Oh wise Mac users hive mind! I have hungered and dreamt for an application that just always seems out of reach... or maybe I just don't know?
I want a notbook-based repository for my research/creative projects, random data, interesting photos, videos, soundbites etc.
Here's what I'd like: opens up on a choice of a bunch of notebooks (or bins, or whatever *storage*) I can see at a glance (plus books can be stored in category stacks, like in a library. I can pick any book or create a new one. Within a book I have pages, unlimited, as many as I wish to create. Any notes that I put into the pages have the ability for me to simply make linkable by any word - like a webpage with links - to any other pages or notebooks. Actually, I like the interface of Note Studio:
http://www.dogmelon.com.au/ns/Getting Started.shtml
But Note Studio is hopelessly limited (as I'll discuss below).
I'd like to paste into the page text, webpages, urls, photos, videos, sound files and I can cross link them like on a webpage to anywhere else in the book or another book.
From that point of view, Journler is nice:
http://journler.com/
But Journler has other problems (discussed later).
And I'd like the app to not have a limit on pages, or size of bins, and for the bins and pages and all the content to be part of the app, not a link to files stored on my computer.
I have checked out a ton, but they all have some kind of drawback or another. Does my dream app exist?
Circus Ponies NoteBook - Hopelessly rigid, creates categories I don't want or need, actually *creates* busy work filing instead of getting out of the way and just letting me store stuff.
Note Studio - Number of books you can create is limited, and number of pages within a book is limited. Cannot store anything else other than text, it only points to media elsewhere on my computer (rather than be a part of the app), and if those files move, well, the link dies.
Journler - A very promising app - but it's hampered (to me) by being centered around dates of entreis - it really is a journal, not a central repository... not a good metaphor for my way of working... I don't care to store my clippings/research notes etc. by calendar days, I'd rather have a special book or bin or storage. Further, it doesn't do the kind of linking that is crucial and so flexible - as is f.ex. Note Studio or VoodooPad. But it can store all media right in the app!
VoodooPad - fantastic linking - works like a webpage. I really like that aspect. Problem is that it doesn't take other media.
Other apps I've examined: Yojimbo, WikiNotes, ZuluPad. All have various things missing, limitations or other problems.
To reiterate:
1) A web or wiki structure - this is the key operating principle - I love making quick links right in the document that takes me to other relevant documents, and all is interconnected. I love the web metaphor!
2) Clear storage. I like to see stuff at a glance: books in stacks - good, bins with data - good, file cabinet - good. So I can open up the app, and immediately pick out a book or bin where I want to work today.
3)Accepts all media: text, web pages, video clips, audio clips, photos. And keeps them within the walls of the app (not just as pointers which point outside of the app).
4)Minimum of busywork. I hate those apps that force you to jump through hoops to put anything down... I see an interesting article, I just want to store it as a pdf - click, click and I'm done! Which means, that it should probably take advantage of contextual menus and Apple services. Rather than: laboriously open up the app, search around and after fifteen steps finally get my .pdf stored.
5)Maximum of flexibility - I hate apps that railroad you into picking categories, opening panels and then you must place the text in just this way, and use these bullet points or form - Circus Ponies NoteBook is a notorious example.
6)Hopefully a reasonably intuitive and reasonable learning curve. No secret codes, handshakes, weird key combos, bizarre steps to do simple things etc.
OK, is there such a beast? If you suggest any app, oh wise ones, please take note of the above 6 points... so if the app you recommend I check out does not have a web-link like structure, well, I'm not interested... you get the drift... I'm looking for something that has ALL this. If somehow I could pick features from VoodooPad (web-structure!), Journler (all media!), Note Studio (interface!) and a couple other ones, I'd have my app. But the problem is that there isn't one that does that. So, rather than more apps that again are missing one of those features, is there one that I've overlooked that fulfills my DREAM APP?
Ahh, I know how developers who start a project to "scratch an itch" feel... sadly I'm not technically proficient or have enough time to do such a job myself
I wish I could "roll my own"...
Thank you and sorry for the length!
I want a notbook-based repository for my research/creative projects, random data, interesting photos, videos, soundbites etc.
Here's what I'd like: opens up on a choice of a bunch of notebooks (or bins, or whatever *storage*) I can see at a glance (plus books can be stored in category stacks, like in a library. I can pick any book or create a new one. Within a book I have pages, unlimited, as many as I wish to create. Any notes that I put into the pages have the ability for me to simply make linkable by any word - like a webpage with links - to any other pages or notebooks. Actually, I like the interface of Note Studio:
http://www.dogmelon.com.au/ns/Getting Started.shtml
But Note Studio is hopelessly limited (as I'll discuss below).
I'd like to paste into the page text, webpages, urls, photos, videos, sound files and I can cross link them like on a webpage to anywhere else in the book or another book.
From that point of view, Journler is nice:
http://journler.com/
But Journler has other problems (discussed later).
And I'd like the app to not have a limit on pages, or size of bins, and for the bins and pages and all the content to be part of the app, not a link to files stored on my computer.
I have checked out a ton, but they all have some kind of drawback or another. Does my dream app exist?
Circus Ponies NoteBook - Hopelessly rigid, creates categories I don't want or need, actually *creates* busy work filing instead of getting out of the way and just letting me store stuff.
Note Studio - Number of books you can create is limited, and number of pages within a book is limited. Cannot store anything else other than text, it only points to media elsewhere on my computer (rather than be a part of the app), and if those files move, well, the link dies.
Journler - A very promising app - but it's hampered (to me) by being centered around dates of entreis - it really is a journal, not a central repository... not a good metaphor for my way of working... I don't care to store my clippings/research notes etc. by calendar days, I'd rather have a special book or bin or storage. Further, it doesn't do the kind of linking that is crucial and so flexible - as is f.ex. Note Studio or VoodooPad. But it can store all media right in the app!
VoodooPad - fantastic linking - works like a webpage. I really like that aspect. Problem is that it doesn't take other media.
Other apps I've examined: Yojimbo, WikiNotes, ZuluPad. All have various things missing, limitations or other problems.
To reiterate:
1) A web or wiki structure - this is the key operating principle - I love making quick links right in the document that takes me to other relevant documents, and all is interconnected. I love the web metaphor!
2) Clear storage. I like to see stuff at a glance: books in stacks - good, bins with data - good, file cabinet - good. So I can open up the app, and immediately pick out a book or bin where I want to work today.
3)Accepts all media: text, web pages, video clips, audio clips, photos. And keeps them within the walls of the app (not just as pointers which point outside of the app).
4)Minimum of busywork. I hate those apps that force you to jump through hoops to put anything down... I see an interesting article, I just want to store it as a pdf - click, click and I'm done! Which means, that it should probably take advantage of contextual menus and Apple services. Rather than: laboriously open up the app, search around and after fifteen steps finally get my .pdf stored.
5)Maximum of flexibility - I hate apps that railroad you into picking categories, opening panels and then you must place the text in just this way, and use these bullet points or form - Circus Ponies NoteBook is a notorious example.
6)Hopefully a reasonably intuitive and reasonable learning curve. No secret codes, handshakes, weird key combos, bizarre steps to do simple things etc.
OK, is there such a beast? If you suggest any app, oh wise ones, please take note of the above 6 points... so if the app you recommend I check out does not have a web-link like structure, well, I'm not interested... you get the drift... I'm looking for something that has ALL this. If somehow I could pick features from VoodooPad (web-structure!), Journler (all media!), Note Studio (interface!) and a couple other ones, I'd have my app. But the problem is that there isn't one that does that. So, rather than more apps that again are missing one of those features, is there one that I've overlooked that fulfills my DREAM APP?
Ahh, I know how developers who start a project to "scratch an itch" feel... sadly I'm not technically proficient or have enough time to do such a job myself
I wish I could "roll my own"...Thank you and sorry for the length!
