The place of Inspiration in the scheme of things
Posted by srdiamond15
on 2/8/2006
srdiamond15
2/8/2006 2:23 am
I got Inspiration 8 trial installed with the help of Inspiration Software's excellent technical support. As a software company, Inspiration seems to me among the best.
(Regarding the "business version" of Inspiration--educational users get a better price on a lot of software. I wouldn't begrudge Inspiration the right to fleece its corporate customers, merely because the bulk of Inspiration Software's business is non-corporate. . .)
I would switch to Inspiration as my main outliner and graphical outliner, were it not from one limitation. For me, the inability in the graphical outliner to restructure linkages by simply by restructuring the relationship between objects--the need in Inspiration to actually operate on the linking relations rather than by actually relating objects--adds an unnecessary layer of opacity and is fatal to the purpose of the tool.
I made a suggestion to Inspiration to augment its ways of creating links to include dragging a symbol to another symbol. Since they have added various means to create links, it seems a small matter to create one more. Not on account of my suggestion, but I expect they will do this, at least by version 9. (I'm unrealistically hoping for 8.5.) It goes with the idea that a mature product that has withstood severe economic tests will end up doing exactly what it should.
Stephen R. Diamond
(Regarding the "business version" of Inspiration--educational users get a better price on a lot of software. I wouldn't begrudge Inspiration the right to fleece its corporate customers, merely because the bulk of Inspiration Software's business is non-corporate. . .)
I would switch to Inspiration as my main outliner and graphical outliner, were it not from one limitation. For me, the inability in the graphical outliner to restructure linkages by simply by restructuring the relationship between objects--the need in Inspiration to actually operate on the linking relations rather than by actually relating objects--adds an unnecessary layer of opacity and is fatal to the purpose of the tool.
I made a suggestion to Inspiration to augment its ways of creating links to include dragging a symbol to another symbol. Since they have added various means to create links, it seems a small matter to create one more. Not on account of my suggestion, but I expect they will do this, at least by version 9. (I'm unrealistically hoping for 8.5.) It goes with the idea that a mature product that has withstood severe economic tests will end up doing exactly what it should.
Stephen R. Diamond
jackcrawford
2/8/2006 4:12 am
SD: "I got Inspiration 8 trial installed with the help of Inspiration Software's excellent technical support. As a software company, Inspiration seems to me among the best".
For non-USA customers, it certainly isn't. It hands people over to small local companies who are versions behind and are really interested in something else (i.e. their own software or business consulting). Isn't this exactly what they are doing with their "business" version.
SD: "For me, the inability in the graphical outliner to restructure linkages by simply by restructuring the relationship between objects--the need in Inspiration to actually operate on the linking relations rather than by actually relating objects--adds an unnecessary layer of opacity and is fatal to the purpose of the tool."
Stephen, could you run that by me again? We are a bit slow down under. :-) Are you saying that Inspiration focuses too much on the means of linking, rather than the links/objects themselves?
I love the ability to be able to toggle on the fly between graphic and outlining mode. The Inspiration model holds so much potential, but I'm pessimistic that it will ever be realised as the company seems to have such a narrow (in marketing, they would say targeted) focus and, hence, ambitions.
When was the last time the home web page was redesigned?
Jack
For non-USA customers, it certainly isn't. It hands people over to small local companies who are versions behind and are really interested in something else (i.e. their own software or business consulting). Isn't this exactly what they are doing with their "business" version.
SD: "For me, the inability in the graphical outliner to restructure linkages by simply by restructuring the relationship between objects--the need in Inspiration to actually operate on the linking relations rather than by actually relating objects--adds an unnecessary layer of opacity and is fatal to the purpose of the tool."
Stephen, could you run that by me again? We are a bit slow down under. :-) Are you saying that Inspiration focuses too much on the means of linking, rather than the links/objects themselves?
I love the ability to be able to toggle on the fly between graphic and outlining mode. The Inspiration model holds so much potential, but I'm pessimistic that it will ever be realised as the company seems to have such a narrow (in marketing, they would say targeted) focus and, hence, ambitions.
When was the last time the home web page was redesigned?
Jack