What's the state of the art?

Posted by Dr Andus
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:31 PM

I think we shouldn’t limit this question to individual software or platform only. I’d be more interested in constellations or assemblages of software and hardware across platform (including online) that serves the task of writing the best. So I’d be more interested in the state of the art workflow of information collection, analysis, organisation, outlining, and writing and the associated tools.

I’d suspect that the state of the art would involve the ability to capture information across platforms but especially using mobile devices that communicate with each other via the cloud. There would also be an online solution to manipulate the information in the cloud, which then could be downloaded and imported into further information processing and outlining software on a desktop computer. But it wouldn’t have to be this linear. I could imagine doing most of this on a tablet or moving pieces of writing back and forth.

I’m experimenting with assembling something like the above by using Notebooks for iPad and iPhone, CarbonFin Outliner and iA Writer, using Dropbox for syncing. CarbonFin has an online outliner as well, from which I can export OPML and import into Natara Bonsai for outlining. I also use Whizfolders for capturing and organising info into outlines and Surfulater for webpages, SmartDraw for charting ideas, CMap tools for quick brainstorming and MS Word for writing. Am I happy about this arrangement? Not really.