I would like to start a poll with this question:
You can install *one* software on your new and empty computer.
This is the basic system you find on the computer:
- Operating system
- Browser
- Internet connection
- E-Mail program

So, what software/tool/pim/etc. do you choose?
Or, in other words: If you had to decide to use just one software in the future which tool would you choose?
Think of a greatest common divisor.

My vote:
Ultra Recall Professional v3

This poll can perhaps help me to cure myself from CRIMP.

Dominik

PS:
I will start a second poll later. There I will ask for the *additional* tools. Stay tuned!

Dominik Holenstein wrote:

I would like to start a poll with this question:
You can install *one* software on
your new and empty computer.
This is the basic system you find on the computer:
-
Operating system
- Browser
- Internet connection
- E-Mail program

So, what
software/tool/pim/etc. do you choose?

My first comment would be that it depends upon the Operating System, Browser, Internet Connection and E-mail program. :)

But I'll bite anyway. I'm going to go with Microsoft Access (or your database of choice). Chances are that, while it would be a great deal of trouble, designing and keeping my own database would be the only way I'd get the kind of flexibility that I like while working with virtually any kind of the above four things that you could throw at me. Its the one program type that I know I could use and adapt to any situation. Well, most situations.

Tom S.

I can't work without Visual Foxpro, so it would have to be that, but in the Pim stakes: Whizfolders.

Graham

do-Organizer
the outliner/notetaking part module is only basic, but it's all-in-one and it has a spreadsheet module that I use. (Moreover I just don't like keeping todo's, appointments and contacts in outliners like UR.)

Interesting question. I'd have to select OneNote. It can capture information from almost anywhere, has a relatively decent set of word processing functions, including spell check, provides task management features.

The other possibility -- assuming you really can only have one piece of software -- would be InfoSelect. Not because I think it is a great program, but because it does provide great versatility. You can build rudimentary, but effective, database management and spread sheets within it, as well as all the other PIM features.

Steve Z.

My vote would be UltraRecall v3.

For the past month or so, it has become indispensable in my life.

I would have to agree with Tom S., except my choice would be Alpha5 (http://www.alphasoftware.com Although many of the needs that would be satisfied by a database program can be obtained in many of these programs, when push comes to shove there's nothing like a good Relational Database.

Ken,

If I had to decide between Access and Alpha 5 I would choose Alpha 5 as well!
It is much easier to use.

Dominik

ECCO. I would lose the ability to do some of the things I LIKE to do, but I could still do everything I NEED to do.

My vote goes for UltraRecall as well. I would keep all my indispensable information in there (as I do already).

As for the rest of the tools I use for brainstorming and text editing, I could probably replace them with pen and paper. I'd miss them though.

alx

P.S. I hesitated for a while considering the option of using a relational database; but then I'd spend most of my time programming rather than working. With UltraRecall and similar software I feel that somebody else has done the programming for me beforehand; it may not be perfect, but it's much better than what I would have probably ended up with, left to my own devices!

OneNote 2007 for

OneNote 2007 for

- taking notes/word processing
- web capture
- task management

It is a decent general purpose application.

A toss-up between OneNote 2007 and Ecco. Probably Ecco.

Dominik,

Interesting question. Before I read all the responses, my answer was going to be UltraRecall, as it's got such a powerful mix of functionality.

As I read the responses to this point, the database responses took me by surprise a bit. So I thought, "What app do I use to build databases?" I'm not a programmer or a DBA, but I do use MySQL to analyze medium to large data sets.

For smaller data sets, I use MDE InfoHandler. InfoHandler can do much of what UR can, but in a very different way. I think its incredibly flexible tagging system makes analysis of certain data sets easier.

In the end, I'd choose UR. Its fit and finish are much better that IH, so it's much easier for me to use. But I think IH is a strong contender.

As a sidenote: what one app would I miss the most? Adobe Lightroom. Managing pictures without it would be dreadful.

- Wes

It would have to be ADM for me.

I noticed that you didn't give us a word processor, so I almost chose Word. But then I remembered I can get pretty good word processing with Google Apps, and I can also get basic RTF word processing with ADM.

All my info is in ADM and until I find a replacement, I'm lost without it.

Another vote here for OneNote 2007. It's remarkably flexible and "ergonomic." I keep it open all day. It's a gigantic program, but its resource usage does not seem worse than other "PIM" programs. It works well with other programs. A year ago, if I could pick only one program, I probably would have said a top-of-the-line text editor. But for me, now, it's OneNote, and I don't even use its Tablet PC functions. I might also add that I now have tons of information in OneNote and it's not (yet) choking on it.

OneNote 2007 by a considerable margin. For connectivity and functionality. They've now got tables as well which is something that I don't think was mentioned previously.

As I've commented before, you can just start using it without much of a learning curve, although there is extra power there if you need it.

Jack

Only one?! Then I vote for Omea Pro. It has a bit of everything I need.
W.

Only one software program? That's easy: give me a compiler, and I can use it to make any other tools I need. ;-)

You probably intended to ask a narrower question, but I think it's worth noting that tool-building tools are the best of all.

Thank you all for your interesting and clever answers!


Here is the current status of the poll:
(The number of votes is written within the brackets)
Ultra Recall (4)
One Note 2007 (3)
ECCO (2)
do-organizer (1)
ADM (1)
InfoSelect (1)
Visual Foxpro (database system) (1)
Alpha Five (database system) (1)
Access (database system) (1)
Compiler (1)
Omea Pro (1)

I don't see the number of votes as an indication for quality or so.
I think this poll just reflects how diverse the working and thinking behaviors are.

Dominik

Isn't OneNote 4 votes as well as UR?

Jack

Jack,

I will check again.

Dominik

So, here the re-cacalculation of the votes:
I have counted the clear votes only in the first list.
When I am not so rigorous I get four votes for ON 2007.
Again, the number of votes should not be taken as a quality indication of a software.

Dominik