RootsMagic 2021 Year in Review

With the new year, we’d like to take this opportunity to look back at all that has happened with RootsMagic in 2021, as well as look forward to our plans in 2022.

RootsMagic 8

Of course, our biggest event of 2021 was the community preview and official release of RootsMagic 8.

Although this wasn’t the first time we have rewritten the RootsMagic code, it was by far the biggest project in our company history. We rewrote RootsMagic to support the latest genealogical technologies available today while building a foundation for future functionality that would have been impossible with our older code.

One of our main goals was to create native Windows and Mac versions with identical functionality, so we selected a development platform that allows us to create both with a single code base. This means that when we add new features in the future, those features will be available on both Windows and Mac.

In addition, we added an all-new interface that supports easily switching between different types of information without losing your place, the ability to edit multiple persons at the same time, reusable citations, a completely rewritten report engine, and the ability to save reports directly to Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx) files.

After working insanely long hours for months on end, we were able to officially release RootsMagic 8 on October 1, 2021.

New RootsMagic Community

In 2021 we also announced a new online community for users to connect and ask questions, share ideas, and discuss how to use the RootsMagic software. This community replaced our old forums which were based on a platform that had long since become obsolete. The new RootsMagic community is based on the Discourse platform and can be found at https://community.rootsmagic.com. Everyone is welcome to view or read posts, but a free account is required in order to post or comment on messages.

New Website

Our official website also received an overhaul with a responsive design, updated content, and easier navigation.

New RootsMagic Wiki

With the release of RootsMagic 8, we also introduced our new RootsMagic Wiki. The wiki contains the online version of help for RootsMagic 8, which means we can instantly add to and update the RootsMagic help, as well as include videos, links to webinars, and other multimedia options.

New Webinars

And speaking of webinars, we brought back our free webinars on getting the most out of your RootsMagic software. To help users become familiar with the new version and features, we’re offering a new series of free webinars; the first being, “What’s New in RootsMagic 8”.

Webinars will also be live-streamed on our YouTube channel and recordings will be available there.

2022 New Year’s Resolutions

RootsMagic Updates

When rewriting RootsMagic 8, we did so with an eye on the future and emerging technologies. In the process, several features in RootsMagic 7 weren’t ready in time. Since then we have added several of those features to RootsMagic 8 in free updates, such as custom reports.

In 2022, watch for regular updates to your software with improvements, fixes, and new features.

Future RootsMagic

The future of RootsMagic is bright. We are no longer constrained by obsolete programming tools and technologies, and can focus on adding the exciting new features we’ve been dreaming of all these years.

13 thoughts to “RootsMagic 2021 Year in Review”

  1. Thanks for all your hard work producing RM8, it took a little time to start with enjoy after using RM7 for many.

  2. Thank you for the new version and keeping us informed. I will use the webinars to learn where some things are for a while. I am getting error notices so that is new and I don’t know what I am doing to create them. So perhaps a notice to people in their emails about what they are doing wrong will help us.

    Reply: Make sure to send in the error reports. If you have a way to recreate them send in the steps to support@rootsmagic.com so we can test it.
    Renee, RootsMagic, Inc.

  3. I really appreciate Roots’ coders and visionaries for the dedication and hard work to re-write. It is far more complex then I or the typical user can comprehend.

  4. I love RootsMagic 8 because of the simplicity & accuracy of entering & maintaining Family Member Information. I also love the visual presentation of the family members in RootsMagic 8 as it is much cleaner looking and pleasing to the eye. It makes it a joy to research and enter information on my family; along with entering their personal data.
    Keep up the great work in adding more functions, more simplicity, and the ability to access or connect with other database services (like Ancestry.com) in order to bring in more information and history into my family tree.
    Please thank all those developers, analysts, technicians, planners, etc who are constantly improving this great product. Thank You So Very Much Once Again.

  5. Kudo’s to everyone on this release. I have been an RM user for several years now–and took the opportunity to join the Preview Team early last year. There were a lot of bumps, but this is a major release!

    Well pleased with the present outcome in January 2022–and am looking forward to RM8 becoming the premier desktop genealogy program going into the future…

  6. RootsMagic8 is a marvelous program for genealogical research especially with FamilySearch and other online trees. There is so much to learn. My family’s story is just beginning…

  7. I use Ancestry, My Heritage and Family Search, but my main tree is on Roots Magic and I love it. Love how interactive it is.

  8. I LOVE RM8. Thank you so much for this elegant software. I keep discovering more wonderful features. It was worth the wait.

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