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Copyright © 2000-2004 Jay Tate, All Rights Reserved. The material found here may be copied and disseminated for educational use that is non-profit, non-partisan, and not part of judicial litigation, provided that no charge is made. Comments or suggestions are welcome.

Prices and technical specifications change, companies go out of business, new products appear. Caveat lector.

GETTING ORGANIZED

To do lists, contact managers, scheduling software, web-based calendars

http://www.thefiengroup.com/nextpage.html

Organize your list of things to do, your contacts, and your calendar using a Personal Information Manager (PIM) program, perhaps in combination with a handheld Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), PocketPC or other pocket organizer such as a Sharp Wizard. Simple task list programs are available for free, such as To Do List or the innovative Done 2000, which uses "Helpers" to break up unfinished tasks into more do-able pieces. Plan1st is a simple program that manages up to 16 separate to-do lists ($15).

Microsoft Outlook has become the leading PIM software simply because it is included with Microsoft Office as an email program, but more focused programs such as such as Lotus Organizer, Eudora Planner, and Act! ($230), as well as many cheaper PIMs, have better features than Outlook. The Notes feature in Outlook, and even in many other PIMs, is especially anemic and generally best avoided in favor of a notetaking program [see below] or general information manager [see below]. Dozens of PIMs exist, and features vary as widely as the "personal information" to be managed, but those listed below give some indication of the range.

Above & Beyond 2003 ($50; pro version with dynamic scheduling $149.95; 60 day trial) many features for by-the-minute scheduling; time graph gives you a better overview of details in a month's schedule than other programs
Anytime Deluxe Edition ($40). mimics paper-based calendar, to-do list, and schedule; identifies free time and blocks out scheduled time; integrates with Palm. Free trial.
Ariadne Organizer ($60) built-in web download manager and search (based on IE) integrated with calendar, to-do list, and customized address book. Handles images and text; one of the few PIM's that might also double effectively as a notes management program.
Assignment Organizer ($12) alarms for upcoming deadlines, moves completed assigments to the bottom of the list
BrainForest Professional ($25, 30 day trial) is the enhanced, desktop version of a Palm program (BrainForest Mobile Edition, $20), with expanded export and import capabilities. Manage checklists, action items, ideas, and projects. Prices for BrainForest have come down: Professional was $40.
Dev Planner ($43; 30 day trial) Potentially powerful approach to scheduling, but still a work in progress: visual display of today's tasks and of overall schedule is relatively primitive, drag and drop works only for one task at a time (unlike Natura Bonsai). Schedule to-do items with four panes, three viewable simultaneously: hierachical tree of all projects, today's tasks, and a pane that toggles between a list of tasks list for the current tree item and a "tactical view" calendar with dates for completion of each particular task (though tasks on the tactical view calendar are identified only by a program-generated ordinal number). Uses Internet Explorer when generating reports.
Ecco Pro (free) Development stopped in 1997, but a committed base of users keep this all-purpose program alive. Contacts, calendar, appointments, tasks, and projects.
Foobar (Matrix Software) free; $30 registration buys unlimited storage; prioritized to-do lists, contact manager, sticky notes, favorites manager
Franklin Planner (formerly Ascend): a free online planner available from the consulting firm behind the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Can synchronize with Palm, Outlook, mobile phone, pager.
Life Balance ($65; $80 for desktop and Palm version) time and task management using hierachical, collapsible to-do list that dynamically rearranges based on task importance (not merely static categories found in most programs). Coaching software that even offers evaluation and feedback about how well you are attaining the balance of tasks you set yourself. The "places" function might be especially useful for researchers in the field who need to keep track of separate to-do lists for each location. Originally a Palm program, Life Balance on the desktop requires installation of Microsoft.NET Framework (a separate download of 24 MB from Microsoft that can take hours).
Lotus Organizer 6.0 ($79) a higher-end PIM with some all-purpose features that make it somewhat like a general information manager
Natara Bonsai ($35) hierarchical to-do lists combine in a two-pane outliner, all of which can Hot Synch with a Palm device (Palm only version of the program is $16). Limited to 15 categories per outline, and each item note must be under 32KB.
Microsoft Outlook addins include a) Personal Folders Backup (free) from Microsoft, which backs up *.pst files; b) Qurb ($30) is a simple and effective spam filter for Outlook that quarantines whatever it doesn't recognize based on a "white list" of previously ok email and your address book; c) Nelson Email Organizer/NEO ($40) provides automatic sorting by author that largely eliminates need to define rules or manage folder hierarchies; NEO Pro ($70) adds ability to search across multiple Outlook archive files.
RedBox Organizer ($40) general-purpose PIM integrates task list with calendar; can enter data without opening the main program; report generator; expense tracking; four-part simultaneous display of Calendar, To-Do, Planner and Anniversary data; can hyperlink project documents with one another, as in Correlate.
Shadow Desktop ($23) is a desktop afterthought bundled with Shadow Plan, a Palm-based outline organizer. Although still substantially under development, the promise of unlimited upgrades included in the original purchase price makes this more attractive. Trial version is nagware that allows lists of up to 24 items. Discussions about the program are archived.
Time and Chaos ($45), a program that has been around since 1992, has several advantages over Outlook including an all-in-one screen format that allows you to work with to-do list (only single level, however, not hierarchical), addresses, email, and calendars without jumping back and forth.
Visual Calendar Planner ($30). Putting the calendar on your desktop as "wallpaper" means you don't have to open the program.
WinOrganizer ($40). Two-pane organizer with different windows for: hierarchical folders, tasks (single level, not hierarchical), events, notes, contacts. Supports MS Word and .rtf import/export.

Researchers whose work involves detailed or repeated interviews might want a PIM with more extensive contact management features for sorting contacts and keeping detailed logs about each interaction. Since most contact management programs are designed for business users, tools for finance, e-commerce and other aspects of business often drive up the cost of such programs.

Act! ($230)
Commence
Consultant
ContactPlus
Goldmine
Maximizer ($189; call 800-804-6299); powerful sorting and grouping functions; more expensive because it includes e-commerce tools of little use to researchers
Packrat PRO (Polaris) $199 Personal Information Manager, Contact Manager, Desktop Organizer and Scheduler in a single package

A cheaper alternative with somewhat extensive contact management features is Desktop Set ($25).

A list of options for web-based calendars, events, and meetings.

Project planning, project management

The more basic project planning software offers scheduling tools similar to, but somewhat more powerful than, those available in the higher end PIM software [see above].

Project planning is central to any project software, but higher-priced applications also include tools for high-quality presentation of group schedules as well as management of entire project teams. Virtually all of the more expensive programs are driven by business users, whose needs for fancy presentations of task and time scheduling may create more problems than they solve for researchers, especially those whose work process is relatively flexible or those whose overall objectives will be refined using findings from the ongoing research.

Academic teams looking for project management software may also, or instead, be interested in web-based project management [end of this section].

Functionally, software for project scheduling combines the to-do list(s) and schedule(s) with features such as the following:

work breakdown structure: the drill-down from the top level of a project down through increasingly detailed sub layers; high-end programs may offer a 10-level work breakdown structure, or more
Gantt charts (sometimes misspelled "Gannt" or "Gant"), also known as Time Line Charts; a bar chart that lists information such as activities on the left side of the chart and the durations for each activity as horizontal bars on the right side, with time intervals over the bars. Developed by Henry Lawrence Gantt (1861–1919). Although the process requires a few steps, even older versions of Microsoft Excel can generate basic Gantt charts.
critical path analysis/method: takes the Gantt chart idea further by 1) showing the dependencies or causal linkages among the different tasks 2) focusing on a single "critical path" through the various tasks that will determine the minimum time to completion of the overall project 3) seeking activities that can be shortened or re-allocated to shorten overall time. When critical path analysis is integrated with cost and resource trade-offs (e.g., how would the critical path be altered by more money or more workers) then it is sometimes known as "project crashing."
PERT charts (Program Evaluation and Management), also known as Network Charts, Logic Diagrams, Network Diagrams, or the Method of Moments Analysis: takes the critical path idea further by using a weighted average of the optimistic, pessimistic, and likely time estimates for each task, then computes a standard deviation for the overall project based upon treating the duration of each task as a random probability distribution (defined by the estimates entered for each task).
critical chain analysis: an enhanced version of critical path analysis that includes resource dependencies in addition to task dependencies, e.g., when two tasks are not dependent on one another, yet a necessary resource, such as labor or computer processing, cannot be allocated to both at the same time. Critical chain analysis attempts to minimize multi-tasking, make buffer times explicit, and plan backwards from the last possible completion date as well as forward toward the first possible completion date (hence the "chain" metaphor). Some large academic teams might find value in its emphasis on a sharpened division of labor.

Free programs include Can-Plan, GanttProject, and the LT adware version of TurboProject. Cheap programs include the following.

Can-Plan (free) handles Gantt and critical path, but only over a maximum of 53 time periods (days, weeks, or months); requires Excel to function
GanttProject (free). Open source program developed in France for Gantt charts.
PlanBee ($30/$70 Pro; 30 day trial). Gantt and critical path, but primarily a critical path program; somewhat rigid for other purposes. Cheap.
TurboProject v4, IMSI (15 day trial; also free LT version as adware). Express $50; Standard $100; Pro $349. Handles Gantt but not critical path. Offers a four-stage upgrade path, starting with a free adware version; top-end Professional version is like Microsoft Project, though without hourly planning.
MinuteMan ($49.95; also educational pricing; 21 day trial). Gantt and critical path. Timescales ranging from hours to a year; exports to word processing or spreadsheets. Better for calculating a precise work plan than for creating a preliminary plan outline. TEL 617-489-5639.
Milestones Simplicity ($49) Not really a standalone product, the "Simplicity" version of Milestones is aimed at people who want to present a simple schedule in PowerPoint. The main program is Milestones Pro ($227).
Cardboard Schedule ($50; 30 day trial) For software development planning by a single team; weekends excluded from scheduling.
Project Planner (SmartWorks; 30 day trial $80; LE version $40).

A variety of special-purpose project management programs also exist, a few of which, like Project KickStart, might be useful stand alone project planners for some researchers.

Project KickStart 3 ($130; $78 academic; 20 day trial). Especially easy interface; designed for the beginning stages when brainstorming the main elements of a project. Gantt, but no critical path capability, but can integrate with MS Project or Milestones Pro for scheduling and greater detail.
GoalPro 5; ($99; 30 day trial) and GoalPro 6 ($129). Hierarchical goal setting ("success tree"), numerical performance tracking, can accomodate hyperlinks, images; can export plans to Outlook or Act! Gantt, but no critical path. Lots of hand-holding for long-term goal setting and daily follow-thru.
Project@Hand ($50; 30 day trial). use to carry Microsoft Project 98 or 2000 files on a Palm. An add-on permits Gantt charts.
DecideRight ($119; no trial). Weighing the pro's and con's of a decision using what-if scenarios. No Gantt or critical path.
ManagePro ($295; 30 day trial). Goal, rather than schedule, oriented software for planning who does what and assessing how it's going; sychronize with Palm, Outlook; tel 562 430-7096.
Time Tiger ($169; trial available). Time tracking software with supervisor approval, billing, and invoicing.

The leading project managment software is not attractively priced for most individual users and is rarely optimized for the work that many researchers do.

Milestones Professional (Kidasa Software; $227; unlimited (?) trial period, but only 14 files). Link with Excel, MS Project, Access and PowerPoint; collapsible views, column sorting, filtering; variety of ways to track numbers along with the schedule. Can get a lot of detail on one page. No critical path.
Task Manager ($379; 30 day trial). Useful for display and summary of tasks for group projects; note big price jump from Task Manager 2000 ($145); ask sales@orbisoft.com about academic discounts.
Microsoft Project ($499; 60 day trial via CD). The "Project Central" component added web-based functionality; includes tracking of fixed costs, percent-complete tracking, work breakdown structure (WBS) codes, and timesheets. Microsoft Project tutorial. Use ProChain ($695) to add critical chain capability to MS Project.
Primavera SureTrak ProjectManager ($499). Supports project modeling with up to 10,000 activities per project, plus multiproject scheduling and resource planning. In addition to critical path scheduling, SureTrak supports 10 types of schedule constraints and 7 types of activities.
Super Project (Computer Associates; $495; 30 day trial?). Optimized for use with CA's SuperProject/Net ($1,895). The company appears to be abandoning this sort of standalone program in favor of its AllFusion Process Management Suite.
Scitor Project Scheduler (PS8) ($1000, plus per person charges for networking; 2 week trial). A leading promoter of critical chain analysis; offers a step up from MS Project and Suretrak for heavy-resource, multi-project mangement with extensive text and web publishing; generally purchased with Project Communicator networking module at $200/person license; 800-549-9876.
Details ($299) offers timelines, submittal logs, project logs, drawing tools, calculation fields (70 industry-oriented templates), comes with 70 templates, more can be created; the same company's FastTrack Schedule 7 ($299) for the price, lacks any compelling features for academic use; probably best for presentations.
MinProj ($299) aims to offer an easy "minimum project" to medium and large projects; the same company's Co-Pilot: Small Project Guide ($150-$195; 90 day trial) is for small projects of less than 3 months and 360 hours.

Larger groups with bigger budgets that need to manage labor costs or capital expenditures, do baseline budgeting, or analyze
earned how much money they're earning could consider high-end enterprise management software such as

AllFusion Process Management Suite, Computer Associates
Artemis Views ($25,000+), owned by Proha, Finland
Hydra, Niku Portfolio Manager
Niku Project Manager Workbench
OpenAir "professional services automation"
Pacific Edge's Project Office
PlanView
Primervera P3e
Superproject
TASKey TEAM (minimum license is for 10 users/5 concurrent users, $1,650; 30 day full trial; also 30 day online trial for using the software without having to set up a web server/SQL 7 etc.) Gantt charts are automatically updated in real-time. The company's much cheaper Multi-Manager program has been discontinued.
Timeline
Welcom's Open Plan Pro ($3,600).

For those curious about why project management software is structured the way it is, the Project Management Institute's "PMBOK Guide 2000" [free excerpts available for download] codifies many features that are widely regarded, including by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), as a standard "Project Management Body of Knowledge." For example, PMBOK defines a "project" as a "temporary endeavor."

For reviews of project managment software from a business perspective, see
www.Gantthead.com [registration required for all but the homepage]
www.allpm.com drill down through Links: Planning and Tracking

Other resources and link collections:

a Project Management Software Review, on problems with Microsoft Project, advantages of critical chain software such as Scitor or ProChain
Collaboration Tools by Denham Grey
Directory of Project Management Software lists both Windows and web-based software
Guide to Project Management Research sites
Project Management Directory and Resources listing PM associations, software suppliers, and publications.
Dave Farthing's Software Project Management links UK-based collection of readings, links, organizations, software, and other information about management of software projects.
StartWright large collection of miscellaneous links for "project managers and support staff traveling to, starting up, and working on remote, dispersed or virtual projects"

web-based project management: free

EPIWare (free for up to 5 projects and 5 users, 5MB free storage/project; 724-625-9877)
eProject Express (free, 50MB/project) with possible upgrade to an Enterprise edition; TEL 206-341-9117
Plan On The Net .com (free)

web-based project management for distributed teams

Axista.com Xcolla (free trials; $20-$26 per month per user; 800-926-5525; ask about academic and nonprofit pricing) lower-cost, especially at 25-50 users
Gigaplan browser-based integration with MS Project
IdeaWeavers Iksana targets small and medium sized businesses, roughly $350/user for standard Project Management Edition
Inovie TeamCenter 877-446-6843 x207
onProject.com $49.95/month for 0 -20 users, plus $6.00/month for each additional user; 30 megabytes FREE plus $ 0.06 per additional megabyte per month
SiteScape's WebWorkZone ($14.95/user/month for up to 10 users; 910-256-5038)
speeDEV for distributed software development projects
SystemCorp's PMOffice when you're "projectizing IT" at a Fortune 500 company
Vertabase (Standpipe Studios) 248-853-7890
WebProject (Novient) ($1,999) [no longer available]

Other web-based project management offerings include
AbleNet Solutions, entry.projects , eprojXperts.com , InventX ePM, Orbital Software's Organik , OurProject , ProjectCatalyst , project-key , Project.net , Vertabase , WorkLenz

For a detailed review of several web-based PM offerings in 2000, see SohoDojo (sponsored by eProject). The Web Based Project Management Directory lists 133 examples.

Concept mapping and brainstorming

Concept mapping, generally credited to Prof. Joseph D. Novak at Cornell University in the 1960s, is simple. Put one or more key concepts in the middle of a blank piece of paper; draw and label branches from the main idea(s); use arrows to connect ideas from different branches; draw circles or other shapes around items that belong in a group together; add lists and other notes. Following the work of David Ausubel, who stressed the importance of prior knowledge in being able to learn about new concepts, Novak concluded that "Meaningful learning involves the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into existing cognitive structures." Such techniques can be used for a variety of purposes, e.g., map a process, map the path from a problem to a solution, present a narrative, or present the structure of an argument.

The techniques of concept mapping (and the related notion of semantic networking) are simple, but many of the programs offered in this area seem more focused on the minutiae of formatting (fonts, colors, layout) than on creating flexible tools for playing with ideas. Witness Mind Mapping®, which is a limited version of the concept mapping idea copyrighted by Tony Buzan in the UK. The difference between concept maps and the copyrighted Mind Maps (and it is a limitation of the copyrighted Mind Maps, not an advantage) is that a Mind Map has only one main concept, and therefore can be represented as a tree, while a concept map might have several main concepts and involve more complicated network relations. MindManager 2002 ($99), eMindMaps ($29.99), and MindManager Personal Edition (freeware), all from the same company, are programs based on the Buzan approach.

Still, a mapping program can sometimes be helpful, for example, when making repeated revisions to a given map, especially if the revisions are minor or the overall map itself would be tedious to redraw. Moreover, a recently created international software standard (ISO/IEC 13250:2000) for so-called Topic Maps may improve the inter-operability of concept mapping software, which has often been the preserve of proprietary formats that are incompatible with one another.

One free and well-executed mind map program is FreeMind, which requires Java 1.4 in order to operate. One advantage for regular users: because it runs in Java and stores maps in XML rather than a proprietary format, the resulting maps can be moved to a variety of computers. Another mind mapping tool worth considering, more flexible than the Buzan approach, is ConceptDraw Mindmap ($69 academic). Programs with other approaches include B-liner, Personal Brain, and Writer's Blocks.

B-liner ($150; 30 day trial) diagram notes in a hierarchy, then add hierachical spreadsheets ("grids") or diagrams (Warnier/Orr diagrams) of complex processes. Very easy to begin using, but new users should probably back up frequently to work around mysterious crashes. Diagrams re-format automatically to accomodate new information, branches of the hierarchy can be flexibly collapsed. Does not allow more than one tree within a single window. Diagrams sometimes don't work well on low-resolution monitors of less than 1024-768. Older version B-liner 98 was free for educational users until mid-2003, also when price for B-liner 2002 jumped from $80; ask Varatek at info@bliner.com about possible educational discounts.
ConceptDraw Mindmap ($99, $149 Pro; academic $69, $99 Pro). Can have more than one central idea. Can brainstorm in outline, then convert the result into a mindmap. Includes vector drawing tools (as in Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw) unusual in this category, making for more flexibility in ability to manipulate branches and annotate maps. Pro version has tabbed pages for managing multiple maps within a single file, export to pdf, import/export with PowerPoint, import Outlook tasks. See ConceptDraw compared with MindManager, MindMapper, VisiMap, and Ygnius
HyPerform ($149) Multipane outline editor with hypertext and group collaboration features. "It is not easy to learn, but it is easy to use." DOS-like interface probably drives away some prospective users. Founder of the company, N. Dean Meyer and Associates (NDMA), traces roots to his time at Stanford Research Institute (SRI).
Inspiration 6 ($69) diagram and outline views; icons within the program and marketing often target secondary school teachers. 800-877-4292; available for $59 from Campus Tech 800-543-8188; $50 from journeyed.com to students only.
Literary Machine (free) mind map and outlining tool, originally for creative writing, can also be used as a general information manager; LM Software User Group
MindManager (21 day trial; 1-877-Mindjet; 1-408-848-1699) Making pretty mind maps just keeps getting more expensive though MindManager Personal Edition (freeware) still from at least one (ftp) site. The entry-level Smart ($30) version has been discontinued, and the standard edition edition pricing is available only for educational users ($99 and $149). Overview of the three versions: non-educational prices are $199 and $299; also Mind Manager Mobile ($49) for Palm or Pocket PC devices. Various add-ins also available. For all its increasing prominence in this segment, at least as a business application, this program still lacks flexibility: diagram must center on one idea and must be constructed in a circular fashion around that one idea.
MindMapper ($30, Standard $60, Professional $120; academic price for Professional is $60) several older versions plus the newest Pro version of mapping software; the more expensive version include features for remote conferencing
Nestor ($40; 60 day trial) Internet Explorer plug-in that draws maps of visited links and allows annotation of the maps
PersonalBrain 1.74 ($49.95; TEL 310-829-3776); 30 day trial, maximum 100 thoughts. Spider-style maps; see their WebBrain search page for a full-fledged example. The trial version opens every time you start your computer, and it may affect (interfere with) some toolbar applications. In March 2000, Natrificial/TheBrain was granted at least 2 US patents ("method and apparatus for displaying a thought network from a thought's perspective": No 6,031,537 and 6,037,944) covering a style of interface similar to a traditional mindmap. Critics feared that the patents could kill certain web pages such as Lucid, Everything2, WikiWeb, or that it could be extended to cover other mindmap applications, or even databases themselves.
QuestMap ($89; 30 day trial) decision-making maps allow user(s) to ask questions, explore options, analyze pros and cons; no technical support by phone or email and no recent updates.
SemNet 1.1 (call 619-594-2427 for price) semantic networking tool, network of concepts linked by named relations; provides quantitative analysis of the knowledge structure generated; beware of bugs in version 1.1 Beta 14
VisiMap 2.5 ($117; academic $82; 30 day trial) and VisiMap Lite ($45; 14 day trial). See the VisiMap vs. VisiMap Lite product comparison. Can import/export with MS Project and Project Kickstart.
Visual Mind v2.6 ($99; 30 day trial)
Writer's Blocks ($149; 10 day trial, with export function disabled). View work in outline format or in columns of easily-moved blocks. Excellent tutorial. Plenty of formatting options within the program (color, font, etc.), but imports and exports only .txt files.
Writing Room (free) creative writing program modelled on computer game interfaces instead of mechanical typewriters
Ygnius ($145)
Brainstorming programs seek to go further than concept mapping programs: they actively seek to stimulate ideas, not just map them. For example,

Axon Idea Processor 3.2 ($135, $160 w/manual); has sentence analyzer as well as mind map, concept mapping, 3-D imaging in up to 500 levels, creative writing using multiple windows, questions generator
the online version of Roger von Oech's original 64-card Creative Whack Pack (free) and his more recent Creative Whack page
Idea Generator ($49.95; DOS only; Windows version promised) 1-800-678-7008
list-based stimulation from MindLink or Idea-Fisher [Pro edition $379]
MaxThink ($195; 30 day trial) Acclaimed hypertext visionary Neil Larson has finally undertaken to move this DOS favorite to Windows. "To enhance high-level thinking, MaxThink provides more than 60 thinking modules, a programmable text editor, and an advice system." Requires lots of system resources to run, especially on older versions of Windows. Larson offers toll-free telephone product support while he continues to develop the Windows version.

MANAGING INFORMATION

Notetaking: outlining rough drafts; managing miscellaneous notes; clipboard extenders

A good basic notetaking program such as InfoMagic (free), TreePad (4 versions), MyInfo ($34.95) or a composition tool such as RoughDraft (free) not only gets the scraps of information off your desk, it

The second biggest drawback is that most programs in this category are notorious for instability and losing important information, especially as data files get larger. Regular backups, whether provided by the program itself or something you set up using other software, are especially important.

Two kinds of notetaking programs exist. Those with a one-window (single-pane) workspace, such as RoughDraft, PC Outline for Windows, or, more elaborately, Brainstorm, are essentially composition tools: they are most likely to help you outline and develop single projects. Users of DOS-based programs such as Grandview 2 or MemoryMate often insist that Windows-based offerings have never quite equalled their predecessors. Existing programs do have limitations or drawbacks -- some of which are listed in the table below.

Programs for outlining, rough drafts, managing note cards with citations (typically a single-pane workspace)

program, price, trial period	limitations, drawbacks	features
RoughDraft, free	imports only Word 6.0, Word 97 files, not newer;	sophisticated two-pane tool, with either files, snippets, or commonly used words and symbols available in the second pane; includes rich text formatting and exports .rtf
Mega Hyper Edit; ($10). Stitch your notes into a running logbook, and save them to one continuous free-form data file.	not flexible; notes have no structure apart from the order entered	Good for precisely one type of notetaking: maintains a contiguous list of notes, stored in rich text file and loaded automatically on program start-up. Entries are either typed in or pasted, and each entry is appended to the previous entries, with a dated separator bar inserted to help keep them in order. Tray icon. Built-in to do list and address book.
Microsoft OneNote ($49 educational; $80 on amazon)	few features and over-priced for basic notetaking; anemic search capabilities; no viewer for sending files to computers that don't have the program; needs a powerful external microphone for the potentially useful audio notetaking to function effectively; handwriting recognition still a work in progress; cannot create tables	Relatively cheap option for transcribing lecture or interview notes: allows sound recording simultaneous with text note taking. Allows somewhat awkward handwriting (on tablet PC). Using multiple tabs makes this somewhat like a 2-pane browser. Handles lots of rich text formatting.
PC Outline for Windows ($40)	many features simply duplicate those in word processors	includes rich text formatting, 10 levels, more control than a word processing outliner
NoteGenie ($49) trial version limited to 20 cards; refundable within 30 days after purchase		3 sorting levels (Keywords, Topics, Groups); the Manage Files function allows manipulation of more than one card at a time.
Knoesis Index Card Lite ($49) 60 day trial; Pro version promised in 2003	An incomplete, but potentially valuable tool for managing lots of quoted text and linking that quoted text to its bibliographic source (only four types allowed: book, journal, newspaper, web page). No easy way to browse, much less manipulate, more than one card at a time. Program cannot export more than 1200 cards at once. Although notes can be exported to an rtf document, export is not seamless, cite-while-you-write: some clean-up of the imported material is necessary since there's no way to set preferences for the export. No help file included with version 1.1, and only minimal help on the sometimes slow-loading website.	For people who use paper notecards extensively to manage quotations or notes from printed material. Can link each note to one or more subject and keyword headings; handy list of publishers allows subsequent material from the same publisher to be accessed by pull-down menu rather than re-typing. Uses Open Database Connectivity Standards, and pledges "We will never use proprietary standards or technology to limit how widely a researcher can disseminate information." Not a general notetaking program, but seems promising as a specialized citation manager, especially if the Pro version (price only by email inquiry) integrates as promised with the Endnote bibliography program.
BrainStorm ($65)	no rich text formatting, exports to .txt files for use in a word processor; automatically places each paragraph in a separate entry (though pressing shift+enter allows paragraph returns within a single entry), with maximum 64,000 characters per paragraph; the publish as HTML command leaves the word "BrainStorm" embedded on your page; During March 2002, Norton Antivirus identified the "Uninstal.exe" file as a backdoor trojan; BrainStorm said this was a false positive and that Norton definitions after 22 Mar 2002 no longer give such a warning.	solid single-pane outliner (and one can open more than one window simultaneously for jumping between different parts of an outline) for composing and manipulating rough drafts; most distinctive: automatically (using "Namesakes") or even manually (using wildcards) creating hypertext links between identical pieces of information, thereby allowing for many lateral linkages absent in traditional outlining; use the paste special (Paste Formatted) command to retain original paragraphing; "Magic paste" can be used like an integrated clipboard extender; publish to HTML
Scholars Aid ($74); 60 day trial	Notetaking functions are subordinated to the bibliography program, so not particularly useful for non-academic notes.	Basically a bibliographic reference manager, but allows notetakers to attach bibliographic references to their notes, and then insert the notes together with the references into a paper.
NoteMap ($150) (904) 273-5000	expensive higher-end outlining tool marketed to lawyers by legal software company (Casesoft)	can Mark specific items and then Gather those items in a new location for further work; Task Pane on the left holds a list of all outlines and can be used to create templates for new outlines

By contrast, programs with two window panes -- i.e., those somewhat resembling the Windows Explorer internal file manager, with a hierachical outline in one pane and the content of individual notes in a second pane -- are more likely to be used to manage a wide variety of miscellaneous, often unrelated, information. Two-pane notetaking programs such as Treepad Plus, TexNotes, or MyInfo are also known as "notes management" programs.

Of course, notetaking programs are by definition more limited than all-purpose information managers [later section below]. Some notepad programs (the only example listed here is Textpad) are designed to handle programming languages; see dmoz for examples.

Another route to notes management is to buy a bibliographic program that includes notetaking, e.g., TakeNote! ($35), Endnote 6 ($99 academic), or Nota Bene. See bibliographic software in a later section below.

Programs for managing miscellaneous notes (typically a two-window workspace)

program, price, trial period	limitations, drawbacks	features
Keynote (free)	few drawbacks; cannot export/print entire tree as a single rtf document; cannot import/export entire files (though it can export individual notes or nodes to html); imports html only as txt files;	rft editing, including "virtual nodes" that allow editing of rtf files NOT held within the Keynote datafile; strong encryption; unlike most outliners, can maintain several tabs, each with its own tree and editor, inside a single file
TreePad Lite 2.9.4; free; see chart to compare with Plus ($30), Safe ($35), and Biz ($44) versions	Lite version does NOT preserve hyperlinks, lacks rtf; maximum recommended Lite text database is 15 Mb;	built in backup function; searching of all files or one note; import from .txt and .csv files; export to .txt or .html files; generates statistics about each subtree. Can use this program to move non-rtf files from MyInfo to TexNotes.
TreePad Plus ($30; 21 day trial), Safe ($35), and Biz ($44) versions	maximum recommeded text database is 40Mb	Established program, and competitors often include TreePad converters; includes .rtf import/export; handles images; autosave at designated intervals; a variety of free Treepad utilities allow export to XML, Palm, Psion, Pocket PC, CSV (for export to spreadsheets and databases)
NoteKeeper (free) NoteKeeper Pro ($20)	requires Internet Explorer 4.1 or higher	Pro version adds 128-bit encryption.
InfoMagic (free); Info Magic Extra ($19.95, trial expires after 3 months)	free version has not been updated in years; freeware download takes place in DOS
Golden Section Notes ($25)	icons for folders and notes look too much alike (similar shape and color); reordering notes is somewhat clumsy (no easy way to promote-demote, drag and drop only works when creating a child note, not a sibling)	handles rtf, pictures; folders summarize information about notes (are not merely unusable screen, as in Infoseek)
MyInfo 2 ($35) 40 day trial; freeware version 1.9 is no longer available	When MyInfo added new features in 2002, it adopted the same $35 price as others in this category, probably deterring potential users who needed fewer features from considering what is an especially outstanding tool; still no on-screen "floater", and the new tray command for entering a note without opening the program, while perhaps better than nothing, takes two steps and isn't especially useful; limit of 65,000 separate notes per outline. Drag and drop works, but it separates the url name from the url address and displays both separately. Keeps history of last 9 notes viewed during a session but erases at close. Advanced search merely lists the notes where a searched term appears without highlighting where the term is within each note; relevance ranking for search results often merely ranks every single item as 100%. Doesn't support copy-paste of hyperlinks or web page formatting from non-IE browsers.	fast! full-text searching; flexible export (file: save copy as) of file, branch, or individual note to to rtf, HTML, txt; uses previously saved hierachy settings when program re-opens; flexible autosave including whenever the window is minimized; can open to last used note; unlimited storage per note; can build multiple notes using pre-formatted and custom templates. Dispenses with the "folder" metaphor: (unlike Infoseek or TexNotes) every entry at every level can contain notes. Can put hyperlinks anywhere, including in the tree outline. "Jump to Page" for moving more quickly within the program, and a tool for inserting multiple template blanks at once. Version 2 adds ability to handle rtf formatting, images, OLE objects from MS-Word or Excel; can clone notes in order to place duplicates elsewhere in the outline; comments on outline items; password protection; can categorize each note using up to 64 mostly user defined fields (columns); can sort notes using up to three fields.
TexNotes ($35); 60-day trial; no freeware version. Similar to MyInfo, but with more features. Price has jumped from $15, but the program is also much improved.	TexNotes files are about twice as large as MyInfo files; program can zip files for smaller size, though that will slow performance on larger files. Default places notes in folders (called "notebooks") that cannot themselves be edited to display user-determined info; instead, the company's ad appears within each folder, along with a count of the number of notes in the folder. Moving multiple items remains somewhat clumsy. Drag and drop still doesn't preserve hyperlinks, even if the link is highlighted before dragging. A potentially distracting plethora of options display in the default install, but the View command can be used to conceal unneeded options. History of recently viewed notes erases at close. Doesn't preserve hyperlinks or web page formating when copy-pasting from non-IE browsers.	fast, with several features absent from MyInfo: 1) contextual search results (i.e., displays some of the words in the line of text where the searched term appears) 2) tabbed note history for returning quickly to recently viewed notes 3) preserves hyperlinks and web-page formatting when doing copy-paste from the IE browser -- though not from Opera or Mozilla 4) a regular screen/narrow screen toggle to facilitate drag and drop from other windows 5) a calendar tool that can append an unlimited number of reminders to specific notes 6) zoomable print preview 7) flexible options for headers and footers. Like MyInfo, can open to last used note; rtf formating; flexible auto save (but not at minimize to tray); imports rtf, html, doc, csv (databases), Treepad, and Keynote files; export as RTF, HTML or plain text; copy and paste hyperlinks (only in IE). Can be used to produce a distributable e-book (which runs as a self-contained .exe file on the recipient's computer); offers a forum where users can discuss bugs;
MyBase ($35)		rtf, WebCollect addon allows web pages to be saved directly from IE
Note Center ($12)	no rtf; individual note size limited to a few MB;	web-oriented notes program; saves in pseudo-html (.hnc) format; works best when saving from or posting to HTML pages
Action Outline ($25); 30-day trial w/limited sub-items	no italics, bold, or underline; control-k to insert links (no drag and drop, no copy and paste); no automatic or manual alphabetizing; opens last used outline only with all subfolders closed; no auto backup;	especially simple keyboard shortcuts (enter to start a new sibling; insert to start new subnote); full-text search; cut and paste branches within a file; automatic titles within the body of each note; export to HTML using a free add-on; many formatting options when exporting and when printing; autosave
Textpad ($16.50)	not possible to organize notes into folders, just a single list of notes, though creating a Textpad Workspace works ok for single projects	a two-panel (actually three-panel) text editor with many features -- e.g., autosave; backup before save; line numbering toggle; flexible sort; join lines; compare files; spelling check -- lacking in the notepad program that comes with Windows; nonetheless, files save as txt rather than a proprietary format (just like notepad): can be used to edit web pages or as a programming IDE;
AlfaPad ($20); 30-day trial	can print only one note at a time; no backup; autosave only if closed; "branches" can't have content, only "notes"; no child notes directly under other notes; drag and drop moves hyperlink address but not the hyperlink name;	can open to last used note; rtf formating; full text search; export as text or HTML; password protection; 60-day money back guarantee;
Secure Notes Organizer ($30); 30-day trial	only opens to root setting; no autosave; no auto backup; search feature disabled in trial version	rtf formatting; security features; global search; daily diary functions;
Data Collector ($29)	download site doesn't always work	rtf editor; claims 100 MB data files work smoothly, with larger possible
Vault ($25); trial version holds only 100 topics	no italics, bold, or underline; no copy and paste of hyperlinks; drag and drop moves hyperlink address but not the hyperlink name; note insertion is clunky, requires three steps; maximum 16 MB/note;	autosave; powerful full-text searching; emailer; phone dialer; hyperlinks active via a button; exports to html, txt, xml; optional password protection; opens to last viewed note; backs up previous version when saving
Skwyrul PRO v4 "careware"; free; Those who find the program useful are asked to make a donation to charity.	puts the words "new data note" at the beginning of every note; no auto save when closing; Scratchpad function is less flexible than a drag-and-drop "floater"; prone to crashes on Windows 2K	Free; Scratchpad function can save all clipboard text without opening the main program; auto backup; includes commands for favorites, sub-texts, macros, hyperlinks, in-note data-grids, and a simple time planner. Can export the entire data tree (but not individual notes) to HTML.
Jot+ Notes 2.5 ; $25; TEL orders (724) 850-8187; from King Stairs Software (London)	max 1 MB (1 million characters)/note; large notes (over 200 KB) can be slow to load; no copy and paste of hyperlinks, drag and drop moves hyperlink address but not the hyperlink name; creating a new note requires 2-3 steps/note; all folders and sub-folders close each time the program is closed	unlimited overall storage; flexible autosave; flexible formating including superscripts and subscripts; option for display always on top; export (file: save copy as) an entire file of notes to rtf, HTML, txt; export to MS Word with a plug-in. Non-owners can access files with a reader.
Black Hole Organizer $24.95; 30 day trial	no copy and paste of hyperlinks; drag and drop separates the url name from the url address and displays both separately. Takes a few seconds to start; pop-up for naming new folders and new documents sends you to the middle of the screen instead of to the outline. After 30 days features in the trial version begin to disable at specific intervals.	autosave; has a "floater" (can insert any image); opens to last-used window; automatically tracks creation dates and date last modified; rich text formatting that includes highlighting; can handle images; export to txt and rtf (older versions exported only to .db and xml formats)
WhizFolders Organizer 4.2.2 ($15) and Whiz Folder Pro ($26); 90 day trial	"English spelling-checker, support for basic rich text editing--bold, italic, bulleted lists, indentation, paragraph alignment, color of text and background, insertion of pictures and OLE objects." Note that all these features are only supported in the new WhizFolder document types with the extension .wzfolder.	This file format also supports very large topic sizes. The Pro version continues to support the old .wzn file formats. You can also drag and copy topics from the old .wzn files to the new .wzfolder format files.”
InfoTree32v3.6; ($39.95) InfoTree32 XT; ($49.95); 30 day trial; disables after 45 days	both versions do NOT preserve drag and drop hyperlinks;	the basic version is similar to WhizFolders, but includes to do lists with sort by date; the basic version lacks integration with MS Word and is not based on a the MS Access database while the XT version includes these features
Personal Knowbase 2.0.1 ($39.95); 30 day trial; Bitsmith Software	lack of folders or other hierarchies	instead of folders, uses keywords (multiple keywords possible for each note) to organize notes; includes e-mail archives, tickler files; option to place notes in tree-like categories and subcategories

Do some comparisons: Tucows and other shareware sites continually list new programs in this category. Bad notetaking programs, e.g., most of the "sticky notes" programs such as Post-it® Software Notes or SuperNotes, lack most of the above features and merely transfer clutter from scraps of paper to the more scarce and constrained (two-dimensional) monitor space. If you really want a sticky notes program, DeskNotes 3.0: "The Ultimate Sticky Note Application" ($24.95; unlimited trial period) is better than most: notes can be organized into notebooks; it does arithmetic calculations from within any note in one step; handles image files; has lots of ways to customize the look of each note.

Some other notetaking programs, not recommended, are listed below for reference:

GETTING ORGANIZEDTo do lists, contact managers, scheduling software, web-based calendars