Hi, all.

I'm sure that those of you who care about this release already have the news, but just in case I thought I'd post it here.

To me the best new feature is the list of topics (articles or items) now can be viewed as a tree with hyperlinks providing the hierarchy. This means that any topic can be both a heading and a sub-heading of another topic... which provides what seems to me a unique view of your data structure. That is, it is a view of relationships the way mind maps show relationships, but in a more familiar "outline."

There have also been some nice graphical improvements.

www.connectedtext.com

Steve Z.

Hi Stephen

In my opinion what shines most in the new version is full text search improvements. The use of synonyms adds another dimension in searching. Also, using scripts I think I can automate many operations I do in my daily works. Really a great product (for those who like wiki systems).

Jimbo

May I add that there is a clipboard catcher in the new version 2.0.0.9 - finally a fast way to add new clips from the web...

Andreas

Steve -

What do you find that you are using ConnectedText for these days? I like the plain-text aspects of personal wikis, but I still can't find a job for them to do that my other programs don't seem to cover. Maybe that is lack of imagination...:-)

Derek

I tried to send the CT vendor the following, but gave up after 5 tries:

Consider this scenario:

I purchase Connected Text to run on my new Toshiba laptop.

Seven years later, I have hundreds of Connected Text files and want to put them on a new computer. However, your company has gone out of business.

What do I do? Export, one-by-one, each of the hundreds of files to another format? With your license policy, you should have a batch conversion program.

-c

Derek,

I have to confess that I don't use CT very much, though I admire it a great deal. It is one of those applications that you really have to dedicate yourself to using -- if I did, I believe I'd really find it very useful. But, without that dedication (to learning all its facilities and making it second-nature), it is easier to stick with the tried and true (for me, Zoot and MyInfo). CRIMP strikes again!

Steve

Derek Cornish wrote:

Steve -

What do you find that you are using ConnectedText for these days? I like the
plain-text aspects of personal wikis, but I still can't find a job for them to do that my
other programs don't seem to cover. Maybe that is lack of imagination...:-)

Derek

Steve -

It's like methods-driven research: "Great statistical technique... now what can I use it on?" Every time I look at personal wikis (I especially like their plain-text aspects) I rack my brains for a use to which I can put them. But Zoot plus GrandView currently seem to do most of what I need.

Derek

Well, one of the good things about a wiki (or wiki-like application) is that you do not have to create "hundreds" of files. Just three or four are enough, and you can interlink central concepts to whatever degree you want (or need).

I've been using it religiously almost since it first came out. My biggest file has 4754 entries (mostly fairly short, but some longer) and about 4800 revisions. It's 9.63 MB large. It's about as close to text as I want to get.

The application has never crashed. I would now find it very difficult to conduct my research without it. However, I am paranoid enough to worry about what would happen if it did.

Exporting the file to HTML is easy and fast. I do it regularly. So, I don't really see the problem.

The newest version adds a "clipboard catcher" with various options that is at least as good as Ecco's shooter or the Zooter. It even translates HTML into Wiki markup.

And no, I have no commercial interest in the program

A couple of days ago, I tried to send the CT developer the message below. I finally was able to send it to him. (My ISP is having problems.) I received a very prompt reply, which is worth posting here.

CT said, "We are working in a new licensing scheme. It will enable users to move CT to other computers easily. Note that today many users switch computer all the time and we provide new license. Regarding your concern, if we go out of business we guarantee a continuity path. As I said, one option for us is to remove the protection and make CT free.

Also, we are working in a USB version, that users can carry CT to everywhere.

Your message is important to us. Feedback is our main tool to drive our development."

===============
Cassius wrote:

I tried to send the CT vendor the following, but gave up after 5 tries:

Consider this scenario:

I purchase Connected Text to run on my new Toshiba laptop.

Seven years later, I have hundreds of Connected Text files and want to put them on a new computer.
However, your company has gone out of business.

What do I do? Export, one-by-one, each of the hundreds of files to another format? With your license policy, you should
have a batch conversion program.

-c

Manfred -

What I meant to say was that I think we are probably using CT and Zoot in rather similar ways so that, at this stage, there is probably little to be gained by either of us in changing horses in mid-stream :-)

Derek