Hi All,

This is a real long shot, but recently I've resurrected a Psion 5mx as a portable, keyboard-based instant-on writing device.

At one stage, I bought a piece of software called Mind Tools by Widget Software, both of whom have long disappeared. It came on a floppy disk, with a box, and a manual.

What was reasonably unique about this software, and which I really miss, is that the outliner and mindmap were interlinked, so changing one changed the other - they were both manifestations of the same thing. The only other software I've seen behave this way has been Storyspace/Tinderbox, but I can't stuff that in a pocket and pop it out for instand editing so easily.

Having explored as many remaining online archives as I can, I wondered if anyone here had a copy floating around, and if they'd be willing to share/sell it to me. I'm happy to provide proof of purchase, which I still have for it.

(There's a few versions around online of the demo, but there's no save functionality in it. Psion, Epoc, Widget Software are all long gone, so I think it's reasonably safe to consider this abandonware - though I'd pay for a copy).

Thanks - apprehensively - in advance, and apologies if this is the wrong place to post this - please remove if so.

I can be emailed at davemee@gmail.com, if that's also permissable!

- Dave

Hi.

I was just going to point you to the psionwelt.de forum - just to see that you already know the forum.
I recommend you post a request in the "Flohmarkt Suche" section.

Good luck.

Thanks, Franz!

Sadly my German-speaking ability is incompetent to zero, so I couldn't even figure out how to register an account on there. I did stumble across that site and found a reference to it - I saw someone selling a copy! - but whether they'll catch a comment on a four-year old post is another thing entirely.

Much appreciated, all the same!

It's amazing how many digital things just drop off the radar so quickly. The internet is far less permenant than we like to tell ourselves - permanence of things is something that's a consensual decision, it seems.

- Dave

In the meantime, you managed to login and post your request. :-)

Thank you pointing me at the right place. :)

Now to find the intersection of people on a German forum, who speak English, and have an electronic copy of a piece of software that's not been on sale for 20 years distributed on a medium that's not been viable for 18 years...

X-|

I feel your pain, Dave. I still have my Psion unit. If I had the software for uploading from it to a PC still I would resurrect it myself. It's a great device. I never had Mind Tools though. Sorry.

Good luck in your quest.

Steve Z.

Steve.

I am afraid, I don't have the software anymore.
But you don't need it to get the Psion up and running. BTW: Doesn't the sync software require a seriel port - and I don't think your Macbook has one.

Steve,

you can download the software from http://psiwin.software.informer.com/2.3/
Or here: https://psion.info/GJ5/downloads.html

Steve, thanks for the reply; I'm counting on a couple of things:

* I have PsiWin, which can be extracted via archive.org - let me know if you'd like a copy.
* PsiWin successfully installed on Windows 10 (but complains that the Lotus Notes DLL isn't going to work)
* Finding USB/Serial dongles that work is messy, I expect, so ...
* I'm hoping that .txt exports on the Psion side to a CF card that's actually a sleeve for an SD card will allow export to a format and medium I can read on a 2017 MacBook Pro. I think I might get away with this.

There still seems to be a number of Psion users around, much like the Newton and Alphasmarts - but MindTools was the best outliner I've ever used!

... they're not so old that they lack a € symbol on the keyboard. :)

Franz, you can also sync over infrar... oh.

;-)

This is probably not for your Psion device, but there are several mind mapping applications that display "interlinked" outliner and mindmap views, MindManager, Xmind, iMindMap, Nova Mind. However all of these have limited editing capability in the outline panel -- especially the ability to move notes around and next them. The only one that has more than minimal outlining capability, that I'm familiar with, is Nova Mind 5. I'm leery of Nova Mind because of its weird history with the former owner and the subscription model the new owner imposed. (It's an expense for the user with no benefit -- the product hasn't been upgraded in years.)

@Dave M wrote

What was reasonably unique about this software, and which I really miss, is that the outliner and mindmap were interlinked, so changing one changed the other - they were both manifestations of the same thing. The only other software I’ve seen behave this way has been Storyspace/Tinderbox, but I can’t stuff that in a pocket and pop it out for instand editing so easily.

@Dave: Andreas from the psionwelt.de forum just sent the files to you.

What was reasonably unique about this software, and which I really miss,
is that the outliner and mindmap were interlinked, so changing one
changed the other - they were both manifestations of the same thing.

Is this the only reason for going Jurassic? I do this everyday. Xmind is good for viewing with fancy mindmap themes but not for editing via the outline, at least not in my experience, never could get it to do that. If not happy with the ancient software, let me know and I'll dig up a link for you.

Dave M wrote:

* Finding USB/Serial dongles that work is messy, I expect, so ...

I recently resurrected an Amstrad Notepad (remember them?) to use for writing in the wilderness ;-) The device only has a serial port. I had no trouble getting a USB/Serial dongle to transfer files to/from a Windows 10 computer. The thing to remember is that serial ports were meant to connect to modems and other such peripherals. To connect to another computer, such as the Psion or the Amstrad, a "null modem" cable should be used instead of the regular RS232 cable.

Ah the Psion 5 MX; there has never been anything like it since... It only had one flaw, its overtight spring, which led the screen to easily close with too much force. I had to repair it twice.

Franz, thank you so much for your help. It didn't come through - yet - but with a little Google machine translation we may get somewhere :)

Franz Grieser wrote:

@Dave: Andreas from the psionwelt.de forum just sent the files to you.

washere wrote:

Is this the only reason for going Jurassic?

not the *only* reason...

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

Ah the Psion 5 MX; there has never been anything like it since… It only had one flaw, its overtight spring, which led the screen to easily close with too much force. I had to repair it twice.

It's an amazing little machine. No internet, no USB, 2 AA batteries for power, and 10-20 hours of typing and usage before you have to swap the batteries. Start-up time so negligible that it's on and operational before you've finished opening the case. Sits comfortably in a pocket and yet you get keys with more travel than my 2016 macbook, and a touchscreen. Lightweight OS with windowing, multitasking, document embedding, and *great* fax support (nearly as good as the Newton!)

I'd gotten into the Alphasmart as a minimal markdown editing machine but it's just so big that you might as well carry a laptop. The Psion is ridiculously portable.

/ sales pitch over, as is (sadly) psion manufacturing

@Dave: I offered Andreas he could send the file(s) to me. I'd try to send them via email or put it/them on my webspace.

Thanks, Franz. My linguistic limitations are not helping this much!

I'd be happy to share the license, but we'll have to let each other know when we're using it so we're not running it on two machines at the same time. :)

washere wrote:
>Is this the only reason for going Jurassic?

Dave M wrote:
not the *only* reason...

I thought so, knock yourself out pal.

Dave M wrote:

I'd be happy to share the license, but we'll have to let each other know
when we're using it so we're not running it on two machines at the same
time. :)

Thanks, Dave. I haven't switched on my Psion 5 for a few years. And I don't plan to do so in the future. :-)