Testing everything in search of the best all-around program choice(s) -- Ultra Recall so far...

Posted by TJohn
Sep 9, 2010 at 11:44 AM

I finally realized that I should file my data in some manner a bit more organized than simply placing it in folders. I tend to use Windows based programs although I use Linux as a secondary OS. My computing goes back all the way to Apple II and Steve Job’s proprietary greed bottlenecked Apple’s development just as VHS killed Sony BetaMax video back in the day. Mac never caught on with me and I’m sort of too lazy to get too far into Linux although I respect it. Mac to me is more of a “rich man’s” computer rather than a hack box so I put up with the combination of Win and Linux.

I am commenting after spending several days evaluating as many as 50 different programs and possibilities for data management. I didn’t bother with PIM type programs and info managers sooner because I got by with tools like Spartan Multi Clipboard—and I kind of like PhraseExpress although I have not used it much. Finding Data can be achieved with regular search or programs like Agent Ransack or DK Finder which is really simple, really fast and free. I would also tend to store tidbits in .mht files, or just .txt files and would use Notepad2 which is super fast. Nirsoft’s free SiteShoter archives complete webpages into .png files which is another little trick I have used for quite a while. Ultimately there are so many different forms of kung fu one can use when managing data. PicPick is free and a near perfect screencapture program that allows fast graphics editing so dumping tidbits into folders with keyword title names gets the job done for so many aspects of simplistic note taking. A windows program called DirectFolders offers a free personal license and allows for rapid bookmarking of directories - so you can jump from data location to location quickly if you’re not using a PIM of some kind. I’m just mentioning it because it’s so darn good. There is also a program called Linkman Pro that is really good for databasing browser bookmarks and it will work as a portable program.

Obviously I am new to outlining software use simply because I coped in other ways but since I went through a maelstrom of research this week I’ll just report what I’ve learned from my own perspective. If I have to choose a single data manager program, I think Ultra Recall looks like it’s the most versatile single choice. It has a ton of functions and it saves web pages and clippings quite well with a variety of ways of feeding the data into it.

MS OneNote appears to be a good choice for creative records and scrapbooking because it includes drawing and recording features. I kind of liked Treepad for a well rounded outliner, and Keypad seemed quite good considering it’s back under development and completely free to use. Treepad’s export to html is amazing if you need something to quickly build trees for the web. A program called Jreepad is a lite Java program that uses the Treepad format. Of all the programs, Treepad does have the some of the broadest options for importing/exporting data and it’s cross-platform. As most posters here note, it’s just a little bit behind and could include newer features.

I tend to think that mind mapping programs nearly take more effort to learn than they’re worth but I suppose I could be wrong. The FreePlane program looked great and is free to use. I still brainstorm with paper and pen or just with lists. I think someone with scientific, logistical or other needs might require mapping software. It really depends on what you’re doing.

So many of the programs are duplicates and have a variety of differing scheduling and contact management features. The program EfficientPIM seemed very well rounded and includes sticky notes and some good import/export functions. I don’t really like Microsoft and refuse to use Outlook. I discovered that Mozilla Thunderbird has the new Lightening plugin that allows for basic scheduling. This means that something like Ultra Recall allows for adequate data management without worrying about contact management so much. GemX DoOrganizer looked like quite a nifty integrated package out of the bunch. A salesman might like something like that one.

I don’t like the idea of storing personal notes online with something like EverNote. I’m not very mobile and if I was I think I’d try http://simplenoteapp.com/ before jailing my brain to EverNote. The login feature of EverNote and it’s fee-based structure was probably the single most annoying experience of this week’s marathon of testing. I try to keep things simple, inexpensive and practical if possible.

A program called Chandler is free and seems great if you want to schedule a lot of events and contacts in concert with other people but it’s not something I really need right now. There is a program called InfoLevin that seemed somewhat promising and well done if it gets off the ground. It was one of the more obscure titles so I’m mentioning it here. A program called PerfectNotes was unique because it appears to record audio lectures and allow notes to be added on a timeline. All things considered I thought there would be a lot more educational software by now but maybe pen and paper or laptop text notes are still popular in University.

All of these programs are really quite fascinating and there are too many to mention but the Ultra Recall does seem to be the most all-inclusive of the bunch. I think if I was stuck with one choice only it would adapt to most operations at least for data storage. It wouldn’t calculate like a spreadsheet or database but I was quite impressed. I really like OneNote, but I suspect I won’t end up using it simply because it’s kind of bloated. The “tree” method of data storage seems to be the most practical and all things considered that’s what I’ve always used via the OS file manager functions.

Ultra Recall had gone on sale a few months ago as reported on this forum at a site called bitsdujour.com. There are good programs like Surfulater, Webresearch, MyInfo and MyBase, WinPIM and such but out of all of this chaos I have a suspicion I might go with Ultra Recall and keep using Thunderbird/Lightening for email, contacts and schedules. The various freeware tools and utilities available help process data storage and I suspect I might steer clear of OneNote. It’s really advanced but I suspect in a practical sense it might not be rapid enough for daily use. As a mention, Corel Office suite has a very simple program called Wordperfect Lightning for notes that seemed practical but is probably way too bare bones for most people. CintaNotes or FlashNote might come in handy for some people although Ultra Recall covers the basic import clipping functions of those programs as well.

So I liked a lot of programs and didn’t like others. There certainly is a variety of functions and uses depending on what you’re doing. Once again, out of all the programs I think that EverNote is the biggest “death trap” for data. Sure, you can upload it and preserve it but who the heck is going to be raking through your entire life? We’re talking about notes, contacts and personal data. I don’t think I could ever trust that program or settle for it’s insistence that you set up an account in order to use it.

I thought that some of the software was priced a bit too high and someone offering better pricing might really attract a following - but that’s not my business. I’m not trying to be biased about Ultra Recall but it does appear to be the one program with the largest overall variety of features. There was a strange program called StudyBuddy for Windows that would display “cue cards” for students but it didn’t seem to qualify as a data manager. A program called ZuluPad has to be one of the more annoying of the trials as it’s free version wouldn’t even print unless you upgrade to the Pro version. A program called AllMyNotes was well laid out but had a very washed color scheme. Zoot had the most obnoxious color scheme I saw. I even tried XLNotes which is a free-form add-on for Microsoft Excel. That allows for the storage of any ‘junk’ you want to cram into an Excel spreadsheet.

I went through everything I had time for except some of the bizarro research software and ultimately I learned that it’s about databasing. It’s all just databasing with a different front-end and every computer user already does the basics with the OS file manager/finder of choice. There are just so many different options and I suspect that in a decade things will be a lot smoother and better integrated especially in regard to OLE object linking and embedding functions. It’s probably too early to fuss too much about mobile data storage and I certainly don’t need it yet. It’s not exactly a private world anymore but uploading ALL one’s data to online accounts seems to be pretty brainless if you ask me. Anyway, that’s my two cents.