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Collectors/floating windows/icons
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Posted by Graham Rhind
Apr 20, 2007 at 03:47 PM
In testing ITSD Organizer I am finding the semi-opaque floating collector window (which remains on the desktop even when the program is minimised and to where text and files can be dragged to to be added automatically to the task list) a really useful feature, and, if my memory serves me correctly (it’s been a while) ADM has/had one of these too.
Would the members kindly refresh my memory about whether there are other packages which have this feature that they know of?
Thanks in advance.
Graham
Posted by Jan Rifkinson
Apr 20, 2007 at 04:35 PM
Graham Rhind wrote:
>In testing ITSD Organizer I am finding the semi-opaque floating collector window [snip]
>Would the members kindly refresh my memory about whether there are other
>packages which have this feature that they know of?
ADM & Zoot. Also Ariadne has a variation of the theme, i.e. you can drag to systray w useful options. Ariadne is outline, calendar, reminders, small footprint, etc. However, I don’t believe it is in active development altho it has not been abandoned either.
—
Jan Rifkinson
Ridgefield, CT USA
Posted by Jan Rifkinson
Apr 20, 2007 at 04:39 PM
Sorry forgot to say Kinook told me they were going to add something along those lines as well. Didn’t forcast date, tho. -jr
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Apr 20, 2007 at 05:50 PM
I believe the first PIM program to offer this kind of functionality was ECCO Pro, with its Shooter. The Shooter is very similar to the Zooter in Zoot—clearly, the Tom Davis liked the idea. Both of these are small icons that float at the top of the active window and pop up a very handy menu of tools for collecting data from the screen.
Black Hole Organizer then introduced the icon that is similar to the ADM folder icon, and (I guess from your comments) the ITSD folder. BHO is still available, but does not seem to have developed much in recent years.
Another program with a similar approach is My Notes Center (http://www.mynotescenter.com), which has something called the Text Collector, which floats about on the screen waiting for you to drag and drop info into it.
BTW, ECCO Pro is a pretty good task management tool, even today, despite the fact that it’s been 10 years since development stopped. It may be worth a look… the only thing it lacks from you list of requirements is Outlook sync, and actually, it may have that but I’m not sure.
Steve Z.
Posted by Hugh Pile
Apr 20, 2007 at 06:52 PM
Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>I believe the first PIM program to offer this kind of functionality was ECCO Pro, with
>its Shooter. The Shooter is very similar to the Zooter in Zoot—clearly, the Tom Davis
>liked the idea. Both of these are small icons that float at the top of the active window
>and pop up a very handy menu of tools for collecting data from the screen.
>
>Black Hole
>Organizer then introduced the icon that is similar to the ADM folder icon, and (I guess
>from your comments) the ITSD folder. BHO is still available, but does not seem to have
>developed much in recent years.
>
>Another program with a similar approach is My Notes
>Center (http://www.mynotescenter.com), which has something called the Text Collector,
>which floats about on the screen waiting for you to drag and drop info into it.
>
>BTW,
>ECCO Pro is a pretty good task management tool, even today, despite the fact that it’s
>been 10 years since development stopped. It may be worth a look… the only thing it
>lacks from you list of requirements is Outlook sync, and actually, it may have that but
>I’m not sure.
>
>Steve Z.
I thought of Ecco Pro too, but I don’t think it will sync with Outlook (before Outlook’s time) but it will sync with a Palm.
Scrivener, whose praises I’m always ready to sing, has a floating scratchpad for rapid thought-recording (as have several Mac note/databank programmes, such as DevonThink).
It’s a desirable for any self-respecting writing or information management tool.