Genealogy Jottings

This week I learned that The Master Genealogist software program (commonly known as TMG) will be discontinued at the end of the year. Like most users of this program, I am stunned.

Still, I sort of saw the handwriting on the wall. Several fellow users at the Computer Interest Group of the Colorado Genealogical Society had predicted that the release of the latest version of TMG would be its last. They saw that the program has some strikes against its future. A very small company produced and maintained the software. The program’s reputation as difficult to learn was off-putting to prospective new users.

I can attest to that. I migrated my data from another program to TMG in 2008 because all the professional genealogists I know use this program. I experienced a steep learning curve even though I took a TMG training class from the creator of the program himself.

Still, I came to have a high regard for TMG. It has the capability for wonderful source citations. An array of other features allows for endless combinations of ways to record and report data. No other genealogy program does everything that TMG does.

Genealogy blogs this week are filled with speculation on the future for users of the program and advice on what to do next. Some people plan tol bail ship immediately and begin using another program. Some will stick with TMG as long as it works on their computers. Some hold out hope that someone will purchase the company and continue maintaining and updating the software.

As for me, I plan to continue with TMG for now. Because I have nearly a thousand sources entered in the program and have embedded all my cemetery marker photos there, moving to a new software would be an enormous project. I will see what new information comes out in the remaining weeks of the year before I make a decision for the long term. I hope something works out so I can continue using TMG for a long time. I dread having to migrate data again and taking time to learn a new program. But I will if I have to.

There would be a bright side to changing software. My long-term goal for my research is to put it forever in the cloud at Family Search. TMG does not allow me to do that easily because TMG and Family Search do not play well together. If I have to move my data to another program, I will find one that allows an easy transfer to the tree on Family Search. After all, documenting my family for posterity is the reason for using any genealogy software.