TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2002-04 > 1018390646


From: Marc Tenan <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Version 5 Cruelty
Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 18:17:26 -0400
References: <IOEOIALEKNFGMEGIDMJBIEDCDPAA.ronboyd@qwest.net>


Ken,

I felt compelled to respond because your comments miss the point on several of your complaints about TMG. As another has already pointed out, TMG is a "state-of-the-art" GENEALOGY program. Sure it is outdated as commercial software goes. But it remains the best and most complete genealogy program on the market. You can show me prettier programs but you cannot show me a BETTER genealogy program. (by the way most if not all those "bug fixes" added dozens of new features and the few bugs were relatively minor.....I wish I had so few bugs in any program I have gotten from Microsoft, Corel, Quicken, etc.) I have gotten more value for my money from TMG than any other software program period.

It seems obvious to me from your comments that form is much more important to you than function. You fault TMG because it does not comply or take advantage of everything in the OS. But the important point is not whether it takes advantage of the OS features but whether it allows you to conduct quality genealogy research.

Your "pretty" thesaurus and brain programs are quite pretty...but they fail to provide useful and logical solutions to everyday practice, especially for millions of genealogists who are mostly computer challenged. Great marketing but little substance. I'll take an ugly program over a pretty one that can't deliver any day.

I am quite incredulous that someone who looks down their nose at TMG is incapable of getting it to run on his Win2000 or XP operating systems. Yet thousands (tens of thousands?) of computer challenged genealogists are able to do this. The fact that you have difficulty and/or are incapable of getting TMG to run on the most recent Windows OS suggest that you have little credibility to criticize TMG programming. I mean why should I listen to someone complain about TMG when he can't even get it run on Windows 2000 or XP?

TMG is written by a real genealogist...which IMHO is much better than having a great software programmer writing a pretty but useless genealogy program.

Just my $.02


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ronald Boyd" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 9:20 AM
Subject: RE: [TMG] Version 5 Cruelty


> Ken,
>
> About a year ago, I was enticed by advertising touting this
> "state-of-the-art" genealogy program -- The Master Genealogist v4.0. After a
> miserable experience getting it "jammed" into my Windows 2000 operating
> system and lurking in this mailing list, I have the following observations:
>
> 1. TMG v4.0 (and all bug fixes) was "state of the art" at some point prior
> to ten years ago. It was written for Windows 3.1 and only marginally
> performs on newer versions of the Windows operating system. Marginally in
> that it uses very few of windows features (as the "hidden" [Mother] button
> in [Person View] constantly reminds me. And don't get me started about the
> Mouse Wheel irritation.)
>
> 2. Despite what everyone says, it is not a very complex program... it is
> merely complicated. Now understand that "feature" has tremendous
> attractiveness to that wonderful group of Americans, the Tinkerers (bless
> their hearts). This keeps them busy and makes the rest of us believe it is
> our fault the program doesn't work properly. I, however, prefer my computer
> to act like my telephone does -- when I pick up the handset to place a call,
> I don't have to struggle with understanding the technology behind my action
> or how I can "customize" it to work properly.
>
> 3. I was not impressed with FTST. Here, we have a program written for
> Windows 95 -- State-of-the-art" eight years ago. Sure it looks good, but
> consider what you are comparing it to. Right now I have an antiquated
> Windows 2000 machine over in the corner whose only function is to allow me
> access to TMG. (The experience of installing TMG on Windows 2000 prevents me
> from attempting the same on the Windows XP machine.) Of course, the two
> computers are networked together so I can more easily get the reports into
> modern version of programs. I am convinced that by the time TMG v5.0 arrives
> (if it resembles FTST), I will have a similar situation.
>
> Just to be clear, the future of computers is now. For example, go to
> http://thesaurus.plumbdesign.com/index.html and when the words "loaded.
> click to launch" appear in the upper left hand corner, you may click there
> to launch and start using the Visual Thesaurus. Or better yet, go to
> http://thebrain.com and look around. And even better go to
> http://www.thebrain.com/products/personalbrain/support/tutorials/pbtour.html
> for a "Knock your socks" off demonstration. (Click on "Learn More" after the
> rather noisy introduction.)
>
> You may also wish to read today's article by Marshall Loeb of CBS
> MarketWatch at
> http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=mktw&dist=nwhsense&guid=%7B
> 985E13AD%2DA9B0%2D448F%2D9360%2D2AD6AF3454F2%7D. (Yikes! That is long so you
> may have to cut and paste)
>
> And finally, it is good to remember the words of that great American
> philosopher, Will Rogers -- "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get
> run over if you just sit there."
>
> But, in any event, no pressure from me.
>
> Ron
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Clarke [mailto:]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 12:15 AM
> To:
> Subject: [TMG] Version 5 Cruelty
>
> We are now into the second quarter of 2002 and there still seems to be no
> sign of Version 5. Are we really going to see it this year? Having been
> using FTST as a front to my TMG 4.0d I have been given a taste of what is
> in store for us when version 5 eventually appears - but it has made me
> impatient to have the whole cake. It is such a nuisance having to
> continually leave FTST in order to make small amendments to my data in TMG
> and then re-import, why is Bob Velke being so cruel!
>
> Ken Clarke
>
>
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