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Archiver > UFT > 2002-08 > 1030696380


From: John Maynard <>
Subject: [UFT] Corporate Fun and Games
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 18:33:08 +1000
References: <5.1.0.14.2.20020830090058.03bfeb68@mail.uniting.com.au>
In-Reply-To: <004f01c24ff6$5ced4d40$2491c540@oemcomputer>


At 03:25 AM 30-08-02 -0400, Chuck Wolfram wrote:

>Reunion is still called Reunion and is for the MAC. GENERATIONS is the PC
>version developed by the same people who produce Reunion and as the PC
>version. It was sold to Sierra and Sierra was brought by Genealogy.com, the
>present owners of UFT, the same people who discontinued our program. That
>might make a difference in what you do.
>
>Chuck Wolfram

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Bonita said she liked Reunion, so I
suggested that she might consider Generations, if she still pines for what
she had on her Mac.

Church, I wasn't aware that Sierra was recently bought out by Genealogy.com

But all I can say is -- Yikes!

Through acquisitions the Learning Company ended up with UFT (from
Commsoft/Palldium), FTM (from Broderbun) and Family Origins (from
Parsons). The Learning Company was developing and supporting all three
products until they were taken over by Mattel. That was a good move;
people had a choice.

Alas, Mattel decided it wasn't into the genealogy business, so it sold its
software rights to Genealogy.com

I consider Mattel/Genealogy.com to be the rotten $&*(%@'s in these
corporate takeovers. They decided to develop FTM over and against the
other good products in their storehold.

A curse on them! - They threw out the jewel in their crown.

Sadly, it now appears that Sierra came to the same decision that
entertainment is more important that educationa and learning:
http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/6104.asp?rc=locale%7E&us=0

Will Genealogy.com drop Generations as they did with UFT?

Will Genealogy.com take over Ancestry.com, who promoted Generations?

Already people are being coerced into inputting their family tree into
on-line databases, in preference to desktop genealogy programs. But while
doing this, our information is being reduced to the lowest common
denominator, with little room for flexibility and creativity, something
that I treasure with UFT (and that others treasure with Generations or TMG).

Stay tuned folks! Sadly, our addiction to family history has been noticed
by the "McDonalds" of the coporate world. Soon there will be only one
flavour of hamburger or chicken.

I guess the next logical step is for Genealogy.com to be taken over by
Microsoft, who wants to own the Internet and the operating systems on our
desktop.

John M.

<who still believes in freedom of choice and intellectual development>



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