Wonderful Software

I love software. Even though I long to be one of those “I’ve only used X for 10 years and nothing else matters” people, there’s just no way. I use, and love, many things. Here I list a few of my long-time favorites. These are wonderful apps that have held up for years and continue to be useful and valuable.

Tinderbox

Where to begin with Tinderbox? I’ve been keeping notes in Tinderbox for at least a decade. I occasionally stop using it for a few months and then feel a flood of relief when I come to my senses and launch it again. Tinderbox is clever and powerful and a little weird, but in such a good way. Tinderbox can be anything, and everything. It’s an outliner and a visual mapping tool and a smart agent for processing notes. Mostly, it’s wonderful software.

Curio

Zengobi’s Curio is another application that can be anything. Its core is simply an infinite whiteboard onto which you can place files or write or both, but it’s much more than that. And, like Tinderbox, it’s riddled with thoughtful touches. I work well in a visual environment. Spacial memory helps me find and remember things so I love Curio on the big iMac. It’s beautiful and feels wonderful to use. Also, the developer, George Browning, is almost inhumanly responsive.

DEVONthink

DEVONthink is a workhorse. It’s big, complex, and powerful. I keep years of history and thousands of documents in DEVONthink and I can find things in a snap. With the new version of DEVONthink To Go I have access to everything on all of my devices.

The Brain

Whenever I demo The Brain I get a lot of oohs and aahs. It’s one of a kind and it’s wonderful. Everything links to everything. It’s the most powerful mind map you’ve ever seen, only better. Prior to the upcoming Version 9, The Brain was a Java app, which always made me feel a little dirty and made my OS complain. Version 9 is a native rewrite and it looks and feels much better. My main brain file only has about 3,000 thoughts but I can find any of them quickly, and then easily jump to linked topics (thoughts). The Brain pleases the visual connection parts of my actual brain.

Those are a few of the wonderful apps that I’ve used and loved regularly for many years.