Review for Family Tree Maker
I bought the 2006  version 16 of Family Tree Maker, after reading the comparison on TopTenREVIEWS (click here for link).

I used to use the Winfamily-program in the version 6, and could chose to upgrade to version 7, or buy another program. I made a Google search for other programs and found the comparison on TopTenREVIEW.

Making my data accessible for the family on my website, was imperative.

Problem #1 - You can not generate your own webpages!
Family Tree Maker informs you that you can generate webpages, but here you have to understand, that you can not upload this generated webpages to your own domain,
You have to use the website www.familytreemaker.com, and upload your tree here. You are granted your own space on their server. But not in the 2006/v16, nor the 2009 version of the program will you be able to upload to your own website.
Problem #2 - You hand over the rights to your collected data.
First time you wants to generate a web tree on www.familytreemaker, you will be using the wizard that generates those trees. During this process you are asked to accept the rules of the website  in this window:

Now most of us just accept, without reading the content. We have just passed 6 steps in the wizard and only need to accept here.
I was surprised to read that:
   

1.

 - By creating a User Home Page, whether through the Family Tree Maker(r) software or through the Web site located at www.familytreemaker.com, you acknowledge and agree that all or part of a User Home Page you put together, including any family tree information, may become part of an online archive that other users of MyFamily.com's products or services can access, view and search. 
   

2.

 Such content may also become part of a database that may be reproduced by MyFamily.com in any format, in whole or in part, including without limitation in an electronic storage format, such as CD-ROM or DVD or an online subscription, for distribution, sale, or any other purpose.
   

This means that:
  • I accept that anyone can use my collected data
  • I accept on behalf of all my relatives (the people I have in my "User Home Page". Do I have their permission for this ?
  • Perhaps a person in my tree, don't want journalists or others to know that they have been married before.
  • The data can be reproduced and sold for instance to NSA, FBI, CIA, MI5, Mossad, KGB, pharmaceutical companies (I'm sure you've heard about sold data before).
Well, you could say: but if you have nothing to hide, why not upload it. Agree, but I don't know if my uncle has anything to hide, etc.
When I used Winfamily, I could upload the data to my own server, and "hide it" behind a login and password.
 
Note, that MyFamily.com removed the copy function here, so you cant copy it, nor print it. By the use of the program Snag-it I copied the entire text, and have submitted it here in the bottom of this page. (go there)
Problem #3 - You can't use the program on an user account, that hasn't rights as admin.
In order to prevent malicious spyware, adware, virus, etc. to infect my laptop, I followed the advice to make an Admin account and a User Account on my laptop (and a Guest account). Only the Admin account will have all rights.

Therefore I have to install the Family Tree Maker software on the Admin-account, in order to use it on my "daily" user account. Now this doesn't function, and the program will not start. This means that I will not be able to run the program on my user account. And searching the Internet, will surely expose my laptop to adware, phishing and spyware, that now can be installed because I have to use the admin account. This is not acceptable!
Nowhere in the Danish site www.familytreemaker.dk (directed to www.sitecenter.dk/bkb_trading) could I read any note on this topic.

I contacted the Danish distributor Ole P. Bielefeldt (www.familytreemaker.dk) and he replied that he doesn't have a solution for this problem.
For the reasons of Problem #1 and #3 I wanted to return the product, but the Danish distributor will not accept this.
Problem #4 - Some technical issues
If it's important for you to upload many pictures in a high resolution you only have 20 Mb storage on their Website

There is a limit of 2000 persons in the tree you can upload.
Summary
I'm in contact with the Danish authorities to find out if I'm allowed, according to Danish laws, to upload all my data, and hand it over for sale and distribution. And can I do this on behalf of the living persons in my tree, or do I need their written permission. (I will update this review, when I receive their respond to my e-mail)

Call me paranoid, but I'm not sure that I will hand over my data (and the data of my relatives), after reading articles like this one about Facebook or this one.

I want to be able to use the program, as a normal user account, which helps me to secure my laptop against virus, etc. And what if the laptop was given to me by my company or school for work (and private) use with only a user account with these security limitations?

I want to be able to use my own homepage / server to store the family tree, and prevent non-family people to access the data.

                           USER HOME PAGE AGREEMENT

By clicking 'I agree' below you indicate to us that you have read and accepted this User Home Page Agreement between you and MyFamily.com, Inc. ('MyFamily.com').

By creating a User Home Page, whether through the Family Tree Maker(r) software or through the Web site located at www.familytreemaker.com, you acknowledge and agree that all or part of a User Home Page you put together, including any family tree information, may become part of an online archive that other users of MyFamily.com's products or services can access, view and search.  Such content may also become part of a database that may be reproduced by MyFamily.com in any format, in whole or in part, including without limitation in an electronic storage format, such as CD-ROM or DVD or an online subscription, for distribution, sale, or any other purpose.  Using the password provided to or selected by you (as applicable) you may access, edit and/or delete the User Home Page you created, except to the extent that it has become part of a database in a fixed medium.  BY CREATING A USER HOME PAGE, YOU EXPRESSLY CONSENT TO THE FOREGOING USES OF SUCH USER HOME PAGE BY MYFAMILY.COM. 

Please note that when you create a User Home Page using certain versions of the Family Tree Maker software, you may be given the option to password-protect the entire User Home Page and related sub-pages. 

When such option is used, the User Home Page may still be included in the online archive and database described above; however, if a search inquiry is made that matches content within such User Home Page, only the search term and limited contextual information from such User Home Page will appear in the search results, and the user executing the search will not have access to any other part of such User Home Page.

When you create a User Home Page, you may have the option of making information relating to living persons 'private.'  If you make such a selection, MyFamily.com runs any family tree or other family information contained in the User Home Page through a program that attempts to identify any living persons listed therein.  We will use commercially reasonable efforts to make certain personal information (but not headings or labels that you use to identify such personal information) relating to such identified persons 'private' by blocking other users from viewing such information in search results or otherwise.  Please be aware that the program does not make private the names of persons it identifies as living, or their relation to other individuals that appear in the User Home Page.

By creating a User Home Page, you grant MyFamily.com and its affiliated companies a royalty free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive,  unrestricted, transferable, worldwide license to use, copy, sublicense, adapt, transmit, distribute, publicly perform, archive, and display any such User Home Page (or part thereof) in any medium now known or hereafter developed. 

You represent and warrant that (i) you are at least 18 years of age; (ii) all content and information included in a User Home Page you create is truthful and accurate; and (iii) if you include any information relating to any living person in a User Home Page, you have obtained all appropriate permissions, including, where necessary, express consent from such person, to provide such information to MyFamily.com and to allow us to use such information in accordance with this Agreement. 

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, MYFAMILY.COM WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY OBLIGATION OF CONFIDENTIALITY, ATTRIBUTION, OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO ANY USER HOME PAGE, AND WILL NOT BE LIABLE  FOR ANY USE OR DISCLOSURES OF ANY USER HOME PAGE, OR ANY CONTENT CONTAINED THEREIN.  YOU RELEASE MYFAMILY.COM, AND ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS OR LIABILITY (NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER ARISING) IN CONNECTION WITH ANY USER HOME PAGE MADE BY YOU, AND AGREE TO INDEMNIFY FULLY MYFAMILY.COM AND ITS AFFILIATED

COMPANIES, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL SURVIVE ANY EXPIRATION OR TERMINATION OF THIS USER HOME PAGE AGREEMENT.

If another MyFamily.com user contacts us with any concern regarding a User Home Page you created, MyFamily.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion to contact you directly regarding such concern.  In addition, if you included your contact information in connection with a User Home Page you created, MyFamily.com may encourage a user to address his/her concern about any information on such User Home Page directly with you and, if you have password-protected the User Home Page containing your contact information, we reserve the right to disclose the contact information you have provided to users expressing concerns.  If a user contacts you with any such concern, you agree to work with such user in good faith to resolve the concern. 

You acknowledge that we neither endorse nor are responsible for any communications from other users to you.  MyFamily.com shall have the right and sole discretion, but not the obligation, to alter, remove, or refuse to include any User Home Page, in whole or in part, in any MyFamily.com archive or database that it believes to be in violation of this Agreement, about which it has received complaints, or which it finds to be objectionable for any reason, with or without notice to you.  MyFamily.com shall have the right to discontinue providing the User Home Page service at any time, with no obligation to you, with or acknowledge that we neither endorse nor are responsible for any communications from other users to you. 

You acknowledge and agree that you shall receive no compensation, monetary or otherwise, for any User Home Page.

Updated: 05-05-2009