A Mac or Not a Mac?

  • Posted by
  • September 30, 2009

That is the question that often arises when we announce new projects or a new tool update for the Ancestry World Archives keying tool.

I acknowledge the frustration our Mac users in our community experiences when Ancestry produces products that are not Macintosh compatible. While we do not have anything new to announce for our Mac community at this time I did want to say that your message is being heard and is a point of discussion in our product roadmap planning meetings as we explore our options for converting the keying tool so it will support multiple operating systems.

At best I can say, don’t loose your passion for this cause!

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September 30th, 2009
63 Responses
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Brenda Humphrey
Posted on:
April 30, 2011 at 7:22 pm

Winter will end before Ancestry decides to recognize that Mac users do genealogy too.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Adela Peskorz
Posted on:
May 3, 2011 at 2:24 pm

I’m stunned that this program is not Mac compatible and that Mac users would be so marginalized in your planning. I used to be a PC and Windows user, and now that I have my Mac (and only my Mac) there is no way I would return to a Windows world. I can’t understand how you would be the rarity in the electronic universe and ignore such a huge community. At the very least this is terrible PR for your company and creates an immediate antipathy for accessing any of your products. If other companies (many, MANY of them) can find Mac geeks in their IT departments to adapt their software, surely you can. It would certainly be most welcome and appreciated.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Vivian Kahn
Posted on:
June 21, 2011 at 1:55 pm

Add my voice to those of all of the Mac users who are dismayed by this inexplicable shortcoming. It’s been 2 years since you started making excuses and promises. In addition to being an Ancestry subscriber I’m also a shareholder. Your failure to develop Mac-compatible software is not only inexcusable given your objective of increasing participation but it is also bad business!

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Diane Upah
Posted on:
July 6, 2011 at 2:20 pm

You should advertise that these services are not available as I am terribly frustrated. I would not have joined for the three month period had it been made known obviously that this service was not available for Mac users. Thats all I have is a Mac and I wouldn’t change either.

Will not re-commit after my 3 months are up
FOR SURE!!!!

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
JOHN DUTROW
Posted on:
July 6, 2011 at 7:05 pm

WORK ON IT HARDER I WELL NOT RENEW IF NOT MAC READY BY 1/2012 BY THE WAY ITS 300.$ONE SO WORK HARDER

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
JOHN DUTROW
Posted on:
July 6, 2011 at 7:09 pm

PS YOU SOULD TELL PEOPLE UP FRONT YOUR NOT MAC READY SOME HOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU MISLEAD PEOPLE BY OMISSION !

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Jim Leighninger
Posted on:
July 12, 2011 at 2:17 pm

One more volunteer here, if and when you figure out how to develop Mac-based software for the World Heritage Project. I started years ago with Family TreeMaker, but then you stopped updating it for Mac. So I switched to Reunion for off line records. Happy with it. But ancestry.com is a whole new world of research. I do appreciate its potential. Time for Mac users to be included! We are equal, dues paying members here, don’t forget. We haven’t!

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Tammy Forstater
Posted on:
July 29, 2011 at 3:16 pm

I just found out about worldmemoryproject.org. I am a child of
survivors and, along with many of my friends who are also children of survivors, would like to volunteer for this project. However, like millions of other Americans, I have a MAC computer. You are losing a valuable resource in us by not being MAC compatible.

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Donna Huebner
Posted on:
August 1, 2011 at 4:12 pm

Here it is August 1st, and I just got the same response from Ancestry when I asked why I can’t participate in the project. Obviously, they aren’t too concerned about the loss of so many volunteers or the fact that most of us Mac users are being ignored.

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Lucia De Ratmiroff
Posted on:
August 24, 2011 at 7:21 pm

I am also very disappointed with Family Tree Maker and switched to Reunion, much better interface and very easily updated, especially now that they have the iPod/iPad app that you can use to input data when visiting cemeteries or archives without a computer. You can also use the camera and video for media clips to attach. After reading all the comments I guess I will collaborate on the Family Search project and cancel my ancestry subscription.

Comment Number:
11
Written by:
Carolyn Harris
Posted on:
September 9, 2011 at 4:05 pm

You are losing 50% of hopeful volunteers by not recognising Mac as equally important as Windows.

Yes I have to agree there is that sense that Mac users are not very important at all, and that’s sad.

The days of Mac being rare are long gone.

Hope you can fix this problem very very soon.

Comment Number:
12
Written by:
Kathryn
Posted on:
October 28, 2011 at 10:01 pm

I too was a contributor of the archives. But I have finally gotten a new computer and of course it’s a MAC Since I was frustrated with a lot of the issues in using ancestry.com and them not recognizing last names that are multiple words. I now see they don’t want my help with archives either. Seems that since this has been asked for, for years and no one has bothered to respond I assume they have the same useless programmers they always had and don’t invest in them.

Someone is pocketing a good amount of $. We all know they get “volunteers” to do the entering so where’s all the subscription fees going? To advertising? I recommend everyone save their money. I too will not be re-subscribing to ancestry.com or “donating” my time to a company that does not listen to the customer.

Vote with your feet and find another resource. This one does not care about its consumers, it’s not cheap and one would think they could get it together but they have proven to be useless once again. They really think we are tied to them? I have not had my subscription for many months and find that a lot of the records they “offer” are available for FREE elsewhere. Say la vi Ancestry.

Comment Number:
13
Written by:
Roxanne
Posted on:
November 28, 2011 at 5:28 pm

I too must add my frustration that I cannot assist with the World Memory Project using my Mac laptop.

I could easily give a full 8-hour day almost every week to this project, and would love to do so.

There is a vague note on this website that VMWare may provide compatibility, but for a Mac-only user since 1986 such as myself, that is far too little information. I visited the VMWare website, and have no idea which version I should consider, or how it should all work.

Please develop a Mac version of the World Memory Project keying tool. Many of us are *so* eager to help with this amazing project.