If the answer could be posted to the list I would appreciate it, for I also use TMG and have the same impression about the reports. Eileen Massachusetts Rosemary M Chalmers <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Listers, I know that this is slighty off topic so I hope the list administrator will bear with me. Any replies please send direct to me. I have been using the program TMG for a number of years and although I am happy with the data entry of info I've never been totally happy with the reports it produces. I have seen some of the reports produced by Family Tree Maker and prefer some of its options. Is there anyone on the list who has used both of these programs who could give me their impressions. I'd also like to hear from Family Tree Maker users. Most people in Darwin use either Brother's Keeper or PAF so I have no one to ask locally. Bye, Rosemary M Chalmers Darwin NT Australia [email protected] ==== AUS-QLD-BRISBANE Mailing List ==== Scattered Ashes www.scatteredashes.net ============================== New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 --------------------------------- Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

> If the answer could be posted to the list I would appreciate it, for I > also use TMG and have the same impression about the reports. I use Family Tree Maker (FTM) currently. I am not an expert on TMG; I've bought it but never used it in anger (I found the interface inconvenient). But it is important to understand that TMG thinks about information in a different way to FTM. TMG has an "event" focus whereas FTM has a "fact" focus. Now for a lot of purposes these are simply two sides to the same coin and switching between them isn't a problem, but TMG's event focus can lead to it holding some extra information that will not convert well into FTM (going the other way is not so hard). So I would not make any hasty decisions about moving from TMG to FTM as your primary family history database as you *might* lose some information in the process. What some people do is use two programmes, one for the database and data entry, and the other just for reports. So you could continue to enter your data into TMG, then when you want a report, export the data from TMG into GEDCOM and then read that into FTM to print the report. You might find doing this a better way to go. That way you get a chance to experiment with FTM, and then later, if you feel happy with it, you can move to FTM as your primary database if you wish. However, a lot of people use 2 programmes like this indefinitely suggesting that no single program satisfies all their needs. And if your experimentation with FTM leaves you disappointed, then you simply stop using FTM as all your data is still in TMG. So, in summary, proceed cautiously. You have invested a lot in the data entered into TMG and in learning TMG. Do not move away from it until you are very comfortable with your new software (both in terms of its ability to upload your TMG data and in your familiarity with using it). Kerry

Thank for taking the time to point out the different options - never thought of running two different programs at the same time. You are right, there was a lot of time taken to enter all this data with the "event" feature. Eileen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kerry Raymond" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 6:05 AM Subject: Re: [AQ-BRISBANE] Genealogy software programs > > > > If the answer could be posted to the list I would appreciate it, for I > > also use TMG and have the same impression about the reports. > > I use Family Tree Maker (FTM) currently. I am not an expert on TMG; I've > bought it but never used it in anger (I found the interface inconvenient). > > But it is important to understand that TMG thinks about information in a > different way to FTM. TMG has an "event" focus whereas FTM has a "fact" > focus. Now for a lot of purposes these are simply two sides to the same coin > and switching between them isn't a problem, but TMG's event focus can lead > to it holding some extra information that will not convert well into FTM > (going the other way is not so hard). So I would not make any hasty > decisions about moving from TMG to FTM as your primary family history > database as you *might* lose some information in the process. > > What some people do is use two programmes, one for the database and data > entry, and the other just for reports. So you could continue to enter your > data into TMG, then when you want a report, export the data from TMG into > GEDCOM and then read that into FTM to print the report. You might find doing > this a better way to go. That way you get a chance to experiment with FTM, > and then later, if you feel happy with it, you can move to FTM as your > primary database if you wish. However, a lot of people use 2 programmes like > this indefinitely suggesting that no single program satisfies all their > needs. And if your experimentation with FTM leaves you disappointed, then > you simply stop using FTM as all your data is still in TMG. > > So, in summary, proceed cautiously. You have invested a lot in the data > entered into TMG and in learning TMG. Do not move away from it until you are > very comfortable with your new software (both in terms of its ability to > upload your TMG data and in your familiarity with using it). > > Kerry > > > > > > > > > ==== AUS-QLD-BRISBANE Mailing List ==== > Scattered Ashes > www.scatteredashes.net > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >