Idea Cruncher's Essential Ideas

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

Outliners.com Message ID: 4917

Posted by srdiamond15
2006-01-05 23:40:47

While the outlining functions available in Idea Cruncher turned out to be as primitive as I expected, I think there are a couple of potentially good ideas contained in it. (For good or ill, of course you cannot copyright a software idea.)

One idea concerns the method of text entry: Idea Cruncher has applied the entry method favored by graphical outlining/mind mapping programs. (I don’t know the name for this kind of device, a box wherein you insert text. A “text box” refers to something else.)

Although this method doesn’t save any keystrokes over the standard in-line approach, it feels faster. I wonder why? I’m thinking it might have to do with computer functioning more than human functioning—that is the routines involved run faster, because of less redraw. While I’m not aware of the difference as such, perhaps they register subliminally as “feeling faster.”

Secondly, I like 3-panel interface, although I would populate it differently. I think of a writing application containing 1) a Brainstorm functionality in one pane; b) a powerful conventional outliner synced to Brainstorm in the other;and 3) an rft editor in the third (the third being the only one that is identical to what is found in Idea Cruncher. While I wouldn’t sacrifice a lot of outlining power for the sake of the third pane, I do think it would be a real convenience to have. The small greater ease of not using multiple applications adds up.

Stephen R. Diamond

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