Free Genealogy Software
Brother's Keeper Genealogy Software
Free Trial - Shareware
Family Tree Legends ~ 30 Day Free Demo ~ The newest and most powerful family tree software
GeneWeb geneweb- Genealogy software program with a Web interface. It can be used off-line or in a Web environment.
GenFinder Freeware - Bring the world of Genealogy to your Desktop
TimeLine Maker™ Free Download! - A handy utility that lets you record and chart histories, print color charts and publish as HTML documents.

I am going to jump in here and say....I have looked at them all, and far and away Family Tree Maker beats everything out there, it is SO well worth the money for it, especially the 2005 version.

I was telling my mother the other day, I can't think of one more thing that I would want a software program to do, and I LOVE the web interface with ancestry.com

Usually when you buy it, it comes with anywhere from 9 months to a year free on Ancestry, and you will end up as hooked as me and mother and will be GLAD to pay the renewal when its up

I use Personal Ancestory File 5.2.1. I got it from The LDS Library Catalog It's free. I haven't used it to share files w/ anyone. I just use it for myself.

yeah PAF is free, but quite honestly, I cant stand it lol I recently d/l the latest version to see if it had gotten any better...unfortunately it hadnt....BUT its better than nothing

mama bought me FTM 2005 so i get to update from FTM version 9 wahooooooooooooooo!

I've had good luck with Legacy.


What I'm looking for is a web based application that gives me and my relatives a central repository to collect the data.

I tried one called The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding or "TNG"
http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php

It based on PHP and mySQL but it was a little quirky back when I installed it. I think I paid about $30.

Seems like it would be good to find a social networking site that also allowed you to store your genealogy data, pictures, etc.

Mashup of mySpace, Flickr, Ancestry.com, wikipedia...


Would anybody go for something like this?

Sorry, posted this under the wrong topic first time - this is the correct one .....

I'm not a big Family Tree Maker fan, although many of my friends swear by it. It is a good program with all its "bells and whistles", but does not have the depth or versatility of some other programs for the PC.
If I had a PC, my choice would be The Master Genealogist from Wholly Genes. I'm particularly fascinated with the way it will write your family story. If you're just starting out with genealogy or using the computer for compilation, I would not suggest this program as it had a steep learning curve for the novice in those areas.
I'm a loyal Mac user and my choice in genealogy software is Reunion by Leister Productions. It's fairly easy to navigate and the report feature is rather versitile. Plus, their support for users is superb!
When I first decided to put my family research on computer I had to develop my own code and ended up with a neat little program for my Commodore 64. I still have the floppies somewhere, of course I can't load them anywhere. When I got my Apple I was able to develop a Hypercard program to satisfy my needs. When I got my first Mac the internet was in my area so I was able to review the many new genealogy programs available and chose the native Mac Reunion. I've been a "happy camper" ever since!
As a side note: as long as your genealogy program can import/export GEDCOM, your files are compatible with any other program.

lol, I didnt even catch that!! Good call

as I tried to say earlier, thanks so much for posting this...I always forget there are MAC people out there lol

If I could combine the features of Generations with Legacy, it would the ideal program. I have tried FTM and have a fairly current version (2006), but, somehow, it just doesn't seem "right" for me. But, as another has stated, if your program can import/export GEDCOM files, it is all right.

what is it you like about Generations and Legacy?

It is definitely a matter of personal preference when it comes to genealogy programs. I started with Generations, but found it had some bugs.

I went to Family Tree Maker and liked the family view screen better, and now I like it even better since upgrading from version 11 to 16. I like the one-touch simplicity of it.

However, I ALSO use Legacy Family Tree Premium Edition, 2002. This came as a two-fer in a pack with Hallmark Scrapbook Studio for about $19.99 back in '02 or '03, and I thought, "Hmm... why not?"

I find it to be very similar to FTM - the view screen isn't quite as "clean", but I like having two programs with which to work. I also like the detail on the source fields for Legacy better. However, I tend to use FTM more, simply because it is so simple. I am also big on printing reports and family books, and I find FTM very good for that.

I'd definitely like to check out the Master Genealogist as well, as I hear it is excellent.

I have been using Generations for quite a few years. I like the simple layout. To me, Family Tree Maker displays were to busy. Everyones tastes are different. Like someone said earlier, as long as your program can import/export GEDCOM files, you can share info with anyone.

I've been using Brother's Keeper since about 1990. Originally, it was the only software that could cope with my two-name study. I can certainly recommend it, especially to newbies just starting out.

Just lately, I've been looking at GenViewer. It allows me to send a complete family to someone with no genealogical software on their computer. You simply create a gedcom file. When it arrives, the recipent simply clicks on it. It opens, and the recipient is overwhelmed by your genealogical brilliance

Another piece of software which could be very useful is Ancestral Author. It turns gedcom files into .pdg files.

Sandra.

As the old bird on here I will add my 2 cents, which is about what it is worth.
I bought the very first Family Treemaker..the week it came out. Probably version 1.0
At the time I was "into" genealogy but had no organization to my stuff at all.
Over time I have updated frequently....not as often as a new version came out tho....at first that might be every couple of years or more, then it seemed they were coming out with a new one every few months. I did not always find the "new"features to be that helpful to me...so I would hold off til something changed that impressed me.
I am spoiled and will probably always stick with this because it is comfortable and I can easily navigate it. It has had it's problems over the years with various features, but...all in all I think it is one of the easiest for a newbie to learn. I love the book feature...when I see something that I just want to keep up...like the history of the Mason Dixon Line, or the list of diseases or whatever....even that 8th grade test that kids back in 1906 or whatever had to take....I know good and well I will lose it if I print it out. If I save it in Word...it will be as hard to find among everything else as if it were in my filing cabinet...so I just open a book and paste it in there as a text file...then if I need it I just open the book.
They also had a great program out a long time ago called Biography Maker. But I guess it has been discontinued. You would fill out a form that asked when the person you wanted to do a biography about was born and a few other questions and then give you a whole list of interview questions about things that went on in their life time. Then you could enter the answers when you got them and it would print out a biography. Cool

I have to be honest and say I never tried the other, newer programs, but I have never found anything I needed that FTM didn't have.

Steph

Did Brother's Keeper, great program

Personally cannot stand FTM, we each get to like or not like, I chose to NOT like FTM

Did not care for the LDS program, again, just personal preference.

Heard good things about Legacy

Have a friend, who is smarter than a whip, tried Master Genealogist and did not stay with it, her take, it was rather difficult to learn, did not want to go there.

Using RootsMagic (Rootsmagic.com), for a number of years now, as do several of my friends (They are true hackers and researchers, spending 8 to 15 hours a day chasing this sport). It is intuitive for beginners and has enough bells and whistles to keep me happy. Check out his sourcing wizard which is based on the book "Evidence". Totally awesome.

For the Mac users, I heard that Reunion is THE program to use, gets great reviews.

Carol

Generations was great in that documenting sources was easy and allowed one to quickly attach sources to many people that might be associated with that source. That is the one part of Legacy that I do not like as it is not as easy to do the documentation.