Hierarchies or Networks?

Posted by Dr Andus
Jul 24, 2021 at 10:46 PM

Dellu wrote:
>it enrages me so much when these guys claim to emulate the brain when
>they design their applications:
>That is nonsense.
>First, we really know little on how the brain contains ideas. It is very
>complicated issue:

Thank you for pointing this out. It is also one of my bugbears and makes me groan every time I hear those claims (although it doesn’t deter me from using those applications).

As for the topic of this thread, I think hierarchies and networks as methods of organising information are both useful but for different purposes, and so they are not mutually exclusive, in fact it is very useful to have them both in the same app.

When I’m organising a small amount of information (such as a daily todo list or an outline for a relatively small piece of writing), then a hierarchical outline is more helpful.

When I need to navigate a large database, then a network (i.e. wiki links) is a more helpful way of doing it.

This is one reason I like RoamResearch (and previously ConnectedText): I can use outlines for managing daily todos and for writing smaller pieces, but then they are all interlinked to constitute a navigable and searchable network.