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Recommendations on the "new" generation of outliners?
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Posted by Paul Korm
Dec 22, 2022 at 02:45 PM
I’ve been using Tana for about a month. In it’s current configuration, it is not a place to store files. Tana is a graph database, a blank slate where the user can define simple or endlessly complex nested attributes for every node in the database. Tana supports nesting and folding—but to use it solely as an outliner would be like installing a whole-house generator just to light the refrigerator light. Tana has minimal import and export features, at this time. It has no ability to produce graphical displays, but any node’s children can be displayed as a table or list or cards or tabs.
Tana is going to be like Tinderbox in the sense that people will open the box, see a stark blank slate, with a darkened backroom stuffed with features, and no clues about what do do next. Some will kvell and love it; others will despise it without trying to understand.
Tumbleweed wrote:
>I am particularly interested in how email can be
>transferred/integrated, as keeping critical email organized and easily
>accessible has always been an issue with my previous systems. I also am
>looking for a very flexible tool that can handle task management and
>cross-link all items (which obviously all these seems to do). Offline
>access on PC would be highly desirable.
>tana.inc
Posted by Chris Thompson
Dec 22, 2022 at 04:16 PM
I’ll admit to not being able to figure out Tana…. the “supertags” seem powerful, but I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around the differences with tags and how I would figure out how to use one or another.
—Chris
Paul Korm wrote:
I’ve been using Tana for about a month. In it’s current configuration,
>it is not a place to store files. Tana is a graph database, a blank
>slate where the user can define simple or endlessly complex nested
>attributes for every node in the database. Tana supports nesting and
>folding—but to use it solely as an outliner would be like installing
>a whole-house generator just to light the refrigerator light. Tana has
>minimal import and export features, at this time. It has no ability to
>produce graphical displays, but any node’s children can be displayed as
>a table or list or cards or tabs.
>
>Tana is going to be like Tinderbox in the sense that people will open
>the box, see a stark blank slate, with a darkened backroom stuffed with
>features, and no clues about what do do next. Some will kvell and love
>it; others will despise it without trying to understand.
>
>Tumbleweed wrote:
>>I am particularly interested in how email can be
>>transferred/integrated, as keeping critical email organized and easily
>>accessible has always been an issue with my previous systems. I also am
>>looking for a very flexible tool that can handle task management and
>>cross-link all items (which obviously all these seems to do). Offline
>>access on PC would be highly desirable.
>
>>tana.inc
>
>
Posted by Paul Korm
Dec 22, 2022 at 04:56 PM
Amen. I’m doing a lot of experimenting with Tana, since right now in the early access phase it is free. I don’t know if I would pay for it. It is fascinating, though it is more on the quantum-computer end of the note-taking spectrum.
Chris Thompson wrote:
I’ll admit to not being able to figure out Tana…. the “supertags” seem
>powerful, but I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around the differences
>with tags and how I would figure out how to use one or another.
Posted by Tumbleweed
Dec 23, 2022 at 02:27 PM
Honestly, Obsidian seems to be amazingly powerful. With the canvas functionality you all mentioned in another thread, it mimics the visual layout of Heptabase, etc. well.
And the ability to make customized dashboards ala InfoQube is really awesome. It will take me a while to get used to wiki-style linking as I’m an old school outliner and linking/cloning type of person.
My only issue is the massive learning curve!
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Dec 26, 2022 at 02:42 PM
I have looked at and tried most of the apps you suggest and a lot of other ones too (no surprise to anyone who has followed my CRIMP travails). An app not on your list that I suggest you take a look at is Legend. It is an outline, much like Workflowy or Dynalist, but with some powerful additional features, one of which is an integrated email manager.
Here’s an introduction video: https://youtu.be/EpHN8CYLLvs
I like that Legend is offline first, so I don’t need to be online to use it. Legend has a lot of “fancy” features, but doesn’t feel fancy… I think that’s one reason it hasn’t become more popular.
I have been trying Tana, but it is online only at the moment, which makes it hard for me to commit to. The Supertags feature is nice, very similar to the Prototypes of Tinderbox. But I found that trying to build the right system of Supertags was a rabbit hole for me, much the way I feel trying to make Notion work for me. Too much fiddling. But I am going to keep an eye on Tana, because I do like some much of the other less-talked about features—such as the ease with which I can move tasks to other days.
Steve