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PIMs, PIMs everywhere...so where did I put that info?
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Posted by Cassius
May 5, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Have you ever put something in a place where you were sure you would remember where it was and then you couldn’t find it? I once did that with a gift for my wife (of 44+ yrs.) and it only took me four years to find it!
A problem I’ve encountered is: “Too Many PIMs.” From what I’ve read here, some of you have way more than I have.
I think it was Thoreau who said, “Simplify!”
There is some information that you want to keep long-term, or that you might need to refer to years later. Can you find it? Will the PIM containing it open in your current OS?
Over the years, I’ve discarded many PIMs, usually because they proved inadequate or updates used new file formats and it was a pain to convert to the new format. If the info in the old PIM wasn’t too voluminous, I exported/copied it to a current PIM. In some cases I kept the old PIM because of the volume of info in it.
However, I’ve decided that it is time for me to “bite the bullet” and dump some “no longer” or “hardly ever used” PIMs. Further, Ive decided to at least try to resist temptation That new PIM (or woman) might look VERY appealing, but do you really want to play around with the new “toy” and abandon the tried and trusted one you’ve had for (44+) years? Besides, you’ll save disk space and $$, Euros, etc.! And new toys can be expensive! (Think of the time it will take you to get to really know it.)
So far, I’ve uninstalled two PIMs, and hope to have the determination to get rid of more.
Posted by jellul
May 6, 2013 at 02:35 AM
PIM? What the hell is a PIM? Oh, venerable Cassius. Just because your toga has become dusty, moth-eaten, and out of fashion, it doesn’t mean you should throw it out. We oldsters are obliged to keep our ancient PIM-ware around and in a respectable state of repair, if only to show these youngsters today what can be achieved using only an 8086 processor, 256K of RAM, floppy disks, a 300 baud modem, and no hard drive!
And let us not forget the wisdom of one of our contemporaries who warned: “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.” You are quite right to “try to resist temptation” of the sirens who tempt to seduce us CRIMPers each and every day. I refer specifically to our younger outlining brethren who would have us entrust our most sacred data to the empty promises of “the cloud.” Perdition awaits, my friend. Take heed of the Oracle of Silicon Valley, Brother Steve Wozniak, who has warned of the perilousness of this undertaking. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/steve-wozniak-cloud_n_1748269.html)
Posted by MadaboutDana
May 6, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Yea, verily, thou speakest sooth! Which is why I’ve been experimenting with a really rather neat little outliner/notetaker that has been mentioned in these hallowed pages before, but has developed quite nicely since: knowsynotes
Not only does it support text files, it also does Markdown (and HTML) and, in a rather unusual turn, supports CSV files in a simple spreadsheet-like grid. Even neater, you can sort spreadsheet rows into collapsible groups (based on a given column): neato! Finally, a full-text search function has also been added (together with a neat, tag-like keyword search function).
For those Cloud-fearing Faithful who prefer to keep their data in the simplest possible form, it’s actually rather good - and compatible with droves of Android/iOS apps, too. With Knowsynotes and Dropbox (yeah, okay, bit of a Cloudalike compromise there), the world’s your crustacean of choice!
And finally, it’s currently on sale at USD 15, which is a bit of a bargain, I reckon…
Posted by MadaboutDana
May 6, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Another nice feature - again, recently incorporated - is the ability to link to notes in a wiki-like way (also from spreadsheets), plus support for images. Actually that’s two nice features.
Really a very nice little prog. Yes, I’ve just shelled out (mad? me? never!).
Posted by MadaboutDana
May 6, 2013 at 11:33 AM
And yes, I do regularly try to simplify, but you know what? I’m fascinated by the whole UX thing. So I collect PIMs, outliners and other data management apps just to admire (or not, of course) the way they handle user interactions, or things like search.
That’s why I’m currently using The Guide for drafting again. It’s just so… satisfying. And the search function(s) are so well-designed.
If only it had (a) wordcounts and (b) spellchecking. But hey.