Other Programs Technology Passed By

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Posted by Daly de Gagne
Dec 15, 2006 at 12:52 AM

Jot Note and Maple would seem to be two more programs technology passed by, in addition to My Notes Centre. I think the Gemx’s note program and Treepad’s offerings are trying to resist the same fate.

Daly

Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Dec 15, 2006 at 03:57 PM

Daly,

I’m not disputing your statement, but I’m curious as to what criteria you use to make it. Are you refering to generally slow development, or to some key features these programs lack?

In an earlier thread, some of us were extolling the virtues of plain text—retro indeed. For instance, I find the free version of Treepad to be a great little program, much handier than the pro version. The editor is more nimble, and it comes in a self-contained exe file that you can carry easily on a USB drive. Sometimes less is more, as they say.

Steve Z.

Posted by Daly de Gagne
Dec 15, 2006 at 04:18 PM

Steve, honestly, I do not know enough about the plain text issue to take a position, although some of the points make sense.

I am referring to lack of features—in essence, what I see in some of the programs named are the same features, perhaps with a few minor enhancements, that were there when I first looked at them some years ago.

Whether it is slow development, or simply an unwillingness or inability to move into a world of cloning (as generally understood by end users and not by programmers, who, I am told, have a different definition for it), full use of links (even UltraRecall, ahead of the pack in many ways, has failed to embrace this basic technology), metadata, etc.

In other words, the products I mentioned are essentially the same two-pane outliners they were a few years ago.

Meanwhile, products such as MyInfo have moved ahead.

And new products such as UltraRecall have made a big impact in the info market. Others such as Knowledge Workshop, which was forced to drop is initial prices significantly seem to be less successful, but nonetheless reflected a new approach to info managmenet.

Zoot and MDE InfoHandler always were way ahead of the field; ADM struggles to come out with its version 4 which, one hopes, will be state of the art; Surfulater offers interesting possibilities as both a two-pane type outliner PLUS web capture tool, etc. Ariadne, if Mike can continue developing it, has promise as a very straight-forward, easy to use alternative that in many ways seems to have squared off against the T-rex of info programs, InfoSelect, which has yet to learn the wisdom of not promising more than it can deliver.

Zoot 32 is, of course, being eagerly anticipated.

On this list, a different kind of program that combines various aspects of some existing programs is being impatiently waited for—IdeaMason 3! Is it going to be the holy grail for academic and other serious writers?

I guess what I am observing is that the development of new design concepts and technology is seperating the leaders from the pack. When I got into PC a few years ago, it seems there was much greater similarity among the two-pane outliners. Since then we have seen some interesting differentiation in product types.

Daly

Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>Daly,
> >I’m not disputing your statement, but I’m curious as to what criteria you use
>to make it. Are you refering to generally slow development, or to some key features
>these programs lack?
> >In an earlier thread, some of us were extolling the virtues of
>plain text—retro indeed. For instance, I find the free version of Treepad to be a
>great little program, much handier than the pro version. The editor is more nimble,
>and it comes in a self-contained exe file that you can carry easily on a USB drive.
>Sometimes less is more, as they say.
> >Steve Z.
> >Daly de Gagne wrote:
>>Jot Note and
>Maple would seem to be two more programs technology passed by, in addition
>>to My
>Notes Centre. I think the Gemx’s note program and Treepad’s offerings are trying
>>to
>resist the same fate.
>>
>>Daly

Posted by Cassius
Dec 16, 2006 at 06:15 AM

Daly de Gagne wrote:
>Jot Note and Maple would seem to be two more programs technology passed by, in addition
>to My Notes Centre. I think the Gemx’s note program and Treepad’s offerings are trying
>to resist the same fate.
> >Daly
========
1. JotNotes+: I agree. I wrote the author, telling him that I thought that the changes from ver 3.2 to 3.3 were minor. He disagreed.

2. Maple: I recommended this Russian PIM at one time, but posted a retraction some time ago. I did this after two successive updates included changes to its file formats which required one to “jump through hoops,” that is, spend an inordinate amount of time to get an older file to open properly in the newer versions. [Note: Maple is also the name of a mathematical software package.]

-c

Posted by Daly de Gagne
Dec 16, 2006 at 01:37 PM

I think what happened is that once upon a time some of these programs were ok, but that other developers’ technology and imaginations passed them by.

My favourite love to hate program, simply because of its arrogance and inability to be completely honest in its advertising, is InfoSelect and it falls into this category.

At one point it was very good, if you don’t include its mail option, and its never perfected ability to consistently make web clippings.

Nowadays it seems to define goodness by adding features, and advertising the world.

But the implementation of those features, the glorious advertising notwithstanding, often falls short of what is promised.

The underlying question, with all these programs, is whether the developers have fallen behind conceptual and technological curve.

It has to be a tremendous pressure for developers in today’s environment to stay ahead of that curve, or at least to ride it. For example, a program such as Biblioscape, that has been trying for some long to come out with its latest version—what does it do in the face of a program such as newcomer IdeaMason? Unless IdeaMason 3 falls flat on its face, programs such as Biblioscape may face big problems in the marketplace.

Daly

Cassius wrote:
> >
>Daly de Gagne wrote:
>>Jot Note and Maple would seem to be two more programs
>technology passed by, in addition
>>to My Notes Centre. I think the Gemx’s note
>program and Treepad’s offerings are trying
>>to resist the same fate.
>>
>>Daly
> >========
>1. JotNotes+: I agree. I wrote the author, telling him that I thought that
>the changes from ver 3.2 to 3.3 were minor. He disagreed.
> >2. Maple: I recommended
>this Russian PIM at one time, but posted a retraction some time ago. I did this after two
>successive updates included changes to its file formats which required one to “jump
>through hoops,” that is, spend an inordinate amount of time to get an older file to open
>properly in the newer versions. [Note: Maple is also the name of a mathematical
>software package.]
> >-c
> >-c

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