In response to a lament about Corel's Family Tree genealogy software program, I thought I'd share a portion of the latest Eastman newsletter. Lorraine Frantz Edwards ================================================== Dick Eastman wrote: > > Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter > > A Weekly Summary of Events and > Topics of Interest to Online Genealogists > > Vol. 2 No. 39 - September 27, 1997 > > This newsletter is sponsored by Ancestry Publishing, > a leader in providing print and electronic > research information to genealogists. > > To learn about Ancestry's > state-of-the-art online genealogy databases > and other fine products, > visit the Ancestry HomeTown at: > http://www.ancestry.com > > Past issues of this Newsletter > are available at: > http://www.ancestry.com/home/times.htm > > ========================================================== > > Copyright (C) by 1997 Richard Eastman and Ancestry, Inc. All > rights reserved. > ----- snip ----> > > IN THIS ISSUE: > > - Corel's Family Tree Suite Sold > - Travels With Libretto > - More on PERSI CD-ROM > - The Internet For Genealogists: A Beginner's Guide > - Family History (Radio) Show > - Alexa > - Home Pages Highlighted > > ================================================================ > > - Corel's Family Tree Suite Sold > > Three weeks ago, employees of Corel Corporation were at the annual > conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies displaying > the beta test version of Corel Family Tree Suite 2.0. Now the > program has been sold to another company, along with other > programs produced by Corel. > > International Microcomputer Software Inc. of San Rafael, > California, a leading developer of computer aided design, graphics > and productivity software for business and home markets, this week > announced the signing of an agreement with Corel Corporation. IMSI > will acquire rights to products in the CAD, diagramming, and > consumer categories, in exchange for which Corel Corporation will > receive shares of IMSI common stock and cash to the value of $5.6 > million, in addition to further royalties and development > payments. The transaction is expected to close by Sept. 30, 1997, > and will be accounted for as a purchase. Under a separate > arrangement, IMSI plans to hire approximately 20 Corel employees > and will establish a development center in Ottawa, Canada. > > The programs that IMSI acquired from Corel include Corel Family > Tree Suite, Corel Family Publisher, CorelCAD Modeler, CorelCAD > Technical, CorelFLOW, Corel Click & Create, Corel Lumiere and > Corel Personal Architect.Under the terms of the agreement, Corel > has licensed to IMSI the right to offer Corel Photo House within > IMSI's newly-acquired Family Tree Suite package. Family Tree > Suite 2.0 is a significant upgrade and will be released in time > for the holiday selling season. > > IMSI produces a number of graphics and computer aided design > programs. Probably the best-known IMSO product is Hijaak, a > graphics file conversion and image manipulation program. Over 70% > of IMSI's revenues are derived from computer-aided design and > graphics products. > > "This transaction with IMSI allows Corel to sharpen its focus on > the core strategic products relating to our concentration on the > corporate marketplace. We are very pleased that IMSI will be able > to continue the development of these excellent products and look > forward to the benefits we will obtain as an IMSI shareholder," > said Dr. Michael Cowpland, President and Chief Executive Officer > of Corel Corporation. "With IMSI's creation of a new subsidiary > office in Ottawa, we are confident that they will be able to > further advance these products while allowing us to better focus > our efforts on corporate applications and breakthrough > technologies." > > The immediate effects upon other producers of genealogy software > are not known. Corel apparently has sold many thousands of copies > of Family Tree Suite in the few months it has been in the > marketplace. IMSI also has a lot of marketing power along with > well-established retail capabilities. IMSI certainly has the > capability to promote the program well and possibly to sell even > more copies than Corel did. > > ================================================================