Should Brainstorm be part of a multi-faceted outliner

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

Outliners.com Message ID: 4393

Posted by srdiamond15
2005-10-25 03:02:51

As many in this forum know, Brainstorm creates outlines in a somewhat unusual way, by restricting the topics presented in any given window to a topic and its immediate subordinates. Many who have tried this approach, including me, have found it promotes focus and rigor as well as creativity. The question I want to raise is, speaking ideally,would it be better for an application devoted to creating hierarchical lists to incorporate Brainstorm’s manner of functioning as an alternative mode rather than the exclusive means for functioning. Proposals for an enhanced “aerial view” in Brainstorm go part of the way toward this idea, without entirely embracing it.

In fact there are two Windows applications that incorporate this “ultra-hierarchical” technique in a multi-faceted approach to outlining. One is MaxThink, which allows operations on the complete outline but uses a default view like BrainStorm’s; the other is ADM, which incorporates a focused view like Brainstorm’s as on of various options. I don’t think either has the convenience of Brainstorm, although I have not looked at MaxThink closely, being put off by the absence of a manual of any kind (unless you count a list of hotkeys a manual). But I am not now speaking to implementation, but rather I’m asking an “in principle” question.

Stephen R. Diamond

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