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Legacy - suitability for UK data?

Legacy - suitability for UK data?

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 5:47PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 23 Oct 2014 7:36PM GMT
After 37 years of accumulating paper and only using Word tables and Excell to organise data, I have finally recognised the inevitability of buying genealogy software. Legacy is one of the two programmes that I'm considering (the other is Roots Magic) but both in the company's information and in online reviews, I can find nothing describing how it copes with UK data which is subtly different to US data and may not fit very well into US-focussed templates. I am aware that I can start with the free version of Legacy and trial it before committing to the programme.

My research is roughly 50% UK (sixteenth century to present) and roughly 50% US (1620s to present).

I have only limited need for uploading images. Detailing sources is very important to me.

Many dates are inexact; I currently express them thus: "she was born (1752-56)" or "he married prior to 31 March 1762"; how does Legacy allow inexact dates to be expressed?

For many individuals I have quite a lot of biographical information that I prefer to record as free text; how much free text does Legacy permit to be recorded for each individual?

I aspire to place my research online, probably using The Next Generation. This company's website includes Legacy in its list of compatible programmes for Gedcom transfer. Has anyone on this forum had experience of transferring Gedcoms from Legacy to The Next Generation, and how did The Next Generation handle imports of inexact dates and extensive free text from Legacy?

Many thanks in advance for any information that anyone may be able to provide.

Re: Legacy - suitability for UK data?

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 8:52PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 25 Oct 2014 9:32PM GMT
Hi,
I think Legacy, or even Roots Magic, ought to be okay for you. I use both. But true, I'm in the US, although I have done some UK research for a few in my tree and I've not have had much problem.

Both do have some UK oriented templates. Census, etc. Generally books, loose papers, etc will be the same no matter where they are. So, I would think you should not much problem.

There is a link to a user groupr for Legacy, fantastic people with loads of experience and also "tech support" chimes in a lot... but some reason the link is not setting correctly. I even typed it into notepad first but the link is not creating correctly and won't take you to the page. I have no idea why. Bummer.

I will work on it and find a way for you to get to it.


(okay, found a way, but I can't link you directly to it, but if you click the link below and on that page look down to the "LegacyUserGroups Archives" and click that link beside it. You will then find the page that I've tried to get you to. I read this 'archive' daily because it a very active group and it is fully searchable. I've learned a lot just reading. (except how to copy/paste the direct url to it and the link work)... ^_^)

http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp#Archives


Anyways... The two softwares have strong points, that different to each, and I truly wish there was 'a' software that had a combo of these strong points. But, that is how the software creators are able to make their money. You've got to have something that the competition doesn't. But, I digress. ^_^

I love Legacy. It can be very simple to use for new researchers, but can be a very good software for the more knowledgable researcher. I love the copy/paste of events. Both Rootsmagic and Legacy have the "share" events feature, but I do not use that. I create each event for each person so I can make description notes fit each individual. Share will not do that. Rootsmagic does NOT have the copy events feature. Both will copy/paste source citations, which I use heavily and you can change the citation detail and notes for each 'paste', which I do for almost everyone of them. Makes sourcing go really quick and I know that I am getting strong documentation for all bits of knowledge.

Rootsmagic has a feature, for each event and piece of data of whether proven/unproven/disputed. If disputed, it draws a line through the event information (date/place/description (not the notes)) on your screen so you can visibily 'see' what is what.... if disproven, it draws that line, but also puts the information in red so you definitely can't miss what you've proven as being wrong and won't research it twice having forgotten.

Both have the levels of surety for the source citations.

Legacy has a lot more flexibility in the many ways you can set it to suit you, how you want data handled or on screen viewing. Rootsmagic is quite a bit less. Legacy has a LOT more reports with more flexibility. One of Legacy's strong points. Another one is Legacy's use for creating a website. There are many users of Legacy that use it strictly because of that feature and the websites turn out really well.

Rootsmagic, the full version, you can make a copy of your database, an exact copy onto a CD and it will be in "read only" format. Wonderful to share your work, in ALL it's glorius details and no one can accidently, or on purpose, change anything. (yeah, they can manually 'copy' anything they want, but can't just "use YOUR hard work "whole hog". If you want to give them the "whole hog" then you can always send the normal gedcom for whatever program they use or a backup of your work to put into a copy of Rootsmagic. Legacy does NOT make "read only" versions of your work. But Legacy has a wonderful "intellishare" feature for those that work on research together and it's easy to make changes and exchange the work back to the "main keeper" of the database. Intellishare will add whatever has been changed to the "keepers" database and won't change anything else.

Okay, I could prattle forever, so I'll stop. Here is another link to Legacy's virtual webinars. Many are forever free, great videos for helping get you familiar. They have new ones every week and are viewable for a few days for free. All are purchasable.

Legacy
http://www.familytreewebinars.com/

Here is Rootsmagic's forum with lots of help and great people for answering your questions...
http://forums.rootsmagic.com/?

And Rootsmagic's webinars, always free...
http://rootsmagic.com/Webinars/


Those user groups and forum will have lots more help than you will get here. Very few people check in on this one here. I occasionally check to make certain no Legacy questions just sit unanswered.

Hope this helped you some. If you have anymore questions I will do my best to answer them or find where you will get your answer.

Val


Re: Legacy - suitability for UK data?

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:36PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you for such a full and considered reply containing so much information comparing the two products - its really useful.

The selection will take a bit more thinking about - you've provided a lot of information to digest!

Many thanks again!

Re: Legacy - suitability for UK data?

Posted: 28 Oct 2014 2:38AM GMT
Classification: Query
You're very welcome.

Legacy is a very powerful program. I've been using since 2003 and still haven't learned all the nuances & flexibilites yet. Which, that's a good thing. Learning something new helps keep away the "doldrums" of all the typing. ^_^ I transcribe everything and write extensive notes on my research findings, thoughts, etc. "typers cramp" ouch.

I forgot about this help link... not as active as the LUG (Legacy User Group) that I had to give you the 'detour' to get to it, but this one also has very good help.

Rootsweb L-Archive for Legacy
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/LEGACY


Also, here is the one for Rootsmagic...

Rootsweb L-Archive for Rootsmagic
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ROOTSMAGIC-US...

(that one is usually a little more active)

Here is one more for Legacy. Wonderful help here, very friendly. They do also have "learning hangouts"/videos of "how to" on Legacy. Very warm group. Tessa is wonderful with helping on Legacy. They have people worldwide and so there is bound to be someone to have better answers to your questions.

Legacy Virtual Users Group
https://plus.google.com/communities/102471840504878929586


Considering that both Legacy and Rootsmagic have "free" versions, why don't you make a couple of copies of your GEDCOM and import into the softwares and tinker for a bit and see if either one seems to draw you in. Both free versions have most all capabilities except for formatting notes (bold/italic/underline), and a few other simple things. But otherwise all the main things work. All events, all source capabilities. Neither are limited on the size of input for the free versions. Make your database as big as you want.

Legacy will also open multiple databases or multiples of the same one for comparing. Rootsmagic will do at least one extra (if I'm remembering correctly). BOTH will "drag and drop" from when viewing databases side by side. You can import parts of a database or just use the drag and drop and just pick and choose as you go along.

Something on Legacy that I love and I truly wish Rootsmagic would do it... well two things actually... Legacy will, if you hover your mouse over children, it will pop-up their basic information including spouses if you set it to do so. Wonderful for browsing around the youngins seeing who is what & how... (yes, I know, I said who is what... if you display children from all marriages, then you have step-children... or adopted... or god-children, etc... so yeah... "who is what". ^_^)

Legacy will let you set to see all children from multiple marriages and will indicate which spouse is the parent. Setting it to see all children and then having the pop-up of their information is fantastic to keep up with making certain you are getting those kids with the right parents... especially when you have families crossing over and intermarrying. Legacy will help you keep up with them.

Also, on Legacy, on the main family view, if you have multiple spouses for a person... just click the open space to the 'outside' of the person (when you move your mouse to the outside of a person you will see a little bar appear) Click that and you can "rotate" through the spouses.... Same for the parents above if a person has real parents and adopted for example, you can click to the outside of the parents and rotate them.

If you have a person highlighted on the family view and click in the middle (between the husband and wife boxes) you will rotate through the siblings of the person you had highlighted.

Really zippy little things that really can help to quickly assess and figure out who is what, how and where.... ^_^

Rootsmagic, is sadly lacking on these features and I use them heavily. Thus, Legacy is my main program. Rootsmagic makes you have to switch spouses to view the children and it's tedious and can get confusing and thus it's easy to get your data scrambled, ie, typed into the wrong person for example... and I did that 3 times last week. So annoying to realize what I did and have to go back and correct it all. In 10 years usage, I've never done that with Legacy.


Truly hope this all will help you. But seriously.... download a free copy of each software and look at the source templates and see if they appear to do as you need for UK data. Even if you just type in a few names and just make up some stuff for sources and see how it all looks.

Or, another thought... Legacy comes with a sample file... just use that sample file and type up some UK template sources for those 'Americans', just so you can see how the US and UK templates work and their comparisons, and if the UK versions are acceptable. This is what I, personally, would do. Let you get a feel for the software and check out some of those little features I mentioned. ^_^

Okay, I'll shush... I could compare forever and still not hit all the features.

If you have any questions, just give a holler.... we'll do our best with an answer or find someone else that will know it.

Val
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