MacFamilyTree 5.5 Public Beta now available

As reported this week on prMAC, Synium Software has launched a public beta of MacFamilyTree 5.5, adding a History Database and a rewritten database engine to the genealogy software. Ever wanted to know who governed a country at the time of your great great grandmother? MacFamilyTree's brand new History Database allows you to view every person or family event in a greater historical context: Browse hundreds of predefined entries; or add your own data of global and regional relevance.

Version 5.5 also delivers a redesigned search feature, an enhanced user interface, a customizable auto-save function and an improved GEDCOM importer. The History Database allows users to cross-reference historical figures, events and dates with a personal family tree, as well as add personally significant historical data. The rewritten engine speeds performance for Leopard and especially Tiger users; the improvements in GEDCOM import also offer increased speed, alongside sharing genealogical data across platforms.

MacFamilyTree 5 final release announced

In a press release today, Synium Software announces the full release of MacFamilyTree 5, their popular genealogy application. On October 1st, 2007, MacFamilyTree 5 had entered Public Beta and received a widespread acclaim from users worldwide.

MacFamilyTree 5 is the most advanced genealogy software on the Mac and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard). Rewritten from the ground up using XCode and Cocoa, MacFamilyTree sports a much faster database engine, and a completely redesigned user interface, marking Version 5.0 as the most significant update in the application's history.

MacFamilyTree 5 public beta now available

Synium Software has announced a public beta of MacFamilyTree 5, the latest release of the popular genealogy software for the Mac, according to an article on MacNN. The company previously announced that with this release, it will complete the acquisition of all rights to the software and be responsible for development, distribution and support. Version 5 has been completely redesigned and rewritten application, and Synium claims it will provide biggest leap in performance and product design so far. The entire GUI as well as the underlying database have been dramatically changed while maintaining true backwards compatibility.

Genealogy software for Mac Users

An article in the Atlanta Sentinel, "Mac users can trace their roots," poses the question, Family Tree Maker's Web site says it has abandoned efforts to create a Mac version of that genealogy software. What can Mac owners who want to computerize their genealogy do? In reply, the item states, although Family Tree Maker, now on version 16 for Windows, has long been a stalwart in the genealogy software category, it's just one of many options for Macintosh users. In fact, there is a whole site dedicated just to Mac roots-and-relatives software at macgenealogy.org, and the site also offers news, reviews and user forums.

Some of the Mac-based genealogy programs available include iFamily for Tiger (ifamilyfortiger.com), which integrates itself with the Mac OS X iPhoto program for organizing family pictures. Other options include MacFamilyTree (onlymac.de/indexe.html) and Reunion (leisterpro .com). All three programs offer trial versions to download from their sites. The Mac Genealogy site has Web links to several other Mac-friendly applications and utilities to help build up your database of personal history.