It was announced at the end of last year that Ancestry.com would stop selling Family Tree Maker (FTM) software. That sent some people into a panic as it is the only genealogy software that they have ever used. Then it was announced that FTM was sold to MacKiev who had  been writing the MAC version of the software for Ancestry.com. MacKiev said that they will be also working on the Windows version of FTM. MacKiev has now released their versions with some minor updates. The full version is $69.95 (2014 edition). They will be giving a discounted price of $29.95 for those who want to upgrade from FTM (Windows) 2012 or Mac 2 or any earlier version. Current owners of FTM 2014 or Mac 3 will be getting a free update. Those versions MAY tell you when the update is available. The best way to make sure that you get the notice of the updated version is to sign up on this page for notices. The updates should be available within a few days.

RootsMagic genealogy software now has an updated version (7.1) that does a direct import of FTM data. This update only took the RootsMagic team a month to complete. Soon RootsMagic will be able to do a search on Ancestry.com within their program and also to sync with data on Ancestry. They have this special web page for FTM users that includes training videos, testimonials, and more. Plus, for a limited time, they will give FTM users the full-version of RootsMagic for the low price of only $20. If you choose the download option, they also include the PDF book, “Getting the Most out of RootsMagic” absolutely free (a 14.95 value).