The Lemon Fool

I have a few beefs about using Ancestry as the main (or sole) repository for my research.

First, it's not cheap, and I tend to prefer buying what I want via a one off payment rather than committing to an ongoing "rental", though it seems more and more programs are leaning towards this ongoing payment model, unfortunately.

Second, I did try it for a while and do still have a tree with them, but I found it far too easy to add suggested sources and information without the opportunity to give it the rigorous checking needed to be sure it's actually the right information.

And third, whilst it's perhaps unlikely, it could disappear overnight.

I'd far sooner use a program under my control which I can be sure I'll be able to keep using, I can customise to suit myself and I can back up myself to ensure continuity if I have a hardware or software problem.

Staffordian

staffordian wrote:I have a few beefs about using Ancestry as the main (or sole) repository for my research.

First, it's not cheap, and I tend to prefer buying what I want via a one off payment rather than committing to an ongoing "rental", though it seems more and more programs are leaning towards this ongoing payment model, unfortunately.

Don't pay an ongoing rental. Pay for a month when you have time to add records to your tree. Then cancel the payments until you need access to records again.

There is no fee to host and share your tree, you only pay to see the archive images and transcriptions.

Second, I did try it for a while and do still have a tree with them, but I found it far too easy to add suggested sources and information without the opportunity to give it the rigorous checking needed to be sure it's actually the right information.

Easy fix: don't add the suggested sources and information without rigorously checking them! Believe it or not it is actually easier NOT to add this information than to add it!!!

And third, whilst it's perhaps unlikely, it could disappear overnight.

Not a problem. The tree can be exported as a GEDCOM file and accessed offline using 3rd party software (and/or Family Tree Maker). I do this regularly because I like to back up my work and to use powerful tools that let me manipulate my data.

None of this is difficult or incompatible with Ancestry's online trees.

I'd far sooner use a program under my control which I can be sure I'll be able to keep using, I can customise to suit myself and I can back up myself to ensure continuity if I have a hardware or software problem.
Staffordian

Please feel free suggest an App with the advantages of Ancestry (and not Legacy please, as it is not Unicode compatible...) and without significant disadvantages.


GS

stevensfo wrote:I can second the recommendation for Ancestry, and it's paid via one of my very few DDs that I have, so I don't forget. I had a terrible experience about 20 years ago with a free program that disappeared when the PC completely broke down. I didn't lose the actual tree info since I always did regular Gedcom back-ups, but I did lose an awful lot of info about photos that I'd scanned and put in the program, simply because I hadn't kept separate notes about who was who.

This is a legitimate criticism of Ancestry online trees.

When you export a GEDCOM file you are NOT exporting the media and record images attached to the tree. The only ways I know to easily capture these is by 1. using a scraping utility or 2. syncing the tree using Family Tree Maker, which you have to purchase separately. It may even be that FTM no longer syncs with Ancestry trees: there were rumours that this functionality would be removed but I haven't checked lately.

GS

"Now either I thought it too expensive, or, as I use Linux, it wasn't directly compatible - ok, the blurb claims that it is compatible provided I use a virtual machine, eg VirtualBox. I have used VB in the past with a DOS based database and found it rather slow in some respects, but I did have a lot of success using DOSEmu with the same database program. I also tried to use a tax program via VB with limited success"

I use Linux Mint 19 and I've had no problems loading Family Tree Maker 2005 through WINE. Copies are still available on Ebay for around £5


"It may even be that FTM no longer syncs with Ancestry trees: there were rumours that this functionality would be removed but I haven't checked lately."

Seems FTM 2019 has just been released...and it sync's with Ancestry...but not cheap..

https://www.mackiev.com/ftm/