Many RootsMagic users just received an email. RootsMagic 4, which was due to be released last year, is now entering the preview phase.
The release schedule for RootsMagic 4 looks like this
RootsMagic has not announced dates, but all of this should happen this year and probably in the coming few months.
The Preview phase is a private beta, aimed at current users of RootsMagic 3.
If you have not signed up yet, the sign-up form to do so is still active.
The link to that form is below.
You can also wait for the public beta. It will be closer to the finished product than the preview and will not require you to be a current RootsMagic customer.
The public release is RootsMagic 4 going on sale. There will be an upgrade offer for existing users, and anyone who bought it on or after 2008 Dec 8 gets a download upgrade to version 4.
According to the mail sent out a few hours ago, RootsMagic 4 is feature-complete. That means that if a feature did not make it into the preview, it did not make it into RootsMagic 4.0.
A few features have been disabled for now, but all the main features are present. The RootsMagic 4 preview is a chance to get an early look at the program and give it a whirl- and then, if you encounter any problems, let RootsMagic know, so they can try to fix things before the public beta or release.
Although you may want to install the final release of RootsMagic 4 over
RootsMagic 3, do not do so with preview or beta. Leave your RootsMagic 3
installation intact, and install RootsMagic 4 in a separate folder.
You can run both versions at the same time.
Do not use preview or beta software for your main database. Keep your main database in your current program. Make sure you have backups before you even install the beta and import a copy of the database. If you discover something using the beta software that makes you want to edit your data, feel free to test the edit features, feel free to test the export and import back into your current program, just do not try to edit in the beta and then export the changes back to your main database.
Do not take unnecessary risks with your data. Keep in mind that there is no tech support for beta software. You are on your own. Edit your main database using your current program and then perhaps import a copy into the beta again.
There is no non-disclosure agreement. The email makes it clear that this does not represent an oversight, but a deliberate decision. Users are free to write about their experiences with the preview.
RootsMagic 4 is a Public Beta now. Sign up to get a key That’s valid till 2009 Mar 31. That suggests that RootsMagic hopes to release version 4 before that date.
Copyright © Tamura Jones. All Rights reserved.