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Does anyone know if Bob Velke attended the Microsoft « Build » Conference for Windows 8 in Anaheim last week? -- I know some people from FamilySearch were among the 5,500+ attendees, as I assume Ancestry.com and other Windows genealogy product developers were.

 

I think this is a terrific opportunity for The Master Genealogist to regain an early leadership position in the genealogy software business again, (back from RootsMagic and Legacy, and of course, the ballyhooed FamilyTreeMaker 12 still pending release) if the company is smart. -- I really hope Wholly Genes doesn't blow it.

 

(Most people fascinated by this kind of stuff probably saw the Windows 8 videos on YouTube this spring. The product release date is still set for Autumn 2012. For anyone interested, one the more interesting general presentations -- on the Window 8 Metro Style interface and how it functions -- was given by Jensen Harris. You can see it here (1h33m):

http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/BPS-1004

 

Earl

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FYI : There are several new Samsung touch developers' computers, fully loaded with Windows 8 and complete developer's tool kits, for sale on eBay that Microsoft gave away for free in Anaheim (5,000 of 'em!) .

 

Maybe we all should pitch-in a few bucks and buy Bob one! :)

 

Earl

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

 

Jim, thank you very much for acknowledging the need for the rewrite. Gives me much hope.

Mike

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Earl -

 

If you mean a touch-centric Metro Style genealogy app - I think that would be great. It's a beautiful look - with the grid, classy typography, and finally some great colors. It will be interesting to see if a gen app does come out - or whether that style lends itself to what we do.

 

Virginia

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

 

Jim, I am thrilled « TMG8 runs fine under Win8 Developer Preview. »

 

I was hoping that after nearly four years - since December 2007 - that a complete rewrite of TMG was already in progess, even though I knew TMG8 was not going to be that product. Oh, well...

 

TMG8 is not much more than a bunch of bug fixes to the print engine and to make it compitible with 64-bit processing. (About TMG8, Tamura Jones wrote « that it is wrong to call [this release] a major upgrade... »). It lacks so many nice-to-have features -- like an integrated mapping API with Google Maps or Bing Maps that all major competitors (Legacy, Rootsmagic, Heredis, FamilyTreeMaker, etc.) already have, to name just one obvious one.

 

I also doubt TMG8 will qualify to appear on the FamilySearch Certified Products List (although Legacy, RootsMagic, and others seem to have coded their products to fit their criteria). (I know, I know.... Wholly Genes does not care about this. It's all part of the company's « not invented here » syndrome. I have already read the comments and know the company's arguements, so don't need to read more comments on this. I still think it is the wrong attitude.)

 

Of course, I will be very happy if I am wrong about all of my points!

 

 

Your comment that Wholly Genes should not be involved in Windows 8 Metro app development is extremely short sighted and « beyond me », as you say. Jim, you are too close to the product to see clearly how dated TMG both looks and acts. I hope you have colleagues with more imagination and foresight. -- Don't get me wrong. There is always a valuable role to be made by hard working traditionalists. (Bill Gates thought the Internet was a flash in the pan and would never catch on, either.)

 

Earl

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Earl -

 

If you mean a touch-centric Metro Style genealogy app - I think that would be great. It's a beautiful look - with the grid, classy typography, and finally some great colors. It will be interesting to see if a gen app does come out - or whether that style lends itself to what we do.

 

Virginia

 

Hi Virginia,

 

The design and functionality of the basic menus of TMG8 under Win8 need to be redone to modernize the product. Yes, all of the "pretty" Microsoft Metro Design considerations should be integrated into the look - bust out of the boxes. TMG has to get past the 32-bit Windows 95 look in this day of iPhones and iPads.

 

TMG also needs to add features under Win8 to allow sharing and comparing data and sources, at the very least, with other TMG users inside the app, or possibly within Win8's new social sharing features in their Cloud. Seemless viewing and comparing of sources via the web **within** TMG, on one screen, should be explored. ---

 

TMG also needs take a good, hard look at functions in MyHeritage and Geni.com, which have become surprising popular sites, and see which have possibilities for the product. I think things in Win8 may offer many possibilities to accomplish this.

 

Aside from Win8 - more fundamentally - TMG also has to get away from the « not invented here » syndrome and see what they can do to allow - as much as possible - seemless importing and exporting of TMG databases with as little data loss as possible into RootsMagic, Legacy, and Family Tree Maker - the three top products by sales. (Personally, I would add Heredis to this list; the top selling product in France.) -- This is contoversial subject, easily dismissed, but genealogy is all about sharing. Each one of these genealogical products has unique features take I like to take advantage of.

 

Regards,

Earl

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I think this is a terrific opportunity for The Master Genealogist to regain an early leadership position in the genealogy software business again, (back from RootsMagic and Legacy, and of course, the ballyhooed FamilyTreeMaker 12 still pending release) if the company is smart. -- I really hope Wholly Genes doesn't blow it.

 

(Most people fascinated by this kind of stuff probably saw the Windows 8 videos on YouTube this spring. The product release date is still set for Autumn 2012. For anyone interested, one the more interesting general presentations -- on the Window 8 Metro Style interface and how it functions -- was given by Jensen Harris.Earl

 

Today Microsoft announced that programs using the new Metro style can only be installed if they are bought via the Microsoft store!

Something Apple does for years...

 

Then Microsoft store takes 30% of the price paid by the customer...

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Microsoft said that Metro UI "apps" can only be sold through the store, not applications. There is a difference. You will be able to buy and install applications as you always have.

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

 

I know it's just wishful thinking, but I would prefer effort put into a Mac version over a Metro app version.

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

 

I know it's just wishful thinking, but I would prefer effort put into a Mac version over a Metro app version.

 

I've been thinking of changing over to a Mac, and would love to see TMG have a Mac version.

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I've been thinking of changing over to a Mac, and would love to see TMG have a Mac version.

 

While I would prefer a native Mac version, I wouldn't let the lack of one stop me from switching to the Mac. TMG runs fine on the Mac using Parallels running Windows XP. I suspect there are others here using VM Fusion and/or some other version of Windows.

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I've been thinking of changing over to a Mac, and would love to see TMG have a Mac version.

 

While I would prefer a native Mac version, I wouldn't let the lack of one stop me from switching to the Mac. TMG runs fine on the Mac using Parallels running Windows XP. I suspect there are others here using VM Fusion and/or some other version of Windows.

 

If I'm switching over to a Mac, I really don't what to have to use a Windows emulator to run my programs. If I'm using a Mac I want applications to run as Mac programs. The reason I'm switching would be to get away from Windows, because the more I use Windows, the more I hate it.

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I would love to see (1) a way to run TMG on a Mac without a conversion program. To run TMG on my Mac I need not only the conversion program (which is not expensive) but a copy of Windows XP, which is expensive.

 

I would also love to see (2) an app to run TMG on my iPhone.

 

Lillian Cain

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TMG8 runs fine under the Win8 Developer Preview. Why you think that Wholly Genes should be involved in Metro app development is beyond me. TMG has much bigger concerns including a total rewrite if the program is to have any future.

 

I know it's just wishful thinking, but I would prefer effort put into a Mac version over a Metro app version.

 

Show me where the queue starts. I'm ready to buy a Mac version of TMG.

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