[Rescuing MaxThink for the other thread because it deserves a thread of its own.]

MaxThink is an interesting case study. It's an application with a definite philosophy behind its creation. When you get a copy, it comes with a help file that is chalk full of information not just on how to use the application, but also about best practices in outlining. I very much admire the intention and the vision of MaxThink, but sadly, the implementation is not very workable. In an earlier version, it had incorporated in-line editing of topics, but then Neil decided it would be better to provide a separate edit window for composing topics. This makes MT look like a standard two-pane outliner, when it is nothing of the kind. But this causes all kinds of mental fits for those of us used to two-pane outliners. Beyond this, the user interface is difficult to grasp. An application like this needs to fade into the background when you use it, not continually require the user to recall key strokes, etc.

It's really too bad, because a solid, user-friendly version of MaxThink would be the ultimate outlining tool.

Steve Z.

I'd love to hear comments from people who are using MT effectively!

SZ

Stephen, do you know when MaxThink was invented? I can't find the date. I'm trying to figure out who invented the mark sort technology for outliners.

I was using MaxThink in 1986, as best I can reconstruct my memory. I did my work in MaxThink and TornadoNotes.

What am I showing -- age or experience?

brainstormWFO was developed in '81 and released in '83... so they're close to each other, just not sure which came first

cain and abel

MsJulie wrote:

What am I showing -- age or experience?

Experience I'd say. I started with Sidekick and TornadoNotes in 1988, and still have Infoselect on my main computer.

Franz

I was a Sidekick user myself. The application I had in which you could clip text in one application and paste it into another. That seemed like the ultimate in convenience. I also used MemoryMate and a great little PIM called InstantRecall, before I found GrandView.

Steve Z.

That should say, "The FIRST application I had..."

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I was a Sidekick user myself. The application I had in which you could clip text in one
application and paste it into another. That seemed like the ultimate in convenience.
I also used MemoryMate and a great little PIM called InstantRecall, before I found
GrandView.

Steve Z.

Franz!

I have InfoSelect on my computer, too, though I use it mainly to get at the megabytes of old files I have in it. Ideas really do have a half-life!

Cheers, Julie

I've been a MaxThink user since 85/86 and it was a mature program at that point - I'm thinking version 2 or 3. Brainstorm did not come close to Maxthink in usefulness at the time. MaxThink was not just software - it was a philosophy - the book (not manual) that came with the program was essential reading to get the most out of the software. I loved Houdini as well (though it was hard to actually use to produce anything, the concept was cool) and Transtext was one of my all time most useful programs. Neil was ahead of his time and was trying to build on Ted Nelson's vision of Xanadu in early hypertext days. Agenda came out and then GrandView, but MaxThink was more of a pure idea processor. I would put the DOS version on my computer now if I had a floppy drive available - I'm not a fan of the windows version. Ecco Pro was the program than finally pulled me away from MaxThink.

As far as the other stuff around back then - Sidekick was essential, then Desqview came out and Infoselect. Unfortunately, software Crimping was a more expensive habit back then - though shareware did feed the beast with stuff like Black Magic, etc - as long as you were willing to write short software reviews.

All that being said - today's software is much more useful and I don't waste hours and days configuring and troubleshooting the system all the time (unless I get linux fever - happens less and less).

Zman,

I can best you! I purchased KAMAS to run on my Kaypro CP/M machine. I believe it is the fist outliner for a personal computer.

Daly de Gagne wrote (here http://www.outlinersoftware.com/messages/viewm/9945 ):

I tried to install Maxthink but always ended up with MemoMaster trying to install
itself. I got rid of MemoMaster and still ended up with it trying to install itself.

Check in your download directory for a file called setup.lst and delete it. It is probably a leftover from MemoMaster's install utility.

I respond here, to maintain the topic in context.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I'd love to hear comments from people who are using MT effectively!

I believe these older threads hold some gems of information, in particular Guido's and Stephen R. Diamond's testimonies:

- Maxthink http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/562/
- defence of Maxthink http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/566