevant or of interest. When connecting to the web data can be copied into the record- saves typing errors and a source included. This is a v useful tool as historical data is not always accurate and two pieces of data can be source referenced so you don't have to remeber where you found the info.
There is a places view which is linked to a global mapping device and will show maps or ariel pictures. The software is US based however and has tendancy to assume first that addresses is in US. It doesn't recongnise a lot of UK locations and these then have to be manually adjusted. I had hoped this would be improved between 09 and 10 versions of software but changes are not noticeable to me. In this view details can be seen of all relatives who lived in a certain area. If census data is enterred to add locations on different dates then the movement of families can be tracked. It is helpful when viewing census data as if a family expanded between the 10 year periods the names of a siblings occupation and place of residence is a good clue to locating the right record. Using the mapping you can see the names of small villages say 5 miles from previous location. That said you could use google earth to do the same.
Media can be added photo's and source data. For example freeBMD on line allows access to scanned images of summary birth, marriage and death data which can be downloaded from internet.
There is a publication section with some additional formats for 10 platiunum vs 09 deluxe. These have some degree of customisation but I've not found a report or chart which can be built from scratch with just what I want. For example there is a place report. The default gives every one, you can't select a place but have to selecte individuals which means going back to the place view and writing a list of names associated with that place. Reports/charts can be made in .pdf format so can be emailed or uploaded to the web to share with others.
Finally there is a websearch view with a summary of your selected individual and possible matches. This section only gives access to limited data if you don't subscribe. A lot of info is available free however if you search for it. As subsriptions and copies of original BMD certs can be expensive I recommend finding all the free stuff before taking out a subscription. There is a useful task list where you can record details you're searching for, v useful as the tree gets big.
The software does allow for real life and handles mutliple partners, single sex relationships, adoptions, illegitimacy and so on. It is however like printers which are cheap to buy but expensive to get printer cardriges for. Here the softare is good value but cost of accessing data expensive.
I've had a few technical niggles. The software loaded ok, but 3 after days in failed to start. There were several sources of help none of which worked. However the software will start under another user profile on the same pc. Our pc is several years old so this may be more of a reflection of the pc than the software.
Registration a Problem
Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum Edition (PC CD)
Since purchasing this product I have still been unable to register it with Ancestry.co.uk. All I ever get is the message "Registration Error - please try again later". This problem prevented activation of the 6 month subscription to Ancestry. I have sent several e-mails and spoken to customer services and technical support, both in the UK and the USA and I still can't register. A 2006 account is active and the new software should have been registered against this account. I now have my 6 month free subscription activated on this account, but I still can't access Ancestry from FTM 2010. This is a major problem and involves switching between my internet browser and FTM all the time which is extremely inconvenient. Apart from this, the package has a better interface and works well.
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