Mac Software

Posted by Hugh
Apr 17, 2008 at 06:33 PM

Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>I appreciate the input from all. Here’s what I’m leaning toward now:
> >- for
>composition: Scrivener
>- for general all-purpose note taker: Circus Ponies
>Notebook (because I like OneNote in the PC world)
>- for information collection and
>management: still thinking about this but top contender would be DevonThink
>

>I also
>think I won’t be able to resist OmniOutliner and Opal.
> >But keep the suggestions
>flowing. It is always fun to be starting from scratch!
> >The MacBook I’m getting was
>the top model from 2007—black, thank goodness.
> >Thanks!
> >Steve Z.

A couple of points:

- you may not be aware that a few of the best new Mac apps (e.g. Together) only work on Leopard - and obviously not all 2007 MacBooks come pre-loaded with it

- OmniOutliner basic flavour comes with the OS (as distinct from the Pro flavour, which is the one I referrred to above)

- before settling on a data collector and manager it’s worth reading Ted Goranson’s columns about outliners and datastores in About This Particular Macintosh, since say 2005, and Melodie Neal’s six parter on “litter collectors” in her Deep Litter blog starting 5th March 2007 (http://melodien.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B11%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B11%3A00&max-results=29) - both aged sets of reviews, but many of the points they both make about individual apps are not out-of-date

- DevonThink is now regarded as long in the tooth and somewhat clunky, as we await Version 2.0; but some of us keep the faith because we think that the development team who came up with the then-innovatory Version 1 can’t fail to turn up something good and clever for 2.0 (a bit like Zoot’s development, I suppose). BTW, I think for serious use DT Pro is the minimum version to get.