Mindsystems Amode on Bits

Posted by Fredy
Jul 19, 2009 at 06:18 PM

The Brain

I’d said it was crap. It currently is, but for other reasons than I thought. I had “tried out” ( for one hour, that’s not long, and without any help, but that’s a little bit their fault ) version 4.5, while version 5.0 is the current one. It was in English, one of the few good points. Now I discover their pdf help file ( it hasn’t got any real help function built into it, just 100 and now 103 “tips” ), and now I understand that it can do a lot more than I thought, but do not know if it is able to help with thinking since installation is not working, and hence I’m not willing at this time to work through the entire pdf file just in order to analyse virtually, for a program that is not even working ( XP 3 ).

I download, I install. Wheras 4.5 was in English, with 5.0 only the install process is in English, then the program forces a VERY BAD “German” version upon me, translated it seem by a native speaker, but ridden nethertheless with endless languague faults / type errors, everywhere. So, just like some “intelligent” web pages who detect the language of your MS Windows System, then force upon you “your” language, The Brain does the same ( guys, I buy my software in Great Britain and the U.S., in order to AVOID German or “German” software ! ), and in the Options menu, I do not find any language option. If they are not willing any more to give even Continental European customers their English version, but only pseudo-“German” crap, it’s not for me.

But I said, it doesn’t work, whilst I’m speaking of the menus ? No, I’m not a liar. I have access to the program in all its functions, except for the outline / chart itself, i.e. the main pane ! There, it’s “Loading” or “Loadin….” or “Loading” again, endlessly. I can even save my “outline” ( or whatever” ), and upon closing and re-opening, the saved file’s name is displayed on the opening page, and can be accessed, to the same result as before when it was brand-new : “Loading”...

I tried this with several files. Then I wanted to get rid of the program, so I opened “System” - “Software” ( or whatever, it’s my re-translation of the German MS Windows I must live with ). There, I wanted to de-install The Brain ( in order to re-install it, the pdf file together with your opinions here had me sufficiently hooked me ), but I was told, The Brain was running, and I should close it down beforehand, than a de-install would be possible. Well, it was not running ; I restarted my comp, when it auto-started. I closed it again, tried to de-install it again, and was again told to first close it down, and so on.

I finally re-established my computer installation ( thanks to Paragon Software ), and re-installed The Brain. It’s exactly the same, and thus replicable result : The Brain autostarts ( in their very special “German” ), doesn’t give me access to any “outline”, new or old, is just “Loading” them ( or perhaps not ), and in order to get rid of it, I’ll have to re-establish my former computer installation.

Well, that’s The Brain in its current state ; “that’s for the “a**”, as Germans say. ( And no, Herr G., this posting belongs here, not in The Brain’s forum : first, it couldn’t warn people against installing that software if it was there, whereas at this moment, every not-English-Windows user should be warned against it, not all people having the necessary Paragon Software, AND the nessary discipline in regularly doing images of their states of affairs in order to get rid of it, with that ; second, their forum, even for reading only, is highly secured : I didn’t bother to put my - or a false - date of birth and “dozens” of other “information” in their form just in order to get access to it, so I stay out, as most other would-be users probably will. And then, do we not forget that if the instruction, “all problems with specific outliners in those outliners’ forums only” were to be followed, this forum here would be left to very general discussions only, or to that and public relations communications : well, for the latter, just refer to the developers’ sites. )

The Brain developers should see about all those things, and then I would be delighted to give it a real try, as I have been before encountering those unnecessary probs.

I wrote this before seeing that “The Brain” - those “” are absolutely necessary - does not even allow me to put off the option “starts with MS Windows starting” since for this it wants my user name and a “valid” web mail address, and of course there isn’t anywhere any option to change back to English from their very special “German”. This reminds me of my saying that I had the impression they - the developers / marketers - tried to do a lot of decisions for me, in the program ( 4.5 ), now I see they do the same with the language, and they ain’t even able to do that language forcing upon their customers in a way that their crap works.

So let’s face it : a Windows program, and of such a price, that does not work in July 09 with XP 3 except perhaps for English XP 3, and does not allow to be de-installed,

is nothing more than a sort of a virus.

But then, I highly overestimated the intellectual level of some contributors here, not speaking of the general level.

Pearls before swine is always a good thing, but then good things must end. Thank you.