Rating: 
Summary: Good functionality but Not well tested in Windows XP
Review: I had a number of small problems with this product upon install. I downloaded 4.0d patch from the WhollyGenes.com website. It took care of some of the problems, but not all. There was an additional free upgrade for 4.0 users, but Wholly Genes has a strict invoice only policy. If you buy 4.0 and are on Windows XP, keep your invoice as well as your registration and serial number information so you'll be able to get a working copy. You'll have to contact Support at Wholly Genes to get your upgrade.A new note to add to this review. While the functionality of this program does seem superior to other Genealogy packages I've used (Family TreeMaker, Generations, PAF), the manual and help (after the free upgrade) are very limited and do not fully detail all of the tools available in the software. Also, a new CD and Manual for v5 were promised after the upgrade, but nearly 8 months later it has not arrived although Version 5.x is for sale (no more free upgrades from 4.x?) on the Wholly Genes website.
Rating: 
Summary: The best genealogy program I know!
Review: I have been using The Master Genealogist, (which we all call TMG) for over five years. I picked TMG as my genealogy program because it offers me a way to enter every piece of relevant genealogical information, and record the source of that information. It also permits me to keep track of conflicting information, and even information that is known to be in error.
The current version of TMG (version 4.0d) takes some getting used to because was written for an older version of Windows. But it is still head and shoulders above the competition. There is a new version on the way. For a preview you might want to check out Family Tree SuperTools.
But don't wait! If you are just starting out, or if you are switching from another program, you won't go wrong if you join us satisfied users of TMG.
Two of the biggest benefits of buying TMG are that you will find a great group of users in the online TMG mailing list at Rootsweb, and you will find, if you happen to need it, excellent user support from Wholly Genes. Most people never need to contact technical support.
My advice to both beginning and experienced genealogists: Buy TMG , subscribe to TMG-L at Rootsweb, and vist Tmgtips on the web. Special note: I also suggest upgrading to the Gold edition. Buy the Silver here at Amazon.com and you can get a downloadable upgrade to Gold from Wholly Genes. It might seem mildly expensive to upgrade, but it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: The best genealogy program I know!
Review: I have been using The Master Genealogist, (which we all call TMG) for over five years. I picked TMG as my genealogy program because it offers me a way to enter every piece of relevant genealogical information, and record the source of that information. It also permits me to keep track of conflicting information, and even information that is known to be in error.
The current version of TMG (version 4.0d) takes some getting used to because was written for an older version of Windows. But it is still head and shoulders above the competition. There is a new version on the way. For a preview you might want to check out Family Tree SuperTools.
But don't wait! If you are just starting out, or if you are switching from another program, you won't go wrong if you join us satisfied users of TMG.
Two of the biggest benefits of buying TMG are that you will find a great group of users in the online TMG mailing list at Rootsweb, and you will find, if you happen to need it, excellent user support from Wholly Genes. Most people never need to contact technical support.
My advice to both beginning and experienced genealogists: Buy TMG , subscribe to TMG-L at Rootsweb, and vist Tmgtips on the web. Special note: I also suggest upgrading to the Gold edition. Buy the Silver here at Amazon.com and you can get a downloadable upgrade to Gold from Wholly Genes. It might seem mildly expensive to upgrade, but it's worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs work
Review: I purchased this software given that it had so many positive reviews and had plenty of functionality to do everything I could want to do with my genealogical data. I saw comments about the interface being ancient but figured this was managable. This software is really hampered by its antiquated interface, however. It is leftover from Windows 3.1 and has not been upgraded. While I could work my way around it, doing so was awkward and cumbersome. In preparation for a family meeting I finally broke down and bought Family Tree Maker. I'm not disappointed. I was able to quickly and efficiently get my data typed in and produce useful reports. I figure if I ever really need the reporting capabilities of TMG Silver I can always export my data to it and generate any desired reports -- though, I don't look forward to ever having to do so.
I kind of feel sorry for TMG because it was clearly a leader at some point and part of (what I presume) to be small firm. However, they just haven't done the work required to make this a user-friendly product.
One caveat: I can't speak to the Gold Edition of this product, so I can only honestly review this version.
Rating:
Summary: Very powerful and rich with features
Review: If you are looking for a full-featured genealogy program which provides maximum flexibility in documenting the sources of information, you cannot beat this product. You have a wide variety of reporting options that should fill anyone's needs. You such options as incorporating your own definitions of items to include in documenting a persons life as well as their wording on reports. The fact that many professional genealogists use this program says a lot for it.
Rating:
Summary: Very powerful and rich with features
Review: If you are looking for a full-featured genealogy program which provides maximum flexibility in documenting the sources of information, you cannot beat this product. You have a wide variety of reporting options that should fill anyone's needs. You such options as incorporating your own definitions of items to include in documenting a persons life as well as their wording on reports. The fact that many professional genealogists use this program says a lot for it.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best Genealogy Program
Review: If you care about your genealogical data - how it is recorded, how it is displayed, and the tools you have to work with it - you need The Master Genealogist. It offers unparalleled control of data entry, recording of sources, and formatting of reports and charts. Get it "your way." Offers tracking of research tasks, and colored accenting of people entered by criteria you define, and much, much, more. If you want the best, this is it!
Rating:
Summary: TMG makes you a better genealogist ...
Review: that is what I was told .. and it was true. I do use the Gold Edition of both 4.0d and the new 5.0 versions with WinXP and I have zero problems. The most unique feature of TMG is that it will allow you to chronologically record ANY piece of information ... it does not take a program modification to create a new field as TMG is 'event' oriented, therefore, any event can be recorded in full with date, location, all individuals who were present at the event, individual notes and even will allow you to create a different sentence structure to be output to narrative reports. Some people think TMG is more difficult to learn but it is only because we are used to having a special field for each item .. this is truly the most flexible genealogy software available. I have used PAF, Brother's Keeper, Family Tree Maker, Roots .. and a couple I don't even remember. I would NEVER leave TMG .. it just gives me everything I need .. and has definitely made me a better genealogist.
Rating:
Summary: TMG makes you a better genealogist ...
Review: that is what I was told .. and it was true. I do use the Gold Edition of both 4.0d and the new 5.0 versions with WinXP and I have zero problems. The most unique feature of TMG is that it will allow you to chronologically record ANY piece of information ... it does not take a program modification to create a new field as TMG is 'event' oriented, therefore, any event can be recorded in full with date, location, all individuals who were present at the event, individual notes and even will allow you to create a different sentence structure to be output to narrative reports. Some people think TMG is more difficult to learn but it is only because we are used to having a special field for each item .. this is truly the most flexible genealogy software available. I have used PAF, Brother's Keeper, Family Tree Maker, Roots .. and a couple I don't even remember. I would NEVER leave TMG .. it just gives me everything I need .. and has definitely made me a better genealogist.
Rating:
Summary: The Master Genealogist helps to manage the unmanagable!
Review: The Master Genealogist is a great genealogy tool to record all your family information. TMG as it's known by in the industry, lets you store unlimited events per person and cite unlimited number of sources on that event. You can records multimedia exhibits as well as research notes along with all your names, dates and places. Wholly Genes has the benchmark technology for importing data from other databases as well as the GEDCOM format. Even if you're currently using another piece of software, TMG will probably be able to import it directly. The reports output by TMG are very customizable as to the sentences output as well as the format of the report. Even though there is a long list of items that can be customized, TMG comes configured so that there are defaults for all the reports and settings. Learn as little or as much as you like about customizing tags (events), sentences, and report formats. The charts include fan, descendants, pedigree, and hourglass charts as well as several `book' formats for genealogy narratives. The outstanding chart-printing program allows you to tweak the output to fit onto pages and add photographs or other graphics. These are great for family reunions. Other tools include a master place list, relationship calculator, and date calculator. The master place list alone has greatly assisted me in cleaning up the place names in my database! You still have trouble remembering what 6th cousin 2 times removed means? Then use the relationship calculator on any two people in the database and let it do the tree climbing. The date calculator is always handy to figure out the birth date from the tombstone or obituary that says age: 21 years 6 months and 2 days. You should know that this current product doesn't quite behave exactly like windows because it's a windows interface on top of a DOS program. Don't let this stop you from purchasing it though. The Windows product is coming shortly and you can use this product to learn about data entry and how to use the reports to show off your genealogy research. Wholly Genes has always shown that it is committed to the integrity of your genealogy data. Even when bad things happen like the system powering down while in the middle of data entry, I didn't lose anything except the last line that I entered! I can't say that about many other programs. Flexiblity, value, and integrity! What more can you ask for in one product? Jeri Steele, CGRS
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