Please note that Family Tree Maker (by Ancestry.com). I started ordering again to see the first screen and there is nothing about the serial number only being good for two weeks. Unfortunately, there is no tool built into the Family Tree Maker 2014 program to tie these notes to. (Read the full review) In summary, I would not recommend. Family Tree Maker 2014. Having trouble with FTM 2014. Tried to open and received a message that I needed to update a Patch. But the serial number should be good. In trying to load Family Tree Maker 2014, I get an error message that states 'Unable to find a version of the runtime to run this application. My OS is Windows XP. Many downloads like Family Tree Maker 2014 may also include a crack, serial number, unlock code or keygen (key generator). If this is the case then it is usually made available in the full download archive itself. Charting Companion for Family Tree Maker CD. Be the first to review this product. Family Tree Maker 2010 or later; FTM 2007 or earlier 546 MB free disk space for FTM 2010 or later (19 MB for FTM 2007 or earlier versions). You will see the number of Files available for the course. Family Tree Maker 2014 installs just like other PC software. Follow the directions that come with the package. Family Tree Maker will offer to convert a file from a previous version and ask you what to name it.

1. Free Family Tree Maker Software
2. Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number List
3. Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number Lookup
4. Buy Family Tree Maker 2014
5. Broderbund Family Tree Maker
6. Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number List

New: Family Tree Maker 2014

disdiscontinuation

Late last year, Ancestry announced that they were discontinuing New Family Tree Maker (Life After New Family Tree Maker). Early this year, they and Software MacKiev announced that Software MacKiev had bought Family Tree Maker and would continue developing and supporting it (New Family Tree Maker disdiscontinued). Software MacKiev published a FAQ addressing the immediate future, and president Jack Minsky gave an interview addressing the long-term future of Family Tree Maker (New Family Tree Maker Future).

Software MacKiev acquired the rights to all versions of Family Tree Maker, but they have no plans to revive Family Tree Maker Classic, they are only disdiscontinuing New Family Tree Maker, now known as Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker.

Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 8

We know that Software MacKiev has different ideas about software development than Ancestry.com, and that the products is now owned by a completely different development team, one that does not treat Family Tree Maker for as an afterthought, but aims to develop Family Tree for Windows and Family Tree Maker for Mac from a single codebase.

It is reasonable to expect Family Tree Maker to evolve differently; at a different speed, in a different way, in another direction. It is not reasonable to expect much change from this first Software MacKiev release.
Software MacKiev obtained Family Tree Maker just two months ago. They've spent most of their time arranging the many details involved in the hand over.
The first release of Family Tree Maker by Software MacKiev has exactly one major new feature and it is The Big One: it exists.

Software MacKiev has focused on bringing the product back to the market again, and that does not just involve getting Family Tree Maker itself ready, but getting tech support ready as well. Software MacKiev has tried to more than just replace Ancestry.com's logo with theirs, they've addressed some known issues, but it remains largely the same program as before.
Think of the first Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 release as Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 8.

version number

The last version of Family Tree Maker 2014 made and published by Ancestry.com is Family Tree Maker 2014 (Service Pack 7), released on 2015 Dec 3. The version number is 22.0.0.410 for the 32-bit build, and 22.0.0.1410 for the 64-bit build.
The first version of Family Tree Maker 2014 published by Software MacKiev is build 429; version 22.0.1.429 for the 32-bit build, and 22.0.1.1429 for the 64-bit build.
They also refer to Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 as version 2014.1, so those version numbers should really have been version 22.1.0.429 for the 32-bit build, and 22.1.0.1429 for the 64-bit build,

brief Beta

There was a very brief Private Beta period, just the week before this release, during which I saw quick handling of a major issue. The first Beta they released does not install on Windows Vista Ultimate, because it assumes the presence of Windows Installer 5.0, which is only available on Windows 7 and later, while Vista Service Pack 2 has Windows Installer 4.5. Within twelve hours of reporting this issue they had a new build which does install Windows Vista.

Family Tree Maker 2014

The name of the product has not changed, it is still called Family Tree Maker 2014. Software MacKiev understands that a new name such as Family Tree Maker 2016 would cause false expectations of major new features or improvements. It is still called Family Tree Maker 2014, because it is an update of the product that Ancestry sold under that name.

The Family Tree Maker 2014 product icon has changed. That isn't an entirely frivolous change, it is handy for the few people for who want to have both Ancestry Family Tree Maker 2014 and Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installed, and run them side by side. If they had not changed it, Alt-Tabbing between program would show two identical icons with two identical titles.

how to get it

You cannot buy Family Tree Maker from Ancestry.com any more. Right now, you can only buy Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 from the web store on their site. Soon, it will be available from several online retailers such as Amazon.com, My History in the United Kingdom, and Victorian GUM in Australia. It will also become available on familytreemaker.com.

Software MacKiev will replace Ancestry.com's familytreemaker.com site with their own, but this has not happened yet. For the time being, familytreemaker.com will just forward you to www.mackiev.com/ftm.

Right now, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is only available as a download. They expect physical discs to be available in about ten days. You can buy a physical disc right away, but it will be sent later.

free upgrade

Existing Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 users were promised a free upgrade to Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014. So far, there has no been no information on how this is going to work, so I asked Software MacKiev about it.

The free update for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 users will be provided through the auto-update feature within Family Tree Maker. Ancestry.com always provided downloadable patches on a knowledge base page in the Ancestry.com Support Centre too. Software MacKiev originally did not plan to provide these, but after some discussion, decided to continue to offer directly downloadable updaters through the Family Tree Maker knowledge base. There will a special updater for Family Tree Maker for Mac 3 bought through the Mac App Store.

There will be some delay in getting the updates update out, simply because Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 checks for updates on www.familytreemaker.com, and that site isn't controlled by Software MacKiev yet. Ancestry.com and Software MacKiev are still in the process of making all FTM-related knowledge base articles available through both www.familytreemaker.com and www.mackiev.com/ftm. In the meantime, those knowledge base articles continue to available in the Ancestry Support Centre.

Family Pack

New with Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is that you can buy a so-called Family Pack. The Family Pack upgrades your license from a single copy to three copies, and that can be any mix of Family Tree Maker 2014 for Windows and Family Tree Maker 3 for Mac OS X editions.

change log

Free Family Tree Maker Software

Ancestry.com Service Pack description are remarkable vague about what changed. There is a changelog for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014, and it actually itemises the changes, so we know what changed. This is an important improvement over Ancestry.com practice.
This change log is not included with the full installer, but will be provided with the auto-update patches, and be published as a knowledge base artice.

download and installation

The download file for the full product is an installer of roughly 745 MB. It is a real, complete installer, once downloaded, the installer can be run offline. The installer includes updaters for Microsoft .NET in case you still have an old version of that.

Installation is as straightforward and unexciting as it always was; agree to end-user license agreement and accept the default installation directory.
Installation takes a few minutes. The installer creates a desktop icon.

During the Beta, I had occasion to try the Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 deinstaller, and it worked just fine.

32-bit & 64-bit

Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2012 was still a 32-bit only application, but starting with the first release of Family Tree Maker 2014, back in 2013, there are two different builds of New Family Tree Maker for Windows, a 32-bit build and 64-bit build. The installer detects what it is running on, and will automatically pick the right build for your system.

update of Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker

At roughly half a gigabyte, the update for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 is the largest update for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker ever. The updater is essentially the full installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014, although they did leave out the tutorial videos to reduce the size of the download. You already have these videos in the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 directory and you can find them on the Software MacKiev website.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 replaces Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014. If you have Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 installed, the Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installer will detect that, and present a dialog box that offers to uninstall the previous version before continuing. The first installer they released insists that you remove the previous version, but after some discussion about the concerns this raised, they decided to make the removal of Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 optional. All updaters for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, including the first one, let you choose whether to want to deinstall the old version or not. When you agree to the removal, the Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 runs the deinstaller for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, and then continues where it left off.

That the very first installer insists on removing the previous version does make some sense. The first release of Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker is still Family Tree Maker 2014, it is still version 22. It really is Service Pack 8 for Family Tree Maker 2014, and as such, replaces the previous version of Family Tree Maker 2014.
It also makes some sense for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 users to feel uneasy about removing the old version, simply because they have no experience with Software MacKiev yet.

The installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 may deinstall Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, an older Service Pack of the same major version, it does not affect installation of earlier versions of New Family Tree Maker (Family Tree Maker 2008 through Family Tree Maker 2012), nor installations of Family Tree Maker Classic.
It also does not delete your Family Tree Maker databases (these are in another directory), and, like any good update, does preserve your preferences.

installation directory

You can change the installation directory, but the default should be just fine.
The default installation directory has changed. The installer for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker defaults to %PROGRAMFILES%Family Tree Maker 2014 while the installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker defaults to %PROGRAMFILES%Software MacKievFamily Tree Maker 2014.
Ancestry.com should arguably have used %PROGRAMFILES%Ancestry.comFamily Tree Maker 2014, but the important thing here isn't that Ancestry.com did not use %PROGRAMFILES%Ancestry.com, but that Software MacKiev does use %PROGRAMFILES%Software MacKiev, that the default installation directory has changed.

both at the same time

That the first Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installer insists on uninstalling Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 makes it clear that Software MacKiev does not recommend keeping the old version of Family Tree Maker 2014 around. Having both Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 and Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 installed is literally having both Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 7 and Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 8 installed, and you should have no need for that. Still, you may find it reassuring to know that it is still possible to have both installed at the same time.

The installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker defaults to another installation directory than Ancestry.com's installer, and neither installer will overwrite an existing installation of the other one. If you have the first installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014, the one hurdle to having both installed at the same time is that it insists on uninstalling Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014. So, to have both installed at the same, you'll have reinstall Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 after letting the Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installer do its thing. That works fine, because the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 installer knows nothing about Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker. You can avoid having to reinstall Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 by downloading a new updater from Software MacKiev's Family Tree Maker knowledge base.

starting up

Unsurprisingly, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 has an new splash screen.
What's mildly surprising, is that this first release from Software MacKiev has an new database format too.

new database format

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 has a new database format. The new database format isn't wildly different from the old one, but however small the differences are, the mere fact that it is different implies that Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 cannot read it.

A file format change outside a major version change is unusual, but not unheard of. In fact, New Family Tree Maker users have experienced that before, most recently with Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 4, released late in 2014.
That this is a just minor database format change, not a major one, is reflected by the fact that Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 continues to use the *.ftm extension.

convert on open

Like Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 will automatically open existing projects. As a result of that, it is likely to display to display a dialog box that asks you to convert your existing project to the latest database format as soon as you start it for the first.
It's a bit jarring to see that dialog box while the splash screen is still on screen, but it works just fine.

The New File Format dialog box has a checkbox labelled Retain this file as it is and convert a copy, and that box is checked by default.

RootsMagic

RootsMagic can read Family Tree Maker Classic databases directly. RootsMagic announced that RootsMagic will be able to read New Family Tree Maker databases. That announcement only covers the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker file format, not the new Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker file format.

I feel sure that RootsMagic will look into supporting the new Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 database format as well. Today's reality is that direct import from Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 isn't here yet, and direct import from Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is likely to come later, if at all.

This situation may give you pause if you're using Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 right now, and are on the fence about switching to RootsMagic or continuing with Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014.
However, there is no need to worry. Not only have RootsMagic (and others) improved their FTM GEDCOM support since Ancestry.com announced the discontinuation of Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker, and has Software MacKiev improved the GEDCOM export, there also already is a another Family Tree Maker feature that addresses this issue.

Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number List

Like Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 allows you to export your Family Tree Maker database to the database format used by a previous versions of New Family Tree Maker. This dialog box does not list the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 database format as an export option (Family Tree Maker means the current Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 database format), but it does allow export to Family Tree Maker 2012, which a future version of RootsMagic should be able to import just fine.
Then again, that older database format may not support all features of the latest format. Software MacKiev believes it is better to make and use Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 GEDCOM files.

registration

The first time you start Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014, you'll be prompted to register your product. The dialog box calls this step 1, step 2 being connecting to your Ancestry.com account.

There are several checkboxes on the right, that allow you to indicate what you're interested in. All of them are checked by default, so if you don't change that, you you'll receive mail for all four options:

• New Version Announcement
• Free Updates
• Genealogy Technology News
• School / Group Discounts

Although Family Tree Maker's owner has changed, it still works with Ancestry.com Member Trees.
In fact, it still comes with a free 14-day trial of Ancestry.com.

I did not bother with the 14-day trial, but did enter my details to connect to Ancestry.com. During the Beta, this did not seem to work, and when I tried the Log in... link (just below the menu), Family Tree Maker crashed.
The login worked in later Beta, but I noticed something because of that crash. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker records when it shuts down properly, so upon restart, it knows if it has not been shut down properly, and when I restarted Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014, I was not only shown some options to report the crash. Moreover, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 also started without automatically opening the last project, and that's a good thing.

features

The product features have not changed. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 still features TreeSync for synchronisation with Ancestry.com Member Trees, still lets you create a professionally printed book through MyCanvas, and still comes with a 14-day trial membership to Ancestry.com.

user interface

The user interface has not changed.
Well, I did spot two differences. Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 has a Help | Customer Experience... menu item. It brings up a dialog box that asks you to agree to letting the program collect information on how you use it. This so-called software instrumentation has been stripped out, and the corresponding menu item is gone too.

Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number Lookup

Two other menu items have been added to the Help menu; Family Tree Maker Tech Support & Provide Family Tree Maker Feedback.
The Family Tree Maker Tech Support menu item brings up the Software MacKieve support centre in your web browser. That support centre will direct you to the Ancestry.com Support Centre site for older versions of Windows, but if you got there through this meny item, you are not using an older version.
The Provide Family Tree Maker Feedback menu item brings up Software MacKiev's feedback page for Family Tree Maker.

documentation

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 ships with the same basically useless help file as Family Tree Maker 2014; it's hardly more than a practically insulting description of the user interface.
The poor help file is something Software MacKiev should improve in a future update.

Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 ships with the Companion Guide in the PDF format. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 includes it too, and it has been updated to reflect the current product.

tutorials

Software MacKiev has retained a Family Tree Maker feature that few users seem aware of. Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker has a Movies subdirectory within the Family Tree Maker 2014 directory, that contains nine tutorials in Flash Video (*.flv) format.
These movies are based on Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2012. They were not updated for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, and have not been updated for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 either.
These movies are included in the full installer, and on install discs you buy, but, to save on the size of the downloads, the roughly 180 MB of movies are not be included in the auto-download patches for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 users. As an Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2012 or 2014 user, you already have those videos in the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker directory, and you can find them on the Software MacKiev website.

Software MacKiev FTM 2014 (22.0.1.1429)
GEDCOM file

GEDCOM output

The Family Tree Maker 2014 GEDCOM output has changed. Software MacKiev seems serious about improving Family Tree Maker's GEDCOM output; Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 generates a valid GEDCOM header!
The article Ancestry.com & Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker GEDCOM Header discusses the Family Tree Maker 2014 GEDCOM header in detail, highlighting differences between the GEDCOM header created by the last version of Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 and the first version of Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014.

changes

Generating a valid GEDCOM header required several changes to Family Tree Maker 2014's output, most notably correctly stating that Family Tree Maker 2014 uses GEDCOM 5.5.1 (not 5.5), and fixing the string used for the version number to contain nothing but the version number.

best practices

Software MacKiev did not merely ensure a GEDCOM header that passes GEDCOM validation, they also picked correct defaults and complied with best practices.
Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 not only defaults to the UTF-8 encoding, as a Unicode application should, but also includes a Byte Order Mark (BOM) at the beginning of the GEDCOM file. That's a good thing, not just because it is what FamilySearch PAF does, but because the BOM stops you from importing the file into a program that doesn't support UTF-8 GEDCOM, and is likely to mangle your data.
Users that really want to import their data into some ancient program can choose to export from Family Tree Maker 2014 using either the ASCII or ANSI encoding.

Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 uses a complete path for the HEAD.FILE line value, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 uses just a filename and extension, like practically ever other genealogy application.
Finally, the HEAD.DEST line value defaults to FTM, same as the HEAD.SOUR line value. That states the GEDCOM file is intended for Family Tree Maker, and thus effectively states that the vendor believes that Family Tree Maker will read Family Tree Maker files. Oddly, this is something that Family Tree Maker 2008 does right, and just why Ancestry.com decided to mess it up in a later version is a mystery.

not perfect

Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 does not only uses a complete path for the HEAD.FILE line value, they also append the generation date to the file - despite the fact that the date is already provided by the HEAD.DATE value, and the file's timestamp. Software MacKiev kept this inclusion of the date at the end of the GEDCOM file name.

The made-up submitter name Not Given is not just odd, and you may also find it mildly puzzling that the program does not use your name when you just filled out your name to register the product…
The explanation for that is that the registration information is separate from the user information. The value Not Given is wrong because it isn't my name, but it isn't invalid GEDCOM.

It is unreasonable to expect Software MacKiev to solve all the GEDCOM export issues in their first release. However, that Family Tree Maker 2014 generates a valid GEDCOM header is a great start to fixing Family Tree Maker GEDCOM issues, and gives hope that future versions will fix more.

supported character encodings

Unicode

GEDCOM started allowing Unicode (UTF-16) in version 5.3 (1993 Nov 4), and UTF-8 in version 5.5.1 (1999 Oct 2). That's more than 16 years ago. Today, every genealogy product worth using supports UTF-8 GEDCOM.

Today, it is perfectly reasonable for Unicode-based genealogy applications to export to UTF-8 GEDCOM exclusively, and to no longer give users a choice in the matter; by choosing UTF-8 for them, the vendor ensures that every character gets exported correctly. RootsMagic is one vendors that has taken this approach.
Vendors could add support for UTF-16 in addition to UTF-8, but it is not necessary, as every genealogy product that support UTF-16 (most notably FamilySearch PAF) also support UTF-8.

ANSEL support

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 defaults to using UTF-8, but still allows you to choose something else.
They should really not be providing that choice any more, because any choice other than UTF-8 (or UTF-16) is likely to loose data. Export to Windows ANSI should not be provided at all, not even when a vendor offers a choice of encodings, because it is illegal - for excellent reasons.

There is one other issue with the export options that I have to call attention to; Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 offers a choice between ASCII, ANSI and UTF-8; conspicuously absent from that list of encoding options is ANSEL, GEDCOM's default character set!

That Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 supports GEDCOM export using ANSI and not ANSEL is so because that's what Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 does.
The very first review of New Family Tree Maker (An Early Look At FTM 2008 Beta, back in 2007) already noted its complete lack of ANSEL support. In fact, back then, New Family Tree Maker lacked both ANSEL and UTF-8 support, yet Ancestry.com started selling it anyway, and even released several major updates without addressing this basic issue. Ancestry.com finally added support for ANSEL and UTF-8 in Family Tree Maker 2012.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 need not support ANSEL GEDCOM export, supporting nothing but UTF-8 GEDCOM output is fine. However, as long the product does offer a choice of export encodings, it should not be offering ANSI, but ANSEL instead.

ANSEL import

When a genealogy product offers a choice of GEDCOM export encodings, yet ANSEL is missing from the list of encoding options, you have to wonder whether it will import ANSEL GEDCOM files correctly.
Ancestry.com added ANSEL support in Family Tree Maker 2012. Family Tree Maker 2012 and later do import of ANSEL GEDCOM as ANSEL GEDCOM files. Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 will not export to ANSEL GEDCOM, but will import ANSEL GEDCOM files, and the same is true of Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014; Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 does not offer ANSEL GEDCOM export, but will import ANSEL GEDCOM files.

The GEDCOM export options have not changed since Family Tree Maker 2012. In fact, that screen shot of the GEDCOM export dialog box with a pop-up showing the three available encoding options is actually a screen shot of Family Tree Maker 2012, first used in Family Tree Maker 2012 Fan Value.

stability, performance & features

In his interview about the future of Family Tree Maker, Software MacKiev president Jack Minsky stated that, between then and the next major release, near the end of the year, they would focus on three things: three things - stability, performance and as many user-requested features as we can fit in.

This first Software MacKiev release of Family Tree Maker 2014 does not offer any major new product features yet, but follows RootsMagic and Family Tree Builder in offering the ability to order printed charts from Family ChartMasters from within the product now. Software MacKiev has also included a few hundred new backgrounds and embellishments for use in reports.

Getting a good impression of how stable a product is takes time. So far my impression is good. That crash I experienced was with a Beta release, and that particular defect has been fixed.

I did get the impression that Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 performs better than Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, but I don't have to rely on my impression. Performance is something you can measure, so I did a few tests.

performance

I decided to do some tests with ENFAN19.GED, the largest fan file that Family Tree Builder 7 and 8 will load. This allows comparison with the Family Tree Builder and RootsMagic numbers from Family Tree Builder 8.0 Technology.

Buy Family Tree Maker 2014

When you import a GEDCOM file into Family Tree Maker 2014, it will show an Import Complete dialog that includes the import time. However, when it shows the dialog box, the program isn't ready for use. So, import time was not measured from pressing the Continue button, till the Import Complete dialog appearing, but from pressing the Continue button till appearance of the index.

Import time was not measured from pressing the Continue button till the Import Complete dialog appearing, because at that time, Family Tree Maker is not ready for use yet, so the import isn't complete. Import time was measured from pressing the Continue button till the appearance of the index.
Tests where done using the 64-bit builds. Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 claimed an import time of 16m51s, I measured an import time of 20m07s. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 claimed an import time of 18m05s, I measured an import time of 21m33s.

When Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 is done importing ENFAN19.GED, the Windows Task Manager shows the memory use of 64-bit build to be more than 2 GB, and Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014's performance isn't much better. Both compare badly to Family Tree Builder 7 and 8, and performance is just plain awful when compared to RootsMagic.

The Windows Resource Monitor numbers tell the same story; Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 uses slightly less memory than Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, but it's nothing to brag about, and comparison to Family Tree Builder and RootsMagic remains embarrassing.

Opening the ENFAN.ftm database in Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 takes 10s and when it is done, the Task Manager shows memory usage to be 430 KB, while opening it in Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 takes 24s, with Task Manager showing a memory usage of 882.752 KB. So, loading time and memory usage have gotten worse.
Resorting the index takes 46s in Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, and 54s in Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014; so there too, performance is worse instead of better.

interactiveness

Switching from the People to the Places tab takes 25s in Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014. I consider having to wait nearly half a minute for another tab to load more than a performance problem; it is a decided lack of interactiveness, and that is a user interface defect. This is the kind performance problem that makes software practically unusable.
Doing the same thing in Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 takes two seconds. Having to wait two seconds isn't ideal, but those two seconds are over before you're really upset about the delay. This is the kind of performance improvement that Family Tree Maker needs, improvements that make you wonder how Ancestry.com ever managed to it make it so slow.

So, performance of most things has gotten worse, but then again, the one thing that did get better got a lot better, and it is arguably the most important of the few things measured.
They are far from done improving performance. While they improved some things, some other things have gotten worse. That may disappointing, but it not something to get very worried about yet. Performance involves trade-offs, and it is perfectly normal for performance to yo-yo up and down as you improve code. What these numbers really tell me is that Software MacKiev is paying attention to performance issues, and that gives hope that future releases will show clear improvements on most measurements.

compatibility

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 has the same system requirements as Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, so if Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 works on your system, Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 should work too.

There is one compatibility issue I know off, and that is with Family Book Creator, a plug-in created by Stefan Harms. This was created for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker, and compatibility is such that there actually are multiple editions of Family Book Creator, for different major versions of New Family Tree Maker. The version that Stefan Harms made for Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 works with Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 recognises the presence of plug-in, but shows its status as (Plugin Unavailable), and Uninstalling and reinstalling the product does not change that.
This issue has already been taken care of; Software MacKiev has been working with Stefan Harms, and he is ready to provide an update that works with Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014.

conclusion

Software MacKiev promised to reintroduce Family Tree Maker 2014 on 2016 March 1, and they just delivered. Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is mostly the same product as Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014; this is Family Tree Maker 2014 Service Pack 8.
It has the same features and the same user interface. It still features TreeSync and it still comes with a 14-day Ancestry.com trial.
The most important change so far is simply who's selling it, and for this first version, that will cause a bit of a delay in the availability of update patches. Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 users will have to exercise some patience while waiting for their free upgrade.

Broderbund Family Tree Maker

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installs in another directory than Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014, but their very first installer insists on deleting previous versions of Family Tree Maker 2014. If you have their very first installer, and want to have both installed, you'll have to (re)install Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 after Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 has a new database format. When you convert an existing database, Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 will no longer be able to read it, but you can still export your database to an older Family Tree Maker format.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 includes the same but Companion Guide, video tutorials, and basicallly useless help file as Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is the first version of New Family Tree Maker to write a valid GEDCOM header - and it's not just valid, its follow some best practices too, so Software MacKiev has made a very good start fixing Family Tree Maker's GEDCOM output.

Software MacKiev still offers the illegal Windows ANSI as export option. That's a misfeature they inherited from Ancestry.com that should disappear as soon as possible. In fact, the option to choose an output encoding at all should disappear entirely. Software MacKiev should follow RootsMagics's lead, and simply export to UTF-8, always.

The big new feature is that Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 exists. There are no major new product features to speak of, but there is a minor one; you can now order prints from Family ChartMasters from within the program, and Software MacKiev has included a few hundred new backgrounds and embellishments.
I consider the availabililty of a change log that actually tells you something another improvement.

My impression so far is that Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 is fairly stable. I experienced one crash and its cause has been fixed.
Performance tests show mixed results. Loading times and memory usage worsened noticeable, but interactiveness improved dramatically, and that is more important. Overall, the performance of this first Software MacKiev release is disappointing, but it is clear that they are working on it. Future releases will show whether they really manage to improve performance.

Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 does not retain compatibility with the existing Family Book Creator for Family Tree Maker 2014, but Software MacKiev did work with Stefan Harms to ensure a Family Book Creator will be available almost immediately.

There are some good things and some bad things about this first Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker release. They brought the product back to market in a rather short time frame, so some shortcomings are to be expected, but they did rather well.
The new release itself does not excite, but how could it, when it is almost identical to the previous version. The new Family Tree Maker 2014 seems fairly stable, Software MacKiev listens to its Beta testers, they've made a good start fixing the GEDCOM output, and they are clearly working on performance. All that gives hope that the next versions will show real improvement over the Ancestry.com product.

updates

2016-03-02: Ancestry.com blog

Family Tree Maker 2014 Serial Number List

Ancestry.com has announced the availability of Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 on their blog.

2016-03-04: Software MacKiev mailing

Software MacKiev has sent out an FTM is back email to everyone who registered to receive news about Family Tree Maker.

2016-03-04: installer and updater changes

The first installer for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 insists on removing Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 by deinstalling it, and their plan was to make the updater do the same. After some discussion of concerns about this approach, Software MacKiev have changed their mind.
The updater for Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 installer will not automatically remove Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014. Removal will be an option instead.
They initially wanted to provide the updater through the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker 2014 update mechanism only, but have decided that they will also provide the updater as a download from their Family Tree Maker knowledgebase. They expect to have their Family Tree Maker knowledgebase live next week.
The article has been updated to reflect those changes.

2016-03-07: RootsMagic 7.1 import of New Family Tree Maker

RootsMagic 7.1 adds direct import from New Family Tree Maker, but does not recognise the Software MacKiev Family Tree Maker 2014 format (yet).

2016-03-10: RootsMagic 7.1 import of FTM 2014.1

The RootsMagic 7.1 support forum is now recommending that you import from FTM 2014.1 into RootsMagic 7.1 by first exporting to FTM 2012.

2016-03-11: RootsMagic 7.1.0.5 import of FTM 2014.1

RootsMagic 7.1.0.5 supports direct import of FTM 2014.1 files.

links

Family Tree Maker 2014

Ancestry.com New Family Tree Maker

• RootsMagic TreeSync (and direct New FTM import)

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