Recently, Lisa over at 100 Years in America has asked me what the differences were between the standard version of Legacy 7.0 (which is free with no limits on the number of people or number of days used) and the deluxe version of Legacy 7.0 (which starts at $29.95). There is a webpage over at Legacy which shows the differences between the two programs. So here are a few of my comments on what I can and can't live without in Legacy. I figured I would put this in a post rather than emailing Lisa because it may benefit other people as well. All of the features listed below are found in the deluxe version but not in the free, standard version.
1) Research guidance - Personally, I could live without this feature. I rarely use it. It's something similar to GenSmarts, but GenSmarts is much better. This tool is supposed to take the information in your database and suggest sources and repositories for further research on the selected individual, but most of the sources suggested are very general, such as Missouri Birth Records 1910-present located at the MO Dept of Health. I like GenSmarts better because it actually suggests very specific sources, such as a specific microfilm roll at the FHL. The only thing I like about Research Guidance is that it does list specific local/regional history books availabe about the areas where you ancestors lived.
2) Mapping - This feature is okay, but again, not one that I use too much. I would assume that AniMap and Map My Family Tree are more comprehensive and interactive, but Legacy does provide a quick overview of your family's migrations. By clicking on "Map My Family," Legacy Deluxe shows a map with pushpins where selected events took place for the selected individual. It also allows you to zoom in and out of the map to see as much or as little detail as you would like. It's a pretty handy feature if you just want to see a quick overview of an ancestor's moving patterns, but it's not enough alone to make me want to buy the deluxe version.
3) Historical timelines from around the world - Again, not a feature that I use very much. Allows you to incorporate historical events into chronology reports for your ancestors.
4) DNA markers - Allows you to record your DNA records. I have not used DNA yet, so I haven't used this feature either.
5) Chronology view/descendant view - I actually use the chronology report quite often. I used to create my own chronological profiles when analyzing research, but Legacy produces some very nice ones that show ages at the times of events in your ancestors' lives. I could probably live without descendant view, but it's a pretty nice feature if you just want a quick glance of the selected individual's descendants. I don't think I could live without chronology view or the reports you can produce from the chronology view.
6) Relationship calculator - I really like this feature, especially when I find a new cousin online and want to figure out how he/she is related. I would not like to live without this.
7) Compares 2 files for duplicates - I never use this b/c I am very leery about incorporating other people's files into mine. I do most of my own research and no longer just dump other people's research into my own database.
8) SourceWriter - Okay, this I could definitely not live without. More so than the chronology view/report. SourceWriter helps you to input your sources in templates based on Elizabeth Shown Mills suggestions in Evidence Explained. It is not a perfect tool yet, but you can always override the templates. I just wish I could create my own templates. I do not like Legacy's basic source system in the standard version. It does not help me with standardizing my source citations while keeping my master source list to a minimum. I felt like I had to create a master source for every little record in order to get my citation to look the way I wanted. For this feature alone, I would buy the deluxe version.
9) Publishing Center - I have not used this feature yet b/c I'm still perfecting a lot of the info I've entered into Legacy, but I plan to use it. It looks like a really neat feature. It allows you to put together various forms, such as a family group record, timeline chart, pedigree chart, descendant book report, etc. into one book format. If you plan on publishing one day, this would probably be a great tool to help you get started.
10) Interview Reports - Haven't used these yet. Could probably live without. You could probably find great suggestions on the Web for interview questions.
11) Produce PDFs - I really like this feature. Producing PDFs of all family group sheets, chronological reports, research notes, etc. serves as a great backup in case I lose my paper files. I back these up to Mozy every night.
12) Blank Census Forms - I usually get my census forms from Ancestry.com.
13) Calendar Creator - Don't really use.
14) Multiple lines of descent report - Have not used this much yet either, but it seems like a really neat tool. It allows you to publish the descendants of two or more different lines into one book.
15) File IDs Report - I prefer to use Clooz as my primary tool to keep track of file IDs. I do enter the File IDs in Legacy, but I do not use the File ID Report.
16) Add documents - Currently, the standard version allows only pictures, sound, or video files to be added to source citations and individuals. The deluxe version allows .pdf documents to be attached. This is handy b/c at my local Family History Center, it is much quicker to scan microfilm images as .pdf files than as .jpg files. With the feature to add documents, I don't have to convert my .pdf files to .jpg files when I get home.
Overall, I really like the Deluxe version of Legacy and prefer it over the standard, mainly due to SourceWriter, chronological reports, the ability to produce and attach .pdf documents, and the publishing center.
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