I might have to retract a recent posting about the best mind mapper value. MindMapper sells some of its earlier versions at lower prices.Even more so than Gael, the Bosley Group has shown unusual discipline in developing the product, first laying the foundation and only then adding superstructure.MindMapper Pro 3.5 lacks mainly version 5's printing and collaboration refinements, both irrelevant to me. It sells for about $120.00. I'd be interested in any comments on the relative virtues of MindMapper 3.5 and MindGenius 2.4 Home.

MindGenius Home MindMapper Professional 3.5 Visual-Mind Professional Visi-Map Professional MindManager
Hoist + + 0 0 1
Multiple selection + + + 0 1
Unlimited undo + + + 0 1
Word export 0 (1 for MindGenius Business) + 0 0 1
Change default font for notes + - (same for MM Pro 5) - + 1
Transparency of operation + + + + -
Modifiable hot keys - - - - -
4 3 1 1 3

My candidate programs are MindGenius Home and MindMapper Professional 3.5. I have been using Visual Mind Professional and Visi-Map Professional. I scored each program one point (+) for having a feature that is for me critical (the features listed above); minus a point for absence (-); and no score for partial implementation of the feature. MindGenius Home was highest among the programs considered, although Mind Genius Pro would have score 5. But $200 more seems excessive for full export to Word. This, anyway, is a convenience feature rather than a "thinking" feature.

The value I place on the ability to change the default notes font is idiosyncratic. The "transparency of operation" factor is highly subjective.

Here's an expanded version with the notational inconsistencies eliminated:

MindGenius Bus. 2 MindGenius Home 2 MindMapper Professional 5.0 MindMapper Professional 3.5 Inspiration MindMap Module Visual-Mind Professional Visi-Map Professional MindManager FreeMind
Hoist + + + + - 0 0 + -
Multiple selection + + + + + + 0 + +
Unlimited undo + + + + + + 0 + +
Word export + 0 + + + 0 0 + -
Change default font for notes + + _ - + - + + +
Transparency of operation + + + + 0 + + - 0
Modifiable hot keys - - - - - - - - -
5 4 3 3 2 1 1 3 0

Although I lean toward MindGenius Home, the winner when price is given any substantial weight, MindMapper 3.5 comes close enough to warrant further consideration, since the difference depends on a single feature-value comparison. The question is, what is more important, export to Word or changing the default Notes font? Wouldn't anyone whose main purpose is to prepare documents in Word think it more important to be able to export to Word without substantial additional formatting? Who cares about the font Notes are written in?

In fact, I would say that this preference is so subjective, that for most users intent on using a mind mapper as a writing tool, my matrix reveals that MindMapper 3.5 could be the preferred choice.

Applying styles within Word after MindGenius Home exports to rtf is easy; that's what Word was designed to do. Still, it can take as long as a half hour for a long and complex document. This remains a convenience, however, whereas I find (or imagine) that the character of the font may affect the thought process itself.

Finally another word on price. If I were reading these posts, I would think, "What the heck. Why doesn't he just spring for the best? Isn't it important enough?" I think that if any program received a maximum score in my matrix, I would buy it, even if the next best were but a point behind. But I am unwilling, I find, to spend almost $300 on a duplicative program lacking any feature I think critically important. MindGenius Business comes close, lacking only customizable hotkeys. As long as a program falls short of "perfection," one must assume one will continue to buy programs, which places practical limits on how much one should spend on any program along the way.

Do you know what MindGenius Education consists of? MindGenius Business, sold at academic prices. Although I have repeatedly seen advisories that MindGenius Education requires proof of academic affiliation, I was able to buy a license at straight from the MindGenius site, no questions asked, no claims required. The price was $107, compared to $269 for the equal MindGenius Business (and $57 for the streamlined MindGenius Home).

CRIMP crisis resolved.

I would expect the Education license to be different, i.e. excluding any kind of commercial use but, as I understand, you use mind maps for your own internal creative work rather than for presentations to others (as I do).

alx

That is what I tacitly assumed, until you explicitly brought it up. But on checking, I cannot find any MindGenius EULA on any menu or online (including by google search). Gael monitors its licenses by a Microsoft-style activation process. This would serve to limit use of the program to N computers. But then, what does N =?


Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I would expect the Education license to be different, i.e. excluding any kind of
commercial use but, as I understand, you use mind maps for your own internal creative
work rather than for presentations to others (as I do).

alx

Stephen R. Diamond wrote:

But then, what does N =?

N is officially 1. In the past (I haven't registered MindGenius since v1.5) MindGenius Business provided an 'additional free license', i.e. a second activation key, so one could install the program at their office and home. I have no idea whether this additional key is provided for educational licenses. If yes, then N=2 for all practical purposes.

Once you have exhausted the licenses things get rather tricky. In Microsoft style, upgrading your Operating System and PC hardware will change the activation code and you won't be able to re-activate your copy without Gael's intervention. As far as I remember they were quite helpful, i.e. sending me additional code after I sent them an e-mail explaining the situation. Nevertheless, I wouldn't say it's the most convenient approach from the customer's point of view.

alx

P.S. I should perhaps add, as a comment to an earier post of yours, that as getting one's cocaine 'shot' for less than the regular street price is not really a cure for their addiction, so buying software at reduced price is no cure for CRIMP :-)

For the record, I decided to buy an academic license for Mindgenius after reading this interesting post, among others:
http://mindmapping.typepad.com/the_mind_mapping_software/2006/12/funnel_timeline.html
(From my experience, MindGenius is the most versatile program in manipulating mind maps in this and other ways)

Having used MindGenius Business (v1) in the past, I found that the academic v2 has a less 'professional' appearance, including its default maps having a variety of rather kitsch colours. It seems that the differences among the two 'uncrippled' versions has less to do with features than with design, i.e. the templates included with the program etc.

Other than that, I'm quite happy with the purchase, though I think the value for money offered by the product has seriously decreased. In the past, a Business license would entitle one to two installations, but I found no mention of this now.

Alexander

Stephen R. Diamond wrote:

Do you know what MindGenius Education consists of? MindGenius Business, sold at
academic prices. Although I have repeatedly seen advisories that MindGenius
Education requires proof of academic affiliation, I was able to buy a license at
straight from the MindGenius site, no questions asked, no claims required. The price
was $107, compared to $269 for the equal MindGenius Business (and $57 for the
streamlined MindGenius Home).

CRIMP crisis resolved.