Re: Notemap vs GrandView

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Note: This message is from the outliners.com archive kindly provided by Dave Winer.

Outliners.com Message ID: 1939

Posted by 100341.2151
2004-05-22 11:32:31

I’m another long-time Grandview user so was sorry to hear that there are problems using it on anything newer than the WIN98SE o/s - especially as I have just bought a new notebook with XP on it…

But back to the topic - I switched over from Grandview to NoteMap which I have been using on the WIN98SE machine, and I have come across a few problems with it. As others are using it on this forum I thought I’d mention some.

First, on WIN98SE it’s a little hesitant; moving “headlines” (NoteMap calls them “notes”)round it can be a chore with brief pauses before the move registers. I think this may be a resources problem so I am hoping the new computer will transform its performance.

Second, I am finding that the “Comments” feature - while very useful -has a snag. When you merge continguous headlines, each with comments, using the merge feature, you lose one set of comments - that of the “mergor” not the “mergee”. I was writing a complicated document in outline form and using the Comments to store footnote information (don’t ask! I should have just used Word) and lost quite a few Comments before I realised what was going on.

Third, another problem (or is it a feature?)with NoteMap which causes me to lose data is the ease with which it is possible accidentally to merge headlines. In GV, you had actively to choose to join headlines (aka item/notes) using Alt-J, or unjoin them using Alt-K. Headlines are not subject to accidental damage through over-enthusiastic use of the Backspace or Delete key. In Notemap, pressing Backspace at the beginning of the headline causes it to merge with the previous one. Pressing Delete at the end of a headline causes it to merge with the subsequent one. This, of course, makes it all too easy for accidental merges to occur (with lost Comments into the bargain).

Of course, you can “lock” headlines (i.e. notes) in NoteMap, but then you can’t edit them. What you can’t do is just “lock” their boundaries. (Imagine a spreadsheet program where pressing delete too vigorously when editing within a cell went on to delete the whole row…). I tried this out on my copy of Inspiration, and it does prevent these unexpected merges from occurring.

I also seem unexpectedly to lose text (e.g. a whole note at a time) occasionally. I haven’t tracked down the cause yet.

So my experience so far with NoteMap is that while I like the idea very much as a Windows alternative to Grandview, it doesn’t seem to have the array of foolproof devices that made GV such a joy to work with.

Has anyone else noticed these problems with NoteMap? I thought I’d consult here before mentioning these to the developer.

Derek

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