Description:
The Master Genealogist Gold Edition is a tool for anyone interested in researching their family tree and a means of organizing the reams of information as it comes to light. In addition to bringing one-click indexing to the heretofore confused mass of birth, death, and marriage entries, this program will help users publish their findings, either at home or on the Web. Unlike other genealogy packages that come with CD after CD of research data, TMG is comparatively spare, offering a single disk of glossaries and bibliographies as well as access to an online resource database. Where this package has the edge is in its capacity to organize a family history into coherent and readable reports. TMG will import data from a variety of formats, including other genealogy packages, and turn it into beautifully laid-out trees, charts, and graphs. This data can be exported in HTML code, allowing for convenient presentation online. It is important to note that this Gold Edition of The Master Genealogist is a reissue of a 1999 package. In computer terms, this makes the program rather elderly. Though this version has some Web-friendly features added into its mix, it is prone to glitches, particularly during installation. Its interface is on the clunky side and may frustrate users who are still learning the ins and outs of Windows. A lengthy examination of the manual is a must for learning to use anything but the simplest TMG features. On the other hand, this program will run on a very modest computer system, and its reports are well worth examining. Well laid out and easy to read, they are the centerpiece of a hard-working tool designed to change your family lore from a pile of clippings and photographs to a coherent--and intriguing--story. --Alyx Dellamonica
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