Re: Request MSWin outliners with I,A,1,a etc structure?

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

Outliners.com Message ID: 2817

Posted by srdiamond15
2005-02-21 21:14:33

These are the changes Casesoft says it introduced in version 2. Far from being trivial, they strike me as almost eart shaking:

[quote]What’s New in NoteMap 2.0
NoteMap 2 is a major new version of our outliner software tool. It contains dozens of totally new features and dozens of enhancements to existing features.

Our objective for NoteMap 2 is to add to NoteMap’s functionality, e.g., NoteMap’s new Full Screen mode, while also making NoteMap even easier to use, e.g., NoteMap 2 offers live spell checking. Have we met this goal? We hope you’ll think so. We hope you’ll love NoteMap 2.

NoteMap 2 is $149.00 per user license. Upgrades from NoteMap 1 are $99.00 per user license. NoteMap 2 and NoteMap 2 Upgrades are backed by our year-long money-back guarantee.

Live Spell Checking & Autocorrect
As you enter text in NoteMap 2, any word that is not recognized by NoteMap’s online dictionary is underlined with a red, wavy line just like in your word processor. Right-click an unrecognized word and the shortcut menu displays a list of spelling suggestions.

NoteMap 2 also offers Autocorrect and Dual Initial Cap features. If you accidentally type “teh,” NoteMap 2 flips it to read “the.” And if you start a word with two capital letters, NoteMap automatically shifts the second cap to lowercase.

Full Screen Mode
NoteMap 2 offers a new Full Screen Mode that makes it a cinch to hide tool bars and other distractions when brainstorming on an outline.

The new Full Screen Mode also makes it practical to use NoteMap as a presentation tool.

Mark
NoteMap 2’s new Marking features allow you to make persistent selections of critical notes. Once a note is Marked, it remains so until it is explicitly Unmarked, even when outlines are closed and reopened.

There’s also a new Find & Mark feature in NoteMap’s Find dialog box. Find & Mark makes it easy to Mark all notes containing search terms.

Once notes have been Marked, you can navigate from Mark to Mark using NoteMap 2’s new Go To Mark Commands.

Gather
NoteMap 2’s new Gather feature makes it easy to organize Marked notes. The Gather feature allows you to move Marked notes to a new location or to create copies of Marked Notes in a new location.

Enhanced Level Font/Paragraph Default Options
NoteMap 2 offers a new feature that updates the font and paragraph look of your notes based on styles set up for each outline level. This new option is on by default so that as you demote and promote notes they change their font and paragraph look to conform to the preset styles. We’ve established a default font and paragraph look for each level of new outlines. You can update these defaults to reflect your personal preferences. NoteMap 2 also includes a new Apply Level Font & Paragraph format option that makes it easy to update the look of your outlines.

Note Sorting
NoteMap 2 can sort your outline notes into alphabetical order. NoteMap sorts notes based on the text they contain. Sorting starts with the leftmost character in each note, proceeds to the second character from the left, and so on.

New Navigation & Edit Commands
New Go To Commands: NoteMap 2 offers over 10 new Go To commands that make it easy to navigate in an outline. For example, there’s a new Parent Note option that jumps you to the parent note of the currently selected note.

Force Left/Force Right: NoteMap 2 offers new Force Left and Force Right commands. When you select a note and click Force Left, the note is promoted and sibling notes below this note become its children. When you select a note and click Force Right, the note is demoted, but its children are not.

Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts
In NoteMap 2, you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts.

Customizable Menus & Tool Bars

In NoteMap 2, you have full control over which options appear on NoteMap’s menus and tool bars.

AutoRecover
NoteMap 2 offers a new AutoRecover feature that minimizes the risk of losing edits due to system crashes. The AutoRecover feature is on by default and is set to save AutoRecover information every 10 minutes.

Task Pane
When you start NoteMap 2, a list of recently used outlines now appear in a Task Pane at the right side of the application. The Task Pane also provides an option for creating new outlines based on an existing outline. This option allows you to easily employ outlines that serve as templates.

Icon Changes
In NoteMap 2, you’ll be able to change the icon that’s used as a drag handle from the “classic” green jewel. Your choice applies to all outlines.[/quote]

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Mark and gather tends to be a bellweather, imo. It was introduced in NoteMap 2, according to Casesoft, and it is implemented in a robust manner. I don’t know how long Inspiration has had this feature, but I think its implementation is inferior, although passable (piggybacking mark and gather on discontiguous selection).

I think what has NOT been implemented may be more telling than what has been. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the supportable inferences provide a reason for optimism on behalf of either application. Inspiration has been criticized for years for the absence of a fold command, and it is still absent. I think this fault may indeed be attributable to the presence of diagramming, because diagrams pretty much need short headings. (I suppose you _could_ have a feature in which heading in a diagram fold, but it isn’t as convenient as in a list.)

On the other hand, CaseSoft has long had the capability to implement columns. Why do I say this? Because their flagship product, CaseMap, is essentially an outliner with columns, or a hierarchical spread sheet as I think users prefer to call it. NoteMap sells for $150, and CaseSoft sometimes gives it away for much less, sometimes for free. CaseMap costs $500. It may be unlikely that Casesoft will risk cannibalizing its CaseMap market by providing columns in NoteMap. Still, it seems more likely than Inspiration; I’ve never heard of columns in a diagram (getting back to the point that started this discussion).

Stephen R. Diamond
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I haven’t noticed any NM enhancements since the last “major” upgrade, which was pretty spare for the price. Insp has had three upgrades since ver. 7 was introduced and they were free. - Steve Cohen

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