After a period of quiet on the Aquaminds blog, they posted today.

https://www.aquaminds.com/blog-1

Appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. Their most recent beta release has a cleaner-looking user interface. Hard to put my finger on it. I have had very *few* difficulties with the beta, and I think that those of you who have missed Notebook since the demise of Circus Ponies will like working in Notetaker 4.0.

Jeffery

Is the UI updated?

What is sync like?

How would you compare it to the existing competition (eg OneNote, KeepIt, Devonthink)?

Good news. I would welcome a return of Aquaminds Notetaker.

Scott Love wrote

To appropriately set expectations about the release date, we're calling it a compatibility release.
There are a few new changes and the addition of iCloud synchronization of notebooks
but overall, the major focus has been on removing older, un-supported code
and updating to run smoothly on macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra.
Mojave compatibility testing is underway now.
...
After we ship this version, we will begin to turn our attention
to updating the look and feel to support display and UI styles that are...

I can’t compare it with those apps as I use it almost exclusively for lists and outlines. I could never get past the odd interface of OneNote, and DevonThink works as more of a massive text base for me. To me, it is preferable to OmniOutliner for lists because I can keep everything in one file (which is what some people find...dangerous).

satis wrote:

Is the UI updated?

What is sync like?

How would you compare it to the existing competition (eg OneNote,
KeepIt, Devonthink)?

I wouldn't consider DEVONthink or Keep It as "competition" for Aquaminds Notetaker. Notetaker is pretty much a digital representation of a paper notebook. Storing more than a few documents, or a hierarchy of documents, or a combination of file types (pdf, Office, web archives, etc.) in Notetaker would be painful and not the best use of the app. WRT OneNote -- I'd say Notetaker is more handsome, but its data is not kept in a cloud like OneDrive so Notetaker is no match for that capability of OneNote. Notetaker's iOS app in the past was very ugly. Maybe now it will get better.

Devonthink does a lot of things for me. I tend to put writing projects in separate DT databases, for example.

That way I have a nice package for syncing. I use iCloud because I'm stubborn, and I like being able to see the sync status and progress, something iCloud doesn't give you.

Scrivener, for example, is not recommended for use with iCloud. Don't trust this, because I have no science to back this up, but I've had no problems with syncing Scrivener projects inside of DT databases, via iCloud. DT seems to do a good job of making sure everything gets synced.

A lot of times I end up with just a few files in a DT project, but that's OK. Every DT database doesn't need to be huge, and I like DT features like tagging. If I want to tag a file as to-do, that works better than tagging it in the OS with orange, or whatever, and the meaning of tags stays local to a project. That's how I like it.

At least that's how I presently like it. I'm still struggling with the zen of structure.

DT makes things work in other ways, too. MindNode will let you create a link on any node, but you can't link to another MindNode file. Go figure.

Probably not a big deal, because in most contexts file URLs change between devices. In contrast, Devonthink item links are consistent.

Right now I have a mind map for a book that's got about 200 nodes. It got unwieldy, so I broke it down into a number of smaller maps. The highlights are in a master mind map, with leaf nodes containing links to the subordinate maps.

The links continue to work without update if I move the target files to different groups in the DT database, too. It's a little strange, in ways. DT likes to open MindNode files in its own previewer (via Quick look, I suppose), so when I follow a link I generally click the link and then hit command-shift-O to open it in its default app.

I take some notes in DT, but I tend to do things like use OmniOutliner for outlining, with the OO file stashed in the appropriate DT project.

That's also why I don't like Ulysses in-app storage. Right now, I've made my peace with Ulysses by exporting a finished piece into the DT database. Not a perfect solution, if I want to go back and evolve the work further.

Neither Scott nor Aquaminds has much of a presence on the internet, just lots of unfulfilled promises. The release date has been over a year delayed. There is no way to contact him. If this is the supposed replacement for CP, I don't have any ANY confidence.NB: Scott, in his LinkedIn profile, claims proficiency with "agile" development, which is NOT demonstrated here.

Notetaker 4 beta seems far more stable than some of the versions in the past. They are now working on the documentation. I won’t know what the new features are until I get this. I’m confident enough of the latest 2 updates to use it for daily work. With the demise of Circus Ponies, NT4 is a nice app to get back in my workflow.

Jeffery

I have some sympathy with this. Notetaker was, for all practical purposes, dead until this new version was proposed (I researched it when CPN died). I signed up for notifications but have not yet seen a single one. The blog posts are vague.

I'd like a replacement for CPN, but Notetaker is going to have be special to displace Curio, my current choice.

On comparison to OneNote etc:
- OneNote - I have never been able to come to terms with the interface and I don't like the lack of purely local storage options (Mac)
- DT is more of a library for me, rather than a notepad
- OmniOutliner is very good in many ways, but I find Curio works better for me

Not my name wrote:

Neither Scott nor Aquaminds has much of a presence on the internet, just
lots of unfulfilled promises. The release date has been over a year
delayed. There is no way to contact him. If this is the supposed
replacement for CP, I don't have any ANY confidence.NB: Scott, in his
LinkedIn profile, claims proficiency with "agile" development, which is
NOT demonstrated here.

Presumably, Aquaminds in this new version will no longer be targeted at the education market.

They intend to sell it on the App store rather than directly.

Hugh wrote:

Presumably, Aquaminds in this new version will no longer be targeted at
the education market.

I find it a little crazy that they still sell the untouched 2013 version of the app on the Mac App Store (complete with middling average reviews, the most recent being from a year ago).

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notetaker/id428848740?mt=12

I wonder if the new version will be a free upgrade to current MAS users.

I guess that "neglectware" is relative. I thought that Circus Ponies was doing well for its genre, but went out in a most alarming fashion. Midnight Inbox (GTD app) has promised a new update for about 10 years, yet it seems to be forever delayed. And Hog Bay's simple apps seem to always be "in progress" but with no major features released either. The only issue I had with Notetaker was that, for a while during version 3, it seemed very prone to crashing. As a result, I moved away from it but always wished that a stable version would be released.

I suppose a lesson seeing played out is that the productivity products that today survive and get continued development tend to be cross-platform services with web components, and tend to go after deep(er) pocketed customers that are willing to pay. Otherwise you're dealing with very small companies, including lots of one-person developer products, that survive (if not exactly thrive) with niche apps, but much slower development cycles.

Yes, the ongoing hiatus in further development of Hog Bay apps, and the peculiar decision to stop developing for iOS (regardless of the open-sourcing of TaskPaper's iOS code) have put a bit of a crimp in what appeared to be a very successful development arc. I still mourn the demise of FoldingText, which Jesse promoted as the Next Big Thing for quite a while before suddenly switching back to TaskPaper.

Circus Ponies I never really took to - some beautiful ideas, not always especially well executed (lot of crashing, sudden reversal of structural changes etc.). But then they were one of the first really ambitious apps to appear.

Ah well, life isn't easy for independents, as we all know. Which reminds me: the solution I'd always promote over Aquaminds Notetaker is Notebooks, the updated macOS version of which is imminently due to appear... (also one of the very first ambitious iOS apps, and a solid competitor to most other data managers, not least because of its ability to handle vast numbers of documents very efficiently; oh, and a dual-window display even on older iPads, which is pretty much unique).

Cheers!
Bill

Jeffery Smith wrote:

I guess that "neglectware" is relative. I thought that Circus Ponies
was doing well for its genre, but went out in a most alarming fashion.
Midnight Inbox (GTD app) has promised a new update for about 10 years,
yet it seems to be forever delayed. And Hog Bay's simple apps seem to
always be "in progress" but with no major features released either. The
only issue I had with Notetaker was that, for a while during version 3,
it seemed very prone to crashing. As a result, I moved away from it but
always wished that a stable version would be released.

When I first switched back to Mac about ten years ago, one of the first apps I bought was Circus Ponies Notebook. From the outside, it looked so enticing. I soon found that it didn't fit my needs as well as I hoped, so didn't use it very much, but I kept it on my computer just in case! I now have Notetaker 3. There have been times I thought it would be good for a project I was working on, but hesitated to use it because of the warning I get that it needs to be updated to run properly in the latest operating system -- even though I have run it without any problems. So I am glad that Aquaminds is working on version 4 to fill the niche opened by the demise of CPN. I wish them well, and will pay an upgrade fee if need be.

Steve Z.

MadaboutDana wrote:

Yes, the ongoing hiatus in further development of Hog Bay apps, and the
peculiar decision to stop developing for iOS (regardless of the
open-sourcing of TaskPaper's iOS code) have put a bit of a crimp in what
appeared to be a very successful development arc. I still mourn the
demise of FoldingText, which Jesse promoted as the Next Big Thing for
quite a while before suddenly switching back to TaskPaper.

I agree it's frustrating. For many years Hog Bay seemed to have a much faster development cycle, with more apps created and supported (Hog Bay Notebook/Mori, QuickCursor, Oak outliner) as well. I'm guessing there were multiple developers then, and now perhaps only Jesse by himself now.

Hog Bay started off with a note-keeping app, Mori, that started getting a following. Jesse then sold it to someone who bungled its maintenance, dooming it. I assume that he sorely needed the money. I never quite understood what Folding Text did.

MadaboutDana wrote:

Yes, the ongoing hiatus in further development of Hog Bay apps, and the
peculiar decision to stop developing for iOS (regardless of the
open-sourcing of TaskPaper's iOS code) have put a bit of a crimp in what
appeared to be a very successful development arc. I still mourn the
demise of FoldingText, which Jesse promoted as the Next Big Thing for
quite a while before suddenly switching back to TaskPaper.

Circus Ponies I never really took to - some beautiful ideas, not always
especially well executed (lot of crashing, sudden reversal of structural
changes etc.). But then they were one of the first really ambitious apps
to appear.

Ah well, life isn't easy for independents, as we all know. Which reminds
me: the solution I'd always promote over Aquaminds Notetaker is
Notebooks, the updated macOS version of which is imminently due to
appear... (also one of the very first ambitious iOS apps, and a solid
competitor to most other data managers, not least because of its ability
to handle vast numbers of documents very efficiently; oh, and a
dual-window display even on older iPads, which is pretty much unique).

Cheers!
Bill

I found Circus Ponies to be prettier, and it seemed to do indexing well. I'm not sure why the legal profession enamored of CPN but not Notetaker.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

When I first switched back to Mac about ten years ago, one of the first
apps I bought was Circus Ponies Notebook. From the outside, it looked so
enticing. I soon found that it didn't fit my needs as well as I hoped,
so didn't use it very much, but I kept it on my computer just in case! I
now have Notetaker 3. There have been times I thought it would be good
for a project I was working on, but hesitated to use it because of the
warning I get that it needs to be updated to run properly in the latest
operating system -- even though I have run it without any problems. So I
am glad that Aquaminds is working on version 4 to fill the niche opened
by the demise of CPN. I wish them well, and will pay an upgrade fee if
need be.

Steve Z.

Jeffery Smith wrote:

Hog Bay started off with a note-keeping app, Mori, that started getting
a following.

He originally started with Hog Bay Notebook, which for some reason he renamed Mori a couple of years later, in 2005. A lot of 3-pane info managers looked almost the same at the time, like StickyBrain and DevonNote.

Jeffery Smith wrote:

I found Circus Ponies to be prettier, and it seemed to do indexing well.
I'm not sure why the legal profession enamored of CPN but not Notetaker.

Possibly because, as I implied above, at some point after the two developers split, Aquaminds decided to target the education sector with its marketing. And, yes, possibly also because in the market as it was then finding skeuomorphism fashionable, Circus Ponies' probably scored over Aquaminds.

And also, no doubt, because the name was memorable. Before I began to research moving platforms from Windows to Mac OSX in the Mid-Noughties, Circus Ponies was one of the three or four Mac applications that I could name.

I'm not sure which niche Aquaminds is relying on. One thing I like about Mac apps is that they are not aimed squarely at accountants, managers, HR personnel, big team coordination. What has become more annoying to me is that so many are switching to a subscription paradigm, so I am having to abandon programs such as DayOne because I don't use it enough to make it cost effective.

Hugh wrote:

And also, no doubt, because the name was memorable. Before I began to
research moving platforms from Windows to Mac OSX in the Mid-Noughties,
Circus Ponies was one of the three or four Mac applications that I could
name.

Aquaminds is aiming for a June release of their long-awaited (at least by me) release of Notetaker. They finished the documentation except for final review, and it is posted on their blog (if I can figure out how to find it). I hope the documentation will point out the new features.

https://www.aquaminds.com/single-post/2019/05/25/June-Launch-News


Jeffery Smith wrote:

Aquaminds is aiming for a June release of their long-awaited (at least
by me) release of Notetaker. They finished the documentation except for
final review, and it is posted on their blog (if I can figure out how to
find it). I hope the documentation will point out the new features.