Macintosh Note Managers
...and how I choose software
Since I began using OS X, I've been looking for a note manager—something to not only take the small snippets of information that I was collecting, but also larger pieces of information like PDFs and web archives. When using OS 9, I was satisfied with ScrapIt Pro and QuickScrap, but, when OS X was released, other applications began leaving my previously favored applications behind. I've looked at a couple of the contenders over the past two years, but it's only been recently that several have really caught my attention.
How I choose software
When I begin to look for a piece of software to fit a need, I have several criteria: function, or how well the product's features meet my specific requirements; form, or how the product looks (the interface); intuitiveness, or how well I can use it without looking at a manual; and stability.
Function
I need a note manager that will handle plain text, styled text, pictures, PDFs, and web archives. If it handles audio and video, that's just a bonus. I want it to encrypt all or some of my data, since I want to use it to store information that I want to restrict access to. I want to be able to get information in and out of the application quickly. And I would really like to be able to sync the data to another computer or a Palm.
Form
How the app looks is extremely important to me. Unless I can't possibly use another product, I will not use an ugly application. I'm a Mac user, and Mac users—by and large—don't put up with shoddy-looking products. I truly do judge a book by its cover; I figure if a developer cares how the product looks on the outside, he takes care that it works well on the inside.
Intuitiveness
A user shouldn't have to work hard to figure out the basic features of an application. Menus should be logical, toolbars should have commonly used items, and the workflow (e.g., key commands and drag-and-drop operations) should be similar to other applications. If I need to read the manual to learn about advanced features, that's okay, but I should feel comfortable with launching the program and beginning to use it without reading any instructions.
Stability
It goes without saying that a product should be stable. It should never lose data and it should never, ever crash. Features should also work as advertised. There is no excuse for an application that is released with blatant bugs. There are legions of computer users that are willing to beta test a product—putting it through its paces to shake out its faults—for the promise of a free copy (or just a mention of their name in the credits), so why not use them?
The search begins
If I'm looking for Macintosh software, my first stop is at MacUpdate.com (Version Tracker is another software directory, and includes Windows software). A quick search (in this case, on "notes") gives me a list of apps that may or may not be appropriate for my needs; browsing through the summaries helps me pick out a number of possibilities.
As I next scan the descriptions for each of the possibilities, I'm looking for several things. First, what is the current version? (Is it a new or established product?) Second, what is the date of the most recent version? (Is the developer serious about maintaining and supporting the product?) Third, what are others saying about the product? While the reviews on a site like MacUpdate.com tend to be shallow and often unprofessional, they do give me an idea of how others view the product—particularly if the reviews and comments are heavily weighted for or against the application.
Speaking of reviews, I tend to read computer-related sites for real reviews by real users. For my search for a note manager, I ran across a review on The Unofficial Apple Weblog that pointed me to some applications I would not have considered. http://www.tuaw.com/2006/07/11/get-organized-a-survey-of-digital-junk-drawer-apps/
The real test, however, comes when I download a trial version of each of the products to put them through their paces. I don't download directly from MacUpdate.com; instead, I follow their link to the developer's website for the download. This gives me the opportunity to view screen shots before downloading and to see if there is a user community that supports the product. It also doesn't hurt to see how the developer "packages" the product. (It's that whole "judging a book by its cover" mentality I have.)
The Contenders
Okay, enough about my methods; let's get to the contenders themselves. After downloading a trial of each application, I matched each against my four criteria. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
DEVONnotes [1.9]
Function: Limited. No private notes; handles PDFs, but no web archives (although it has an integrated web browser for viewing bookmarks and—inexplicably—a webcam viewer).
Interface: Average
Intuitive: Confusing
Bugs: None found
Additional: Has a number of features to protect your data: verify, repair, backup and optimize the database
DEVONtechnologies: 150 hour, full-featured trial; $19.95.
DEVONthink Personal [1.9]
I originally didn't look at this product, but while completing my initial review I realized that DEVONthink might fit my crieria. Unfortunately, although it does handle web archives, it suffers from the same average, non-intuitive interface of its sibling.
DEVONtechnologies: 150 hour, full-featured trial; $39.95.
Dossier [2.2]
Function: Limited. Locks folders, but not individual notes; no web archives; no PDFs. More suited to journaling, although there are better journaling programs.
Interface: Average
Intuitive: Average
Bugs: Crashed while in background
Vortimac Software: 30-day, full-featured trial; $19.00.
eNotes [1.3.0]
Function: Limited. No PDF or web archive storage.
Interface: Ugly. No preference for removing system menu item. Floating window fades and slides out of the way when not the active app, but window is still obtrusive.
Intuitive: Yes, if only because of its limited functionality
Bugs: Clicking floating window's title bar does not activate window
Additional: Floating window fades and slides out of the way when not the active app, but window is still obtrusive.
Mosquito Software: Limited-feature (no saving) trial, $14.95.
iOrganize [6.2.1]
Function: Average. Handles PDFs, but converts web archives to RTF. Must decrypt notes to view (which requires you to re-encrypt the note to keep it private).
Interface: Average
Intuitive: Average. Highlight button does not toggle highlight; fumbled a while until I found menu command to Remove Highlight. Initial toolbar sparse.
Bugs: When quitting with a previously unsaved document, iOrganize prompted me to save the document (which I did), but then did not quit until told once again to quit.
Bruno Blondeau: Full-featured trial, $19.95.
Journler [2.0]
Function: Password protection, encryption of entire journal or individual notes; handles web archives (integrated browser) and PDFs. Uses categories and keywords (tags)
Interface: Above average
Intuitive: Above average. Needs something to indicate you're viewing a specific date
Bugs: Crashed when attempting to import a PDF a second time
Additional: I really started liking this app more and more as I started trying to find things wrong with it
Philip Dow: Donationware ($20 suggested).
kip [1.0.1]
Functionality: Limited. Only handles PDFs.
Interface: Excellent
Intuitive: Excellent
Bugs: None found
Additional: "iPhoto for your documents." Okay, the only reason I put this in the list is that I think it's a cool app for managing PDFs and paper that I've got piled up around here. And it's free. You don't need a scanner, but if you have one kip will help you scan and tag your paper documents. I can't wait to see how this evolves (OCR and auto-tagging are on my wishlist)!
Ironic Software: Current version is free, later versions will cost something.
MacJournal [4.0.4]
Function: Limited. Can lock and encrypt journals (folders), but not individual entries. Blogging features, including templates. Handles PDFs, but web archives are handled externally.
Interface: Above average
Intuitive: Above average
Bugs: Maybe this is a feature, but it creates a journal entry when you click on a date in the calendar.
Additional: Many features great for journaling and blogging. Only site that required I provide personal information before downloading a trial version.
Mariner Software: 15-day, full-featured trial; $34.95 (download).
Mori [1.2.2]
Function: Limited. No locking of document or encryption. Handles PDFs, but converts web archives to RTF.
Interface: Average. Large topic pane, but mostly blank if you use the hierarchal folder list to select topics.
Intuitive: Average
Bugs: None found
Hog Bay Software: Full-featured trial; $27.95
myNotes [1.2]
Functionality: Limited. No locking of document or encryption. Handles PDFs, but converts web archives to RTF.
Interface: Average
Intuitive: Above average
Bugs: E-mail [note] switches to Mail, but that's it.
E-mail notes, syncing notes to iPod
Mishimo: Full-featured trial; $15.95.
Notae [1.1]
Function: Limited. No locking of document or encryption. Handles PDFs, but converts web archives to RTF.
Interface: Average
Intuitive: Average
Additional: Tags! However, when filtering by tags, there's no indication the results are filtered
Code Poetry: Full-featured, 28-day trial; $15.00
SOHO Notes [5.5.2]
Functionality: Excellent. Handles PDFs (links to original) and web archives. Private notes are protected by a single password and are automatically hidden when quitting.
Interface: Excellent.
Intuitive: Excellent, except that you cannot add note until at least one folder is created
Bugs: Enable Sync Log on by default, although instructions say it should usually be off. Setting a note's label has no effect and default labels disappear at some point; after editing labels, assigning labels works. Label button text (in toolbar) sometimes does not enable. Cannot read the title of sticky notes when they're open in a separate window. Cannot delete created folders (attempting to delete a sub-folder moves it to the top level). DockNote doesn't work on my machines. "Default" folders not created at initial startup.
Update: While completing this review, Chronos released version 5.5.2. This release fixed nearly all of these bugs from 5.5.1, leaving the Sync Log setting and the label button text issues to be fixed. Also, the intuitiveness issue was fixed, since the default folders were created.
Additional: Only app in this list with an installer; rather scary to watch it dump 1500+ items on my hard drive. .Mac, iPod and Palm syncing. Imports from Address Book for linking notes to contacts. Set alarms for notes, although there is no list of pending alarms. E-mail notes. No smart folders. Bookmarks load in place in embedded browser. Database backup and restore is available, as well as user control of databases in a multi-user environment. Cannot assign keywords and only one category (by label) can be assigned.
Chronos: 30-day, full-featured trial; $39.95.
Voodoo Pad [1.2]
Functionality: Limited. Handles PDFs, but web archives are linked to original file.
Interface: Excellent
Intuitive: Above average. Removing decryption listed only in manual.
Bugs: More of a clarification needed in the manual: hold the option key down when clicking the OK button in the decrypt dialog to remove decryption. Some users (like this one) may read the manual's instructions as "hold the option key down while selecting Decrypt."
Additional: Wiki software. Encryption stays with page until removed. Free (lite) version available.
Flying Meat: 15-page, full-featured trial; $29.95.
WikiNotes [1.1]
Functionality: Limited. Handles PDFs, but not web archives. No encryption.
Interface: Above average
Intuitive: Poor
Bugs: Cannot select more than one word to create a link. Interface (menus, about dialog) riddled with unfinished elements ("Quit NewApplication")
Wiki software. Don't bother.
Michael Biebl: Free.
Yojimbo [1.2]
Functionality: Excellent. Handles PDFs and web archives. Notes can be encrypted and saved passwords (one of Yojimbo's collections of data) are automatically encrypted.
Interface: Excellent
Intuitive: Excellent
Bugs: None found
Additional: Cannot create smart collections. Bookmarks do not open in place. Cannot assign keywords and only one category (by label) can be assigned. Cannot e-mail notes. .Mac sync. Bookmarks, passwords, and serial numbers collections (templates for common data); would love to see these data types extended to any desirable template.
Bare Bones Software: 30-day, full-featured trial; $39.00.
My Take?
So, what did I decide? If I was looking for wiki software, I'd go with Voodoo Pad; if journaling software, I'd choose Journler. In the end, my requirements, both in terms of form and function, nearly left me with only one choice.
Yojimbo is a 1.x product with a very polished finish, both on the surface and under the hood. I found no bugs and the interface was very intuitive. That's not to say that it couldn't be improved. Several things Yojimbo could borrow from other applications include an integrated web browser; a navigation bar for PDFs (and web pages); custom icons for collections; and Palm syncing. Oh, and better tagging and categorizing.
SOHO Notes started out a close second, but soon it was easy to see that while it looked like Yojimbo, a number of bugs were lurking just under the surface. I'd accept these bugs in a 1.x release, but not a fifth-generation product. (To be fair, version 5.5 integrates a discontinued product, StickyBrain, into its feature set and may be suffering from the transition.)
However, with the release of 5.5.2, Chronos answered my objection and SOHO Notes pulled ahead with the features I'd wanted for Yojimbo. Still, SOHO Notes would benefit from better tagging and categorizing, as well as encrypted notes (which are always encrypted when not being viewed). In a last-minute decision, I went with SOHO Notes.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of information to organize.