Legacy Deluxe

You'll want the Deluxe version anyway, so why not now?

Update 5 July 2009 - It appears that websites for both parent Millennia and the Legacy program have been very recently abandoned, from which I suppose we must assume that they have given up their efforts on developing the best genealogy application around. I'm very sorry to have discovered this, and am certainly glad that I still have the program up and working to finish the very little which remains to complete my efforts here on Zelltree.

Our genealogy database is posted and maintained using Legacy 5.0 Deluxe, and all of the genealogy data posted here on ZellTree comes from that database. Legacy outputs the webpages for many of the subwebs available here, and is without question the best gen-app available today.

However, the "perfect gen-app" really does not exist, and I have tested many during the first half of 2004. Among Legacy's many outstanding features is their Legacy User's Group, and a support team which is always works to correct any problems that arise, and they constantly add new little features if of general interest, all no-charge for the current version. Updates seem to appear every month or two.

However, I do have my own "wish-list" for Legacy:

Legacy released new version 5 in late 2003, long before it was properly tested and "ready". It contained many bugs and glitches for which fixing continues as of July 2004, now mostly straighted out, but...
Two major new features came in version 5. The biggie was a remarkable new Place Locator module, which will take years to get right, and meanwhile is risky to use, so I don't use it. The other was a much-needed Picture Center, but a bit buggy and a very awkward design which makes it tricky and clumsy to use. This could be immensely improved with a little common sense designing.
The first and foremost priority is a critical need to replace GEDCOM with direct import. It is impossible to accurately transfer data back/forth between genealogy applications, or to produce accurate webpages, using GEDCOM. Legacy now has a "direct import" available for FTM data (import but not export), which would seem to an appropriate solution, but needs to become an industry-wide practice.
Legacy is built with MSaccess, but does not accomodate many of the standard features available in databases - read on!
Data entry/edit is not done directly withing any of Legacy's main views - one must open a 2nd window to edit anything for an individual.
Legacy pops up new windows for data entry of all types -- individuals, events, sources, locations, etc, etc, etc. This often results in stacking as many as 5 windows. One cannot switch between them and can move/resize only the top window -- very frustrating when one needs to see e.g. a date in a window three levels down!
Legacy's "Find" feature returns the results in a new window (yes, again), which is very good in itself, but it is a huge problem that one cannot then go to Index View and view only the "found individuals".
Legacy's Index View looks like a spreadsheet (I love that!), and one can now choose the data-columns to be displayed. However, Sorting is available only by either Name or RIN#.

Think how useful the Index View would be with the simple addition of tabs for "Show All" and "Show Found". Then make shorting available on any column(s), and suddenly one can use that for many things, my own major need being to link our "islands", which is a horrible or impossible task within Legacy.

Legacy files can be opened and edited directly with MSaccess, but that's expensive, and I avoid supporting Microsoft whenever possible!

Legacy also sells a co-app called GENviewer, which can open a Legacy file, select a set of individuals and sort as we choose. However, one cannot edit data there, only view it. More senseless back/forth.

So my own preference for a genealogy app would be a *TRUE* database/spreadsheet application, where one might add fields if the need were felt, and create or modify how data is arranged/displayed on a view, and edit any data displayed on any chosen view without popping up more windows.

Being build on MSaccess means that Legacy could easily enough accomodate these better basics. Your support on this issue would be much appreciated!!

Legacy's free version has several very useful Deluxe features disabled. When you download Legacy and have given it a try, you'll probably want to upgrade to the deluxe version. That's very simple - just buy an unlock key at the Legacy Website - it's not expensive.

We are always willing to exchange data - but whatever we provide will not be GEDCOM. We'll provide a Legacy zip-file which opens directly with Legacy. This is the only way to give you exactly what we have, and we expect the same from you in return. Simply download and install (free) Legacy.