Just a quick note.
Had a new project dumped on my lap today, first thing I did was open BrainStormSW to start outlining the scope of work.

It was fast and easy to identify the critical devices, add notes as to any items that could be an issue or current configuration note.
Linking to the respective webpage or software required for configuration changes.

So everything was at my fingertips.

Nothing earth shattering, yet peace of mind.

I guess I should give it another go. It's one of my CRIMP acquisitions (Ultra Recall is another) that I never ended up using for some reason -- possibly because WorkFlowy came along and displaced it for me.

But I'm not sure I ever fully understood how one is supposed to use it. I found the instant hoisting somehow confusing, when that seems to be its main feature...

Brainstorm SW is an excellent tool for gathering ideas then organizing them. It is highly keyboard-centric, so if you are not familiar with the shortcuts, it can feel a bit cumbersome. But when you ARE comfortable with the shortcuts it really makes short work of putting together plans, collating ideas, brainstorming. Sadly it was missing two key features which really limited its use. First is the lack of an editable hierarchical view. Second, it didn't provide any way to tag your notes, which would have added a whole new dimension of functionality.

I keep it on my PC just in case.

Steve Z.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

. Sadly it was missing two key features
which really limited its use. First is the lack of an editable
hierarchical view. Second, it didn't provide any way to tag your notes,
which would have added a whole new dimension of functionality.

Must agree with the first that is something that sorely missing. As to the second - tags - this is not something I use for writing / brainstorming. Find two pane outliners are OK for data gathering where tags do add a dimension.

When trying to organize ideas find the ability to type, move text from one section/subsection to another as needed is makes the program. Having to use the 'balloon view' is a bit of a pain. You can have two windows opened for the same file - one being balloon and the other being the text is a work around when using a larger monitor (hi-res).

Yet imho it is better than a two pane (ie: TreePad). Ecco is not bad to use, just not the best running on a thumbdrive.

Makes me wish for a Mac at the office...

I am also always looking and testing new tools, frequently installing and removing software from my computer; only Brainstorm SW and Mindmanager are never touched; I have even installed Brainstorm in my home Mac using Winebottler and it's runing fine. Unfortunatelly the current developer (Oliver) does put any focus on it.