Synium MacFamilyTree 5
Customer Ratings
Based on 14 reviews
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Synium MacFamilyTree 5
Nice, But Needs Improvement
Written by RV from BLOOMINGDALE
Aug 8, 2009
It is a very slick program that has great potential. I love the sharp user interface and the fact that I can bring my entire database on my iPhone. What I do not like is the fact that after several (free) upgrades, they still haven't fixed the Virtual Tree. I still have overlapping family members and errors. The other issue I have is that many of my family members have European names with "de" or "van" preceding their family names. There is no field for these in the software and thus my names don't sort alphabetically the way they should.
62 of 64 people found this useful
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Synium MacFamilyTree 5
Still considering buying Synium MacFamilyTree 5?
Written by WA from Port Willunga
Jul 24, 2009
As the adverising says, MFT5 "guides you through genealogy data and lets you graphically create your own family tree. MacFamilyTree 5 intuitively visualizes your relations and the fully animated helps you quickly navigate from one person's familiar context to another." AND IT DOES THAT EXTREMELY WELL. BUT THAT IS ALL IT DOES WELL.
If you want a genealogy program that enables easy access, user-friendly navigation for data entry, this may not be for you. The gee-whizz features get in the way of creating a data-base.
If you want graphical representation of genealogy information, integrated handling of QuickTime media, use of Wiki encyclopedia material (always unreliable for accuracy), good import/export capabilities and .Mac publishing and access to a dedicated Internet publishing service- then this may suit you.
If you want a user-friendly program to use for genealogy research and data entry, then don't buy this program. It is not a friendly beast to use for edit or data-entry purposes.
I was previously using Family Tree Maker9 on a Windows OS laptop before I "upgraded" to a MAC. Windows was excellent for what I do. I found that with software such as CROSSOVER and VMWARE FUSION installed on my MAC I could run Windows programs in a virtual OS- which gave me continuity but eclipsed the value of having a MAC in the first place!. FUSION is excellent but switching from MAC programs to the virtual Windows OS is frustratingly confusing. CROSSOVER does not handle FTM9 at all- bottle that up a sour wine! It is a great pity that there is no MAC version of FTM9+. By the way, REUNION is a MAC genealogy program that is very simple and easy to use but does not handle sources well. Sources are also lost when making loading a GEDCOM file that contains them. So all round, MAC users who are interested in genealogy research and data development are poorly serviced. Once I have finished my research (will it ever?) then MFT5 would be excellent to show the genealogy to my family and to export it to a website.119 of 129 people found this useful
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Synium MacFamilyTree 5
Easy to use, but two big flaws
Written by AF from Vancouver
May 31, 2009
MacFamilyTree is a very slick and easy to use genealogy database. However, there are two major flaws that make it problematic for serious genealogy research: 1) the program cannot handle double Julian/Gregorian dates that are standard in Britain and its North American colonies until 1752; and b) when you assign a source to an event, you cannot specify a page number or other more detailed information to help the reader locate the exact location of the information. Other programs allow you to create a "master source" (for example, a particular census, or a particular book), but then for each event allow you to specify a specific page number or location within that source. If both of these issues were fixed, MFT would be an excellent product for the serious genealogist.
43 of 49 people found this useful
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