ROOTS software?
leve...@attbi.com
called ROOTS. Is it still available?
Kay Archer
There are several programs with Roots in the name, including a Roots III.
<leve...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:rdgbjukv870gj1gaa...@4ax.com...
ian-s...@blueyonder.co.uk
leve...@attbi.com :
>Some time ago there was an upper-end genealogy software product (DOS)
>called ROOTS. Is it still available?
I've got a program (running OK under Win2000) which I first ran
under Win 3.11 called Personal Roots De Luxe (by Expert Software)
I seem to recollect having one before that called Personal Roots
(same publisher I think) which was a little more basic.
I haven't seen either program for a *long* time.
-- Ian Stewart
-- Scotland
Singhals
>
> Some time ago there was an upper-end genealogy software product (DOS)
> called ROOTS. Is it still available?
No. At Roots IV or V, it changed its name to Ultimate Family
Tree (UFT) which was bought a couple years back by what is
currently genealogy.com, who recently discontinued it.
I understand you can still pick up some of the more recent UFT
packages on e-bay. Or do a google for RUG and ask one of the
Roots User Group members for more details.
HTH
Cheryl
leve...@attbi.com
Bruce
leve...@attbi.com wrote:
>
> Some time ago there was an upper-end genealogy software product (DOS)
> called ROOTS. Is it still available?
The ROOTS line of genealogy software was put out by COMMSOFT.
Howard Nurse started COMMSOFT and introduced two genealogy software
programs, ROOTS-89 and ROOTS/M. ROOTS-89, introduced in 1981, was
made exclusively for the Heath Kit computer, while ROOTS/M was for the
CPM machines. These were among the first genealogy programs
available, sold through genealogy publications and trade shows.
COMMSOFT went on to launch the DOS programs ROOTS II, ROOTS III
(1988), and ROOTS IV (1991). ROOTS II was COMMSOFT's first genealogy
product designed for the IBM-PC. ROOTS II/III were memory-based and
very fast. The downside was that as you added more people to your
database, you needed more memory, which then was quite expensive.
COMMSOFT's answer was ROOTS IV, which used disk space rather than
memory for its operations.
Next came Visual Roots which was a light version of ROOTS IV, designed
for Windows. COMMSOFT then partnered with Palladium Interactive to
introduce Family Gathering. Family Gathering was widely distributed
and sold in computer stores.
ROOTS V was the last genealogy product to be sold under the COMMSOFT
name. It was the Windows version of ROOTS IV, with many enhancements.
In 1997 COMMSOFT sold its product line to Palladium, and Palladium
began marketing ROOTS V as Ultimate Family Tree (UFT).
Unfortunately, Palladium was acquired by The Learning Company (TLC)
which had previously acquired Broderbund, producer of Family Tree
Maker (FTM). TLC was subsequently bought by by Mattel who later spun
off their genealogy holdings as a separate entity, Genealogy.com.
TLC, Mattel and Genealogy.com never put much promotion or marketing
behind Ultimate Family Tree. FTM was their flagship genealogy program
and UFT was pretty much ignored by those companies.
Genealogy.com finally abandoned UFT. They no longer develop,
distribute or support it. Many fear that the same fate awaits Family
Origins and Generations. Genealogy.com appears to eliminate
competition for FTM by buying up competitors and then halting
development and support.
spaml...@fakeemail.com
>competition for FTM by buying up competitors and then halting
>development and support.
Sounds like Microsoft to me......
leve...@attbi.com
>
>Genealogy.com finally abandoned UFT. They no longer develop,
>distribute or support it. Many fear that the same fate awaits Family
>Origins and Generations. Genealogy.com appears to eliminate
>competition for FTM by buying up competitors and then halting
>development and support.
Hmm, that doesn't sound very fair of them. Thanks for the details on
Roots. I thought maybe that I just wasn't looking in the right places
for it. Now I will know it is gone and never to be seen again.
Chuck Wolfram
> In article <rdgbjukv870gj1gaa...@4ax.com>,
> leve...@attbi.com wrote:
> >
> > Some time ago there was an upper-end genealogy software product (DOS)
> > called ROOTS. Is it still available?
>
> The ROOTS line of genealogy software was put out by COMMSOFT.
>
> name. It was the Windows version of ROOTS IV, with many enhancements.
> In 1997 COMMSOFT sold its product line to Palladium, and Palladium
> began marketing ROOTS V as Ultimate Family Tree (UFT).
>
> Unfortunately, Palladium was acquired by The Learning Company (TLC)
> which had previously acquired Broderbund, producer of Family Tree
> Maker (FTM). TLC was subsequently bought by by Mattel who later spun
> off their genealogy holdings as a separate entity, Genealogy.com.
> TLC, Mattel and Genealogy.com never put much promotion or marketing
> behind Ultimate Family Tree. FTM was their flagship genealogy program
> and UFT was pretty much ignored by those companies.
>
> Genealogy.com finally abandoned UFT. They no longer develop,
> distribute or support it. Many fear that the same fate awaits Family
> Origins and Generations. Genealogy.com appears to eliminate
> competition for FTM by buying up competitors and then halting
> development and support.
Briefly, the last version of UFT was 3.1. You can buy it on e-bay. Version
3 had a good number of bugs, 3.1 was a bug fix. It was still a very good
piece of software. Many of the users went over to The Master Genealogist
(TMG) www.whollygenes.com after Bob Velke offered a very good deal to UFT
users. TMG was the only other event based genealogy program at that time.
--
Chuck Wolfram,
User of TMG gold & UFT,
the two best genealogical programs