Many genealogists rely on their computers to organize all of their family tree research. Some of them will want to make note of updates announced this week for two popular genealogy software programs.

One of them is Ancestry.com’s Family Tree Maker 2008. The new release is the latest version of a product that made its debut back in 1989. The company calls it the world’s No. 1 selling family history software. A company news release reports that the product has been entirely revamped with many new features.

“Family Tree Maker 2008 redefines family tree building software, providing users with powerful, unrivaled tools and resources to discover and share their family stories,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com.

“Ancestry.com developers worked closely with industry professionals as well as family history beginners to create a program that uniquely spans the range of user ability with an easy-to-use interface that also offers advanced, robust features,” said Megan Smolenyak, Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com.
   
There’s also something new to report about MacFamilyTree 5. Synium Software GmbH is announcing the most important update so far for MacFamilyTree, on the occasion of its 9th anniversary.

Due to be released before the end of 2007, the company says version 5.0 of MacFamilyTree will offer huge improvements. For everyone interested in some more detailed information before it becomes available, a preview page can be found here:
http://www.synium.de/macfamilytree/preview.html

The company says that all customers who purchase MacFamilyTree 4 on or after August 14th, 2007, will automatically receive registration keys for unlocking the MacFamilyTree 5 download when it is available. The keys will be fully valid for version 5 without any restrictions. Existing customers of version 4 or even version 3 who purchased MacFamilyTree prior to August 14th, 2007, will be entitled for a discounted update upon release of MacFamilyTree 5.