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Voidtools Everything
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Posted by 22111
Apr 7, 2022 at 09:40 AM
Spin-off of https://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/9527/0/Replacing-Everything-with-Logseq
FIRST, my post over there which should be deleted over there:
Posted by 22111
Apr 2, 2022 at 09:58 AM
WHAT?
I thought when discovering this thread title in the list: Voidtools Everything can be replaced by anything? Remind you that it comes with additional command line, etc. tools.
OK then, I had been misled by the (correct) capitalization in the title, and this having become a 99-p.c.-Apple forum, nobody here gives a heck (anymore) about possible confusion with the best free Windows(-only) software of all time (FreeCommander comes next, for its “Favorites” management which is better than all the same in any paid (Windows) file manager, and its bulk rename ditto).
So much then for the most terrible software naming of all time, and yes, exceptional non-capitalization would have helped here, all the more so since if you want to replace really “everything”, and then come up with some existant, specific tool, you could not be serious, right, so your “Everything” HAD to be the specific search tool, nay?
And, btw, that current “recipies” question: Why not use Everything (hehe) with file title tags, and then EV search presets (with constants for the folder your “recipies” (or whatever) are in, or other sub-grouping tags)?
EV’s ultimate beauty lies in the fact that from now on, you can file your files as you like, e.g. in functional groups, spread over the drives as you “really” (i.e. most often) need them in your work (or hobby), not by some other ontological criteria which might appear more “logical” at first sight, but which don’t reflect how you really work (or “work”) with them.
While you could very heavily with links (of different sorts) when all the (relevant) data is on the same drive, smart EV use will be so much more easy and fast, and as soon as the (relevant) data is spread over several, multiple drives, EV will save your day (and your budget).
Example: Hundreds or thousands of 5-gb iso files, let’s say backups of your DVDs (in countries where you own but you’ve bought, which is not the case e.g. in the European Union): Would you really want to group them by directors, or by countries (then by directors), or then rather by genre and even sub-genre, specific (main) characteristics (the most important for you, considering, in this example, the unwieldiness of doing copies, except perhaps in the most exceptional cases), reflecting your “use” of this data wealth?
And don’t speak of hard drive arrays, since they make all the drives run at the same time, which means unnecessary wear at the same time, in most use cases.
These, more special, “spread data” examples are made possible by EV’s capability to also present data of currently non-connected drives, but even for connected data, EV is invaluable, and whilst it cannot replace everything (hehe), it renders almost useless many of specific tools which then force their specific ways upon you, and which, even if, in most cases, they will ultimately let you export / transfer your raw data, will then, in many cases, withhold your painstakingly concocted, organizational “meta” data of various kinds.
Just saying.
Posted by 22111
Apr 7, 2022 at 12:45 PM
Now some other things.
Re .iso files (as an example of systematically really big files where “linking” (of any sort) would be more or less the only way of creating “multiples”): Netflix (as an alleged alternative in that example case, ditto for some other subscription services) doesn’t even have a trial (anymore), so I can’t speak of it but by hearsay, so:
It seems their business model is a combination of “Now you see me, now you don’t” (Cliff Richard, 1982) and “But don’t make a local copy nonetheless”, and other big problems, for non-native speakers and for people not residing within the right (sic!) country - so at the end of the day, this applies to everybody -, are:
- according to “your” country, you just get a subset of the lot (for legal reasons, I know) (And they prevent VPN access and check your payment’s “nationality”.)
- from what you’ll get there then, you only get your “local” language (?) and/or not the sub-titles you might want/need, e.g. just the Romanian ones, in Romania, instead of the “original language” (e.g. Italian) ones, or systematically English where available though for the “original copy”. (I may be mistaken here.)
- if you (illegally) overcome (some of) the above “limitations”, you’ll find yourself with copies either with one specific subtitle set, or without, a problem the .iso format will not also present.
When I said almost all here use Apple hardware, I meant, to then accessing their web whatever, most of the time (Mac plus iWhatever), but some will juggle with several PCs, and they could be interested in EV’s ability to access (and index, i.e. display the contents of even “offline” then) network drives, and not only NTFS ones.
As “network manager” is a profession on its own, you’ll probably will have guessed there are lots of problem then, but if you can overcome them, you will be able to have, at any given time, and with any given Windows device, if not access to the data itself, but at least to the knowledge with data is in your possession, and where, and this knowledge will include any meta information contained within the folder, or within the file name part of the objects’ respective paths; this independently of the connection of the drives, USB, NAS / network or even the c: drives in some / any pc; even indexing access to web storage will be possible (by FTP), and thus access to the above-mentioned meta info, without web access being necessary at that time.
The most important info to get into EV-and-networks being, I cite the author from his forum:
“NTFS indexing is only for local NTFS disks. That means: the harddsiks inside your PC/laptop as well as those NTFS disks that are (USB) connected to your PC/laptop.
That is because Everything reads a hidden part of the NTFS disk to build it’s index.
Building the index this way is *very* fast.
This hidden part is not accessible over the network.
In that case you should use folder indexing.
Non-NTFS disks do not have this ‘hidden part’ and should also use folder indexing.”
Some links:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/turbotax-taxes-13771756.html =
“How to Link Two Computers to One External Hard Drive”
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-mapped-drive-2625932
And then from voidtools:
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9796 = “Indexing”
https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/folder_indexing/
http://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1724 =
“Folder Indexing Help”
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1920 =
“Using Everything for Mapped Network drives (shared folders)” (this being just partly obsolete)
https://www.voidtools.com/en-au/faq/
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6873 =
“Indexing and searching network drive”
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8684 =
“Searching network drives”
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7440 =
“Can see but not open”
And you might even interested in this additional EV tool “Index This”:
https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6808
After having used mobile PCs for many years, even when they cost as much a tiny car, I don’t need them anymore, and I don’t have a real network either (I worked in networks but which were administered by the above professionals; now I have one stationary (“desktop”) pc, connected to the web, and another which is not, each with its own kb and mouse, necessary transfers by USB stick; some put them together in a network, in order to make room for more paperwork… and for more of their electronic data to get at risk: that’s so cute! and oh yes, physical switches are a nightmare indeed), so I don’t have no need for the above set-up, but I think trying out the above might be really helpful for non Apple users indeed in their active years.
Another proof, btw and if really another one was needed, that the Windows system is not systematically inferior to the iWorld, it’s just its marketing which might be qualified as abysmal.
And there is a quite laughable irony in the fact that with all the “home office” “needs” and requirements, whilst the above set-up would have been tremendously beneficial to almost anyone (and then the necessary staff is there in order to make it work), EV (just as AutoHotkey) is systematically held off-limits, for so-called “security reasons”. Well…
I hope iPeople have/get something similar then, to both. It comes to my surprise, though, that they so rarely (and that’s an euphemism for “never (?)”) speak or write about spicing up their iEnvironment. (Might be because of them considering the necessary set-up efforts “porn”? (See over there.))
Posted by 22111
Apr 7, 2022 at 01:19 PM
I see there is a 1972 movie “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069031/ - which reminds me that I had searched for movie lists on the Netflix site, i.e. ordered, comprehensive lists of movies currently available in a given country / legislation, in order to have a base for any decision if it MIGHT be worthwhile or not. Have not found any, and it seems that even when you “buy” into, i.e. rent the access, all you’ll get is lists of “suggestions”, i.e. more or less the same chaos you know from YouTube.
I acknowledge this is irrelevant to my EV topic, but then, it’s just another, relevant, detail, to my reminder, welcome to some, of web storage problems vs. local storage in general, all the more so since the non-acknowledgement of that problem (and of rent vs. buy, the interwoven if secondary problem) seems to be the main cause which prevents developers from further developing local storage software (and software to buy), especially with “outliners” and everything around that term, this forum (in which something like “WorkFlowy” is the star) being the foremost witness to that.
Posted by 22111
Apr 7, 2022 at 04:51 PM
Scrivener or Writer’s One-Stop Shop
Above, I incriminate, among other things, (especially) iPeople’s inclination to search for “better”, but then to content themselves with what their choice-of-the-moment deigns to give them, instead of giving a little thinking to how they could do something “about” that choice, within that choice.
This thought inescapably brings me to consider Scrivener again, since there are some factors, quite surprising taken in combination, around that software.
- Windows version is really bad but sold at the same price as the Mac version; at the beginning, the former was understandable since a second (alleged team of?) developer(s) coded that version, after the tremendous success of the Mac version; now, many years later, the former, together with the latter, has to be considered a scam
- Search amazon.com for “Scrivener”, and you’ll see it’s tremendously successful software (Mac-wise at least), there being available many different books, from different authors, around it, similar to books about MS Office software (Some of those are electronic books only, but the number of paper books is quite astonishing indeed.)
- This impression gets fortified by web searches: Fora and other sites abound where Scrivener is discussed at length and in every imaginable detail, be them sites with a “software for writers” subject or just “writing” sites in general
- In spectacularly big contrast to the above, there do not seem many add-ins, add-ons or similar tools, macros or such available which would / could fill the multiple (!) voids (cf. “Voidtools”) in (even Mac’s, not even speaking of Windows’ here) Scrivener’s functionality and/or its user-interface (lack of) “smoothness”
- And that in the presence of the (Mac version’s unique?) developer’s almost systematic refusal to fill these voids himself (that’s at least what I, subjectively, got from reading many times in various fora, incl. the official one)
- Thus, (Mac’s) Scrivener’s current situation, from its developer’s motivational point of view, seems (to me) comparable to (Window’s) Ultra Recall’s: bugs are exterminated, and that’s it, more or less, notwithstanding persevering, extreme “blanks” in functionality (and multiple user demands to fill them)
- The difference between the two programs, from my specific point of view detailed here, being that Scrivener has almost got a monopoly (!) to the writer’s market
(and seemingly more than 90 p.c. of (paid or would-be) writers “being on Mac” anyway, cf. the almost total lack of Windows writers’ software from other entities which do (after-all, not-so-much) “parallel” Mac-and-Windows versions (e.g. Write Bros., and others)),
with almost anybody “writing” (i.e. fiction of any kind) out there having bought (or then even updated) Scrivener,
whilst UR is more or less “dying” software in the sense of there (allegedly, perhaps I’m wrong: I judge from their forum activity (with rarely any new member, among other indicators) not being many new users, so that, contrary to (always Mac’s, as said) Scrivener, the (allegedly sole again) developer’s lack of motivation is understandable
- Thus, with Scrivener, we have got an (for seemingly “specialized” software) almost incredible “eco system”, BUT which confines itself to book sales and endless rhabarber-rhabarber of the (allegedly) millions of (more or less keeping-at) users in fora all over the place, without any relevant software / tools contributions, and this, financially- and acceptance-wise, extremely successful software, thus remaining far from “perfect” or “optimized”... or even “intuitive” (! cf. the forum posts), whatever
- Which brings me to the conclusion that there is no “market” for such “helper tools”, since “writers” (most of them of the would-be kind, naturally) and/or iPeople, in general (my latter allegation seemingly confirmed by what I’ve observed and mentioned in my previous posts here), REFUSE to “fiddle around” with “technics”... or should I rather say, with “technicalities”?
- And that seems to be the inherent, false “beauty” of Scrivener: Weren’t it a (quite bad, and would-be) Writer’s One-Stop Shop, its financial success would probably be just one tenth of what it seemingly is, since those alleged millions, instead of adopting it, would very probably refrain from it, getting the (as explained and as it is, non-existant) info that it was “not complete”, and for completeness, it would need “upgrading” of some sorts (i.e. provided by third-parties)
- Which brings us to Apple, Mac, iWhatever in general where the “designer” (you couldn’t call them “manufacturer”, could you?) does apply every means available to them for preventing such “upgrading” of any sorts… with the result that their products sell like hotcakes
- And that brings me to a very deep irony here, especially, but not exclusively, with regards to the aforementioned would-be writers (whilst paid ones, I think, will need other things on top; can’t say definitely, since, as said, I am on Windows, and would never touch this “scriveners”’ thing on either platform):
Obviously, they want a “perfect, rounded-up gestalt”, in order to feel “complete”, while “producing” something which inherently is, and will always be - and even beyond any possible publication date - incomplete: Those people fear the insecurity of the way to the - any - “product”, and so, they use Apple products, those allegedly self-contained, in fact severely limiting ones, as their constant downer, whilst e.g. Hemingway (the writer, not the “Manhattan” co-star) used alcohol in order to keep overwhelming insecurity at bay - and obviously, the allegedly “complete”, “rounded-up” Scrivener is the perfect, even “ideal” software tool on their allegedly “complete”, “rounded-up” “Macbook Pro”, “iPad” or whatever they can afford buying…
Thus: The Brits have The Queen’s suppliers from which they ideally buy; insecure computer users have got their “ideal machine”, and with Scrivener, with its “ideal front-end” on top, whatever their respective limitations (hardware, software, user) may be: We’re speaking of the IDEAL OBJECT here, and that can’t be criticized anymore, since it supplies Today’s Narcissist Society’s core: the Eternal Narc who just NEEDS - no discussion possible, ask’em! - the Ideal Object to bring’em over the day… but they constantly feel it’s not as ideal as that after all… and that’s why there’s
CRIMPING
for example, or then, replacing your “write projects”, within that “ideal machine”, one with the others - these, at the end of the day, consumptional strolls (replacing “production”) will come though, for your liver, with some comparative benefits, whilst the term “workstation” is at the opposite end of this notional axis, and could give you the chance to also consider some personal intervention into your further (wo)man/whoever-machine interactional activities, instead of assuming that any productional beauty lies in the original (and then turning out non-lasting anyway) choice.
Some professional, and really productive, authors (with readable handwriting or minimum two secretaries) always write by hand instead, and, as far as I know, with pencils and such, not with expensive, de luxe fountain pens; I suppose they get their inspiration from the unform of their scribbling, instead of satisfying themselves with the prettiness of form on screen - I’d be interested in hearing from any non-pulp novelist systematically using Scrivener, and I’d bet there’s none. (For that insane “littérature de gare”, David Hewson and his software blog come to mind, hahaha!)
Anyway, some interaction with the technicalities of your software could imitate, to some degree, I think, the immediate, traditional writing experience: the one that in some hands will produce classics, and bear in mind, originally “classic” had been a high-brow term, not an euphemism yet for old, obsolete, discounted (Apple) hardware; and then, the latter appears just short-term suitable for covert narcs anyway, will even physically make’em deeply suffer before long.
For the layperson: It’s about implication, engagement, instead of The Golden Child (cf. Ritchie 1986), and even On Golden Pond (Rydell 1981) makes you understand something about tried fetish incantation.
Yes, Apple’s Evil, and no wonder they sell to unsophisticated (sic!) brats even in gold (and in rosy, too), and with the above, I now consider the “Why’s Apple THAT successful?”, the CRIMPING, as well as all of serial divorce, problems being resolved… and besides, nothing’s new here, cf., among others, Erich Fromm 1976, and no, that’s not a movie for once.
And in my post’s title, “Stop”‘s the keyword, then. Now you give names, to prove me wrong… And oh yes, all the above is about the “original”, aberrant, third party’s idea of “Replacing Everything with ...”: Just developing a little bit, to prove my point… since there is no magic potion, and no magic black-box either that most of you seem to dream of though when they try to identify the notion of creating text, now that our original category “outline” has emerged as being totally unsatisfactory for all of us to get to the task, as 99 p.c. of current and recent posts here amply prove.
Posted by MadaboutDana
Apr 8, 2022 at 09:36 AM
Some interesting thoughts in the midst of that cloud of wide-ranging reflections.
I think you answer your own question, in fact. Scrivener is a tool developed for a specific purpose: writing a book (or long-form text).
This it does / helps users to do extremely well. The macOS version in particular, but I would disagree that the Windows version is “bad”; it’s perhaps not quite as refined as the macOS version.
But Scrivener isn’t optimal for other things. I’ve tried using Scrivener as a general knowledge-management system, and even as a task manager. But it is not optimised for these purposes. If, however, you want to concentrate your energies on producing a book, with all the associated research, scraps of written text, thoughts, ideas etc., then Scrivener works as a mighty platform.
There are other solutions out there, of course: notably Ulysses (and others that are so expensive they tend to be overlooked, like the German app Papyrus Author [https://www.papyrusauthor.com]). So there is some competitive pressure, despite the popularity of each of these tools.
None of these solutions necessarily represent total, all-in-one knowledge management/personal management/writing/thought development/ideation apps, however. Nor would their (in my experience, very amiable and responsive) developers pretend that they do.
So I’m not quite sure what you’re criticising.
- The failure of these apps to be what they were never intended to be?
- The failure of their developers to respond to the (in my experience, enormously broad) range of requests from users to turn them, effectively, into something they were never intended to be?
- Or the complacency of the developers who are failing to optimise them even further (while still focusing on what the apps were intended to be)?
That software models still don’t match the enormous potential now represented by modern hardware is clear. But this clearly has significant implications for human cognitive processing abilities – while an enormous number of incredibly ingenious knowledge-management methods have been developed, none of them are seamless or omnipotent, and no-one has yet succeeded in bringing all these wonderful ideas together to form the Ultimate UI/UX.
In short – if I may adduce a film reference (enjoy!) – we’re still a long way from the apparently 100% intuitive interface shown in “Minority Report” or, to a lesser extent, in “Avatar” (an interface which, of course, is still very far from intuitive and relies on significant familiarisation to work at the speeds achieved by good ole’ Tom Cruise).
An interesting muse, nevertheless.