Thought you might be interested, if you have not see this already:
============================================================
- The Learning Company's Genealogy Community Advisory
The Learning Company has been acquiring other companies, including
several that produce genealogy software or CD-ROM data disks. The
brands purchased include Banner Blue, Broderbund, Mindscape,
Palladium Interactive and Parsons Technologies. Now The Learning
Company itself is being acquired by Mattel, the well-known toy
manufacturer. This has caused many genealogists to speculate about
the future of the products they have or plan to acquire. The
Learning Company obviously has heard these concerns, so they have
issued the following advisory:
Genealogy Community Advisory
Over the past few years, there have been a number of
acquisitions of genealogy software products and developers.
Because The Learning Company now owns four of the leading
genealogy titles, we've heard concerns that we may discontinue
development of one or more of the programs. That is not true.
We are now in a position to tailor each of our products to a
unique segment of genealogy enthusiasts, providing
functionality that is specific to each segment. Many of you
know the "Banner Blue" division of The Learning Company (we
were the original developers of Family Tree Maker). Because
we have the most expertise in the genealogy software category,
we will be managing all of The Learning Company's genealogy
products. We intend to maintain separate product teams for
each brand, to enable us to preserve and emphasize the unique
traits of each product. The following page contains an
overview of the strength of each of our products, and the
direction we intend to focus future development.
In addition to our four software programs, we are also well
known for our data CDs and web sites. We will continue full-
scale efforts to grow our Family Archive CD line by publishing
useful genealogy data. We are committed to making valuable
online resources available to genealogists at the web sites
for each of our products, as well at
www.GenealogyLibrary.com.
Currently, The Learning Company and Mattel have agreed to
merge. While that is not yet final, we believe that the
history and success of the "Banner Blue" organization will
lead Mattel to leave our group on its current track without
major changes to our structure or business. The acquisition
is expected to be finalized by April 1999, and as the two
companies are integrated, we will continue to communicate with
you about any changes.
We at The Learning Company are committed to developing the
best and most useful genealogy software, CDs, and web sites
available. Through the years, our "Banner Blue" division has
demonstrated our commitment to the genealogy community by
listening and responding to your enhancement requests and
product suggestions. We are excited to have such a broad
portfolio of products to offer to all genealogists, whether
they are just beginning to trace their roots or are
established professionals. We will continue to encourage the
efforts of genealogists through support of valuable national
organizations such as Rootsweb, National Genealogical Society,
Federation of Genealogical Societies, and others. We will
also continue to offer support to smaller groups through
regional grant programs, and to aspiring professional
genealogists through our scholarship program. Our commitment
to the pursuit of genealogy stands strong.
============================================================