> I just bought a new computer with the Vista operating system. I > have an old version of Family Tree Maker that doesn't support Vista. > I plan to download and purchase the compatible software and would > like to know what people think of the Family Tree Maker 16 software. > I believe I read in Family Tree Magazine that many genealogy experts > panned FTM 2008 -- am I right? > > If you have FTM16, let me know what you think of it. I like the > version I have but I think it's from, I don't know, 2005 or > something. But since I have to make that move anyway, I don't want > to buy the software no one likes. > > Kberry <kdberr1@aol.com> I had FTM 2006 (ver 16) and it 'sort of' worked with Vista. The important distinction is whether you have Vista 32 bit or 64 bit (generally faster processors and/or more RAM require 64 bit). With 64 bit (which I have), everything worked except PDF creation although there are some workarounds with third party PDF programs that are not too bad, but not as full featured as native FTM. With 32 bit, which my cousin uses, no problems with Vista and FTM2006 (after downloading the Vista patch, which is a PDF generator that works with Vista 32 bit, but not 64 bit). I have since changed to Legacy 7.0, and I love it! It's much more full featured than FTM 2006. To be fair, FTM 2009 (which I have also used) also has many of the same features as Legacy 7.0. FTM has taken a beating in the reputation department for bugs in FTM 2008, many of which are probably fixed in 2009. (when I used 2009 for a short while, I didn't see any glaring problems). I like Legacy's screen designs better. In FTM 2008/2009, they have tried to cram too much on the screen in my opinion. On the main "people tab" there is a family view and pedgree view on top of each other in the centre, an 'individual index' on the left, and an 'indivdual details' on the right. Makes for small text, hard to read. Legacy's screen let's you show one of those views at a time on the screen, with easy access to the other views with tabs at the top of the screen. Legacy's screens are in my opinion closer to FTM 2006 and less of a learning curve to get used to. And, as others have said, you can download a (limited functionality) version for free. I did that, took a test drive, and bought Deluxe. Also, don't overlook the training videos on Legacy's site, they arte very well done and informative. Paul "Paul Gray" <graypaul@telus.net>