A few years ago when Microsoft released Windows Vista, I was pretty quick to install the upgrade. I just like new software. But I was also pretty quick to uninstall it and moved back to Windows XP. However, those who have worked with pre-release editions of the new Windows 7 have reported that Microsoft's newest operating system upgrade, due to be released to the public on October 22, 2009, should be much smoother.

The best news is that our Legacy Family Tree software has already been tested and is compatible and ready to work with Windows 7.

New features in Windows 7

The new features and screenshots of Windows 7 look impressive. Here's a summary:

• Desktop: introducing improved taskbar previews, bigger icons, pinning, and creative ways to personalize
• HomeGroup: takes the headache out of home networking, so it's easier to share files and printers
• Jump Lists: speedy access to your favorite pictures, songs, websites, and documents
• Snap: a quick (and fun) new way to resize and compare windows on your desktop
• Windows Live Essentials: must-have software for your PC - free! Get Mail, Photo Gallery, and other favorites
• Windows Search: at least, searching your PC is as simple as searching the web
• Performance improvements: it's designed to sleep and resume quicker, be less memory hungry, and spot USB devices faster
• Full 64-bit support: Windows 7 makes the most of powerful 64-bit PCs, the new desktop standard
• Power management: new power-saving features are designed to help laptops run longer
• Easier wireless networking: Windows 7 gets you online in fewer clicks
• Windows Media Center: watch, record, and pause live TV (additional hardware required)
• Windows Touch: pair Windows 7 with a touch-sensitive PC and you won't always need a keyboard or mouse
• Many more new features

For a complete list of features, tours, and videos, click here.

Is your computer ready for Windows 7?

Windows 7's system requirements are:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

If you're not sure what all that means, you can run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It's a small download (6.3 MB). After installing it, the advisor will perform some quick tests on your computer to see if it meets the upgrade requirements. It will let you know if there's anything that would need attention. For my computer, the advisor stated that

"you'll need to perform a custom installation of Windows 7 and then reinstall your programs. Make sure to back up your files before you begin."

Since I currently use Windows XP, it appears that the upgrade to Windows 7 will take a bit of effort. First, I'll need to backup all of my files, including pictures, email, genealogy files, etc. Fortunately my computer already does this automatically every day. After installing Windows 7, then I'll need to first reinstall all of my software, then copy all of my files back to the appropriate directories. So it will take a little time, but I like to do this every year or so anyways so I have a "fresh installation".

Click here to download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor software.

Compare XP, Vista, and 7

For a comparison of Windows XP, Vista, and 7, click here.

What are your thoughts?

Experienced computer users usually wait a little while to install newly-released software while the kinks/bugs get worked out. What are you going to do?

We are excited to participate in the following upcoming genealogy seminars and workshops. If you are in the area, please stop by our booth to say hello. You can ask the Legacy Family Tree experts questions and take advantage of special seminar discounts.

October 2009

USA | Arizona | Youngtown - October 7/14/21/28, 2009. This four week Beginning Legacy course is offered by the West Valley Genealogical Society and taught by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Class size is limited and fills early. Call 623-933-4945 to reserve your spot. Click here for more information.

USA | California | Santa Clara - October 10, 2009. Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group will feature Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen, speaking about Legacy Family Tree 7.0. Get a preview of the upcoming Legacy 7.5 which will feature new FamilySearch integration tools. Don't miss this opportunity to listen to one of Legacy's developers. Bring along your suggestions and questions too. The meeting begins at 9:00 at the LDS building at 875 Quince Avenue in Santa Clara. Visit http://www.svpafug.org/ for more information.

USA | Washington | Oak Harbor - October 13, 2009. Whidbey Island Genealogical Searchers (WIGS) at the Heller Fire Station (150 yards north of the intersection of Heller Road and Crosby Avenue) at 1:00 p,m. "Mapping, Sourcing and Charting with Legacy Family Tree 7.0" by Jim Terry of Millennia Corporation. Please call Ruth Hancock at (360) 675-5735 for details.

USA | California | Redding - October 16-17, 2009. California Family History Expo 2009. Come meet Legacy developers Ken McGinnis and Geoff Rasmussen in booths 11 and 13 for special seminar pricing. Held at the Redding Convention Center at 747 Auditorium Drive in Redding, the exhibit hall is free and open to the public. No excuses! :) You can also attend 67 different classes, but don't miss Geoff's classes - all of which will feature great door prizes:

• Mapping your Ancestors with the Latest Software and Internet Sites (door prize: AniMap)
• Organizing, Planning, Mapping, Sourcing and Sharing Using Legacy Family Tree (door prize: Legacy 7.0 deluxe)
• Research Guidance: GenSmarts, FamilySearch Wiki, and Legacy (door prize: Legacy 7.0 deluxe)
• Genealogist's Guide to Working with Digital Images (door prize: 2.5" Magnabrite Magnifier)

We're also giving away another Acer Netbook computer as a Grand Prize. The entry forms will be available in during Bernie Gracy's keynote address of "Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location-Based Genealogy" or you can pick one up at our booth. You must be present to win.

Click here for more information about this great expo.

Canada | British Columbia | Surrey - October 17, 2009. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m, Surrey Stake Centre, 6270 126th Street. Jim Terry of Millennia Corporation will conduct classes on Legacy Family Tree. For information please contact Sally Haysom at [email protected] or by phone at (604) 644-9934 or (604) 501-0188.

November 2009

USA | Arizona | Youngtown - November 3/10/17/24, 2009. This four week Advanced Legacy course is offered by the West Valley Genealogical Society and taught by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Class size is limited and fills early. Call 623-933-4945 to reserve your spot. Click here for more information.

USA | California | Fresno - November 21, 2009. The Fresno County Genealogical Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution will co-sponsor a Genealogy Technology seminar presented by Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen. Geoff will teach:

• Genealogist's Guide to Working with Digital Images
• Timelines and Chronologies
• Sharing Genealogy Electronically
• Market Your Ancestors: Blogs, Message Boards, Mailing Lists, etc.

Contact Corky Peterson for more information.

User Groups

We also have active Legacy user groups which meet around the world. Visit http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/UsersGroups.asp to see if there is a group in your area.

Our 6th annual Legacy Genealogy cruise has concluded. What a great time we had. Now it's back to real life where we have to make our own food, clean up after ourselves, and come up with our own entertainment. Returning to normal life isn't as easy as it might seem....

Most of us picked up desynchronosis (jet lag) on the way home. I'm writing this article at about noon, but my body thinks it's time to go to bed (guess I better keep this short, eh?) My 8-month-old daughter was perfect on the airplane ride home (I was really worried) but now at about one in the morning she's ready to start her day. Oh the woes of returning home from a genealogy cruise. ;)

Food here at home is not quite the same. I really want my 2-egg ham and cheese omelete, hash browns, bacon, pineapple, and orange juice for breakfast, but I don't want to make it or clean it up. I'll sure miss the cruise food and ice cream sundaes. My waist line doesn't mind though - I lost 5 pounds! Can't believe it! We did walk a lot to see the sights. I'm sure this is what saved me.

Coming home from a genealogy cruise also means that I've got some catching up to do. I'm now down to 616 work emails, 202 personal emails, and various mailing lists and RSS feeds to catch up on. Should I just delete everything as if I didn't receive the messages? Kidding....I'm actually quite anxious to get back to work - we've got some great things we're working on.

In case you missed it, we wrote about our travels on this Legacy News blog:

Bon Voyage - Legacy Genealogy Cruise begins

Legacy Genealogy Cruise - Travel Day and Barcelona

More Barcelona and Setting Sail

Legacy classes

Rome and Pompeii

Day at sea

Day in Croatia

Venice, last day of classes, and Olympia

Athens and Ephesus

Thanks to all of our cruisers for making this a memorable experience. Hope to see all of you in Australia and New Zealand next year (that's the plan for now, we'll "officially" announce it soon I'm sure). Here's our group picture. I don't think everyone made it for the photo, but we're still a great looking group:

These past two days have been the best yet. In Athens we visited the birthplace and stadium of the modern Olympics, and then made our way to the Acropolis. Here, not only did we view some of the world’s most famous buildings, but we also had a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Afterwards we drove the coastline until we reached an old temple which stood atop the hills overlooking the sea. Listening to the waves crash below, this was one of the most peaceful places I’ve visited.

Yesterday in Ephesus, Turkey, became my new favorite part of our trip. Paul, the biblical apostle, walked the streets of this ancient village and preached at the great amphitheatre. There he was persecuted because his teachings threatened the local merchants’ businesses where they sold pagan statues. The buildings of the city were wonderful to see, but knowing that I walked where Paul walked and taught made Ephesus my favorite. Oh, I also liked the ancient public toilets.

Today we will visit Istanbul, Turkey – one of the world’s largest cities. Tomorrow we leave for the airport at 3:30am to begin a 26 hour day. It will be sad to leave such a wonderful part of the world, but there’s no place like home.

Here’s some pictures.

Athens' Acropolis:

My daughter enjoying our travels:

The ancient public toilets in Ephesus:

The theatre in Ephesus where Paul taught:

Here's some pictures of the ship.

This is the hallway to our staterooms:

This is the ship's driving range. I don't have a clue how to golf, but just knowing that I can was fun.

You can even play chess:

or basketball:

Each night when we returned to our staterooms, our room stewards made us towel animals:

It’s been a few days since we last reported to you. Between eating, napping, seeing Venice and Olympia, eating again, playing shuffleboard, taking mandatory ice cream breaks, and napping again, there’s just so little time to write. I’ve just returned from dinner, and have a few minutes before our next “appointment” (evening musical entertainment).

Venice was wonderful. There were no cars, traffic lights, or stop signs – only foot and water traffic. Some of us rode the water gondolas around the city, although I didn’t stay until dark when the gondoliers sang. For lunch we ate authentic Italian food – pizza. Yum. The highlight in Venice for me was watching all of the water traffic. Boats were everywhere. There were even traffic lanes for the boats. It was fun watching the flow of traffic on water.

Yesterday was our last day at sea and our last day of Legacy classes. Once again we recorded each class for attendees to watch when they return home. We taught classes about tagging, searching, digitization and organization of photos, insider’s tips and tricks, and then held a question/answer session with the entire development team. At the end Dave made two great announcements. First, each attendee received $30 of credit for anything in our online store. Second, everyone would receive a complimentary copy of Legacy 8 when it is released (no, we don’t have any idea when this will be yet. We still have our major update to version 7 to release (7.5) which will include the new FamilySearch integration tools).

After class we all changed into our “formals” for a group picture. I don’t know how we ever all fit onto the staircase, but it was a nice picture. This has been such a great group to cruise with.

Today we docked in Katakolon, Greece and took a short bus ride to ancient Olympia – the birthplace of the Olympics. We saw ancient structures including the temple of Zeus, the original stadium where running events were held (the marble starting blocks are still in position), and walked through the area where the Olympic flame was lit and displayed. Originally only those with at least three generations of Greek heritage could participate. This changed later when the Romans were in control. Very interesting and such a choice experience to see some of the world’s finest history.

Here's some pictures.

Water streets in Venice:

St. Mark's Square in Venice:

My first meal in Venice:

Our ship:

Our ship at night:

Entrance to the ancient stadium in Olympia:

The stadium:

Temple of Zeus:

Every cruise has its hidden jewel. During last year’s Legacy Cruise to the Baltic capitals, Estonia’s beauty and history took all of us by surprise. This year it was Dubrovnik, Croatia. This morning as the ship approached Dubrovnik, we first noticed the massive stone wall which surrounded the city. Dubrovnik was based on maritime trade and in the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, it because the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. It was home to notable poets, playwrights, painters, mathematicians, physicists and other scholars. Today it welcomed over 2,000 guests from the Norwegian Jade including our Legacy guests.

After a walk through the ancient city, we climbed the stairs (seemed like hundreds of them but probably only twenty or so) to the top of the city’s wall. From the wall we could view castles, a panoramic view of the sea, and surrounding islands. One of our Legacy guests said to me that this was the most beautiful place they’ve ever seen. I completely agree.

Another one of our Legacy guests mentioned that of all of this cruise’s experiences, the thing she has enjoyed the most was the Legacy classes. That was a nice compliment, but I had to wonder if she had visited Rome, Naples/Pompeii, or Croatia. :)

Tonight’s on-board entertainment featured the Maestranza Spanish Ballet. I’m not much of a ballet guy but I actually really enjoyed this. We ended our day with crepes covered in rich chocolate and whipped cream.

Here’s some of today’s pictures.

Climbing the stairs to the top of the wall:

Views from the top:

The Norwegian Jade:

Crusing on the Norwegian Jade is how everyone should spend a Wednesday. Here’s how today went….

7:00am – Woke up. Classes didn’t actually start until 10:00am today we needed extra time on the Shuffleboard courts. We (Dave/Luc/Ken/me) have an ongoing tournament. Shuffleboard helps us teach better classes. We ate breakfast in the Garden Café on the 12th floor. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. Today I had a ham and cheese omelet, pineapple, watermelon, croissant, and orange juice.

7:45 or so – Shuffleboard – we played to 50 points. Luc won twice, I won once. I love this game.

9:30am – we set up for our day’s classes in the Alizar Restaurant on the 6th floor. The seating arrangements are very comfortable. Everyone sits at a table with plenty of note-taking room. At the back of the room are Danishes, other desserts, and plenty to drink.

10:00am – We taught the Legacy for Beginners class, although I think most everyone learned something new. We talked about some simple things that make using Legacy better including setting your preferred line, turning on the relationships, setting the three quick bookmarks, and standards for data entry of names and dates. Great class.

11:00am – This class is always a favorite – sources! Sounds so exciting, doesn’t it? After discussing the principles of documentation, we learned about how to add a new source and its detail, how to properly cite an existing master source, tips for effectively sorting the master source list, using the source clipboard including saving and loading clipboards, and how to print citations in reports.

12:00pm – The next best time of day – lunch. Today we ate in the Grand Pacific Dining Room on floor 6. For the appetizer I had the Mexican crab dip with vegetables. I continued on with the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes, and topped it off with strawberry-covered chocolate ice cream.

2:00PM – Lunch was so good, do I really want to go back to class? During morning classes the captain announced a new belly-dancing class to take place at 2:00. I was nervous that our students would attend it instead of our Sharing Electronically class, but it looked like everyone came back. In this class we discussed different methods of sharing our genealogy including printing to a traditional hard-bound book or using a print-on-demand service such as that at lulu.com. We then talked about publishing to GEDCOM-based websites and demonstrated how to use Legacy’s web publishing features to create a personalized website. Finally we learned about creating shareable CDs and agreed that Legacy’s Create CD tool was a much better way to share with our family than just copying miscellaneous files to a CD.

4:00pm – More shuffleboard and got ready for dinner.

5:30pm – Tonight, Christy, our group’s travel coordinator, took us all out to dinner at the Jasmine Garden Asian Cuisine. Most restaurants on board are included in the cruise fare. This was one of a few that require an additional cover charge. The dinner was excellent – thanks Christy! And special thanks to Ken and Diane who watched our 8-month-old for us. Kaitlyn was ready for bed and missed her parents. Otherwise she’s done spectacular this week.

7:30pm – Usually at this time we would attend the main performance in the Stardust Theater. Last night’s performance featured the comedy of Lenny Windsor who wrote for Benny Hill. Tonight we chose to relax in our cabin. Tomorrow we visit Dubrovnik, Croatia.

No ice cream for me tonight – too much food! I’m glad most of my pants have the expandable waist band – they’re coming in handy now.

We’re back from a really long day in Italy – these genealogy cruises are hard work…but someone’s got to do it. :)  I’ve just seen parts of the world I’ve only dreamed about.

Yesterday we visited Rome and toured the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and St. Peter’s Square. What a beautiful city with such a rich history. The day ended with our traditional ice cream sundae.

Today we toured Pompeii. The entire city was buried when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 68AD (plus or minus a few years – it’s not so easy reporting the “facts” without my Internet connection. On board, it costs 50 cents a minute). The city was very well preserved – we walked through homes, bakeries, gardens, shops, and streets - all built over 2,000 years ago. I wish I could trace my genealogy that far back.

Tomorrow is our second full day at sea while the ship travels to Croatia. We’ve got a great lineup of classes for our Legacy cruisers and a couple of surprises. Off to bed now. Oh – we ended our day, once again, with a delicious ice cream sundae. Here's some pictures (just one in Rome, my camera's batteries died. I bought post cards instead).

Rome - the Coliseum

Pompeii

Pompeii - this is the gymnasium's locker room:

What a terrific day at sea today! It started off really badly though. This morning was the first time in seven cruises that I’ve actually requested a sea-sick pill. I did not want to teach classes this morning. In fact, Dave (Legacy’s president) didn’t even show up in the morning. Our cabins are on the 11th floor of the Jade – I guess the higher you are the more waves you feel.

Our class sessions began with each person telling where they were from. There were lots of us from North America, but a surprising number of people from Australia and New Zealand. For the majority of cruisers this was their first time, but we had two who were sharing their fourth Legacy cruise with us.

We had four sessions of classes – mapping and locations, Research Guidance and blogs, timelines and events, and then a question/answer period. For the first time ever, we decided to record (audio and video) the sessions so our cruisers could enjoy the classes without having to take copious notes. We’ll publish the classes (only for cruise attendees) when we return home.

One of the highlights came in the afternoon when Dave decided to “spill the beans” on one of our upcoming version 8 features. I couldn’t believe it. We decided before the cruise that we weren’t going to say anything about version 8. The moment we do, the questions always start rolling in about when it will be available. Everyone on board was sworn to secrecy. Now you have another reason to cruise with us….Anyways, the feature he explained is a great one and I can’t wait for all of you to have it. In fact, all of the things we've been working on are really terrific! However, I’m sure it will still be quite some time before v8 is available, and we’re not even saying “soon” yet.

All in all, today’s classes were very successful and a joy to teach. Classes will resume in two days after our visits in Rome and Pompeii.

Ken (Legacy's vice-president) welcoming everyone:

What a great group!

Dave and Geoff in the question/answer session:

We actually had a couple of spare hours before getting on the ship so we visited one of Barcelona’s (and perhaps the world’s) finest architectural wonders. Construction began on this stone church (I forget the name) in the 1880s. It’s getting close to its completion. They estimate that at the current rate it should be complete in the next 15 years or so. Definitely a must-see in Barcelona.

That’s all the time we had, so we made our way to the Norwegian Jade. Built in 2006, the 965 foot long ship weighs 95,000 tons and sails with 2,378 guests and 1,021 crew members. About 150 of those guests belong to our Legacy group. We had a great meet-and-greet, and then shared dinner together in the Grand Pacific Dining Room. Around 7:30pm the ship left as the sun set over the hills. The evening’s entertainment included magic, juggling, comedy, and singing.

Legacy classes start early in the morning so I’m going to call it a night. Here are a few pictures from our trip so far. Wish you all were here with us!

The church in Barcelona:

My daughter, Kaitlyn, turns 8 months old tomorrow. All the travels have worn her out:

Dinner with the group:

My wife and I as we leave Barcelona:

Good night!