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1526

General Software Discussion / Re: Awesome article re: organization and notetaking

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 21, 2009, 04:17 PM »

I liked the article, Paul.  Are you trying to denigrate anyone who happened to like the article just because you happen to dislike it? Really? Do I really have to justify to you what I liked??  Hmm... I do think there is a term for that.... 

OK, OK. Settle down - I was just messing with you a little! 

Jim

-J-Mac (January 21, 2009, 01:21 PM)

Haha, yeah you got me.

I haven't read it all, but it seems to discuss the relative merits of information organization techniques:
1- Hierarchy
2- Search (no organization)
3- Tags
4- Faceted

My own IQ does the first 3 and "could" be modified do the 4th also.

-PPLandry

Yeah, PPLandry, it does but I was referring more to the reasons given.

For example in that hierarchy section, the author was talking entirely about tree-lists. If that weren't bad enough, he used a poor example of a tree list to argue about the problems of a tree list.

But yeah, what Jim said. I'm not trying to denigrate anyone. Just curious to what you guys see so I can understand what needs improving in this guide or whether I can suggest or write a better one for those people who really need this sort of thing but whose needs don't match up with what the article provides.

1527

General Software Discussion / Re: Awesome article re: organization and notetaking

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 21, 2009, 12:12 PM »

Thanks for the OP who referred to this link. That said, I'm just wondering what's so special about the stuff written there?

I just skimmed the topics and while they have some ideas people might not have read before, I think overall the ideas were flawed in that they skim over the benefits of a well organized feature and use a poor example of it as a straw man to look down upon the features they criticize.

I'm not sure anyone wants to read a long detailed critic of the article and I'm far from a productive organized notetaker so I just want to know what impressed you guys about the article.

1528

General Software Discussion / Re: Carbonite Online Backup

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 21, 2009, 12:04 PM »

I think online backups are just not viable at this point.

I thought Carbonite and Mozy were good enough too until I searched Google for Carbonite Sucks and Mozy Sucks.

1529

General Software Discussion / Re: Is there a way to directly write notes onto the Windows desktop?

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 21, 2009, 11:55 AM »

What I'd like to know is how anyone can stay productive with keeping their desktops blank.

I just don't see how you can be productive at cutting your focus between icons and the texts when you're in the desktop.

It seems that if you really want something in front of your monitor, using a real sticky note is much more practical and if you want something fast, a tape recorder or scratchpad besides the monitor is even quicker.

1530

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 19, 2009, 12:07 PM »

Edvard, you might want to consider Sidux then.

It is kinda the Linux Mint to Ubuntu of Debian.

http://www.linuxques....-debian-sid-683436/

1531

General Software Discussion / Re: List of newbie questions regarding software

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 19, 2009, 09:11 AM »

Ok, anyone know any app that cuts the text to the core points?

Seriously, I have WAY too many people not replying in any of my topics as much as I expected them to be. Just a recent example is the Opera topic I made in DC.

1532

General Software Discussion / Re: REQUEST: Add input to a topic I made in Opera's forum

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 18, 2009, 01:53 PM »

Yeah, SeaMonkey has always been the popular alternative Desktop Suite to Opera.

I'm also curious what you did because I know many who don't dwelve into the details of Opera think SeaMonkey is a good alternative to Opera but I found that often times, it's because they don't know or appreciate Opera's more hidden features and what they liked about SeaMonkey can also be pretty much found in IE shells like Maxthon pre-installed. (except of course they can feel comforted that SM has no association with that bile browser called Internet Exploder)

Sorry if I come off as an Opera elitist. Really I'm just a casual user who happens to find SeaMonkey too limiting when I tried it and who feels that Deer Park would have stolen the project's thunder if it were more stable and available today.

1533

General Software Discussion / Re: REQUEST: Add input to a topic I made in Opera's forum

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 17, 2009, 11:04 AM »

fenixproductions, can you explain to me how that link is relevant to this thread?

As far as I know, it's an old thread who's update isn't so much relevant to what was previously written about it and who's issue was more about the way IE allows for MS to monopolize the OS rather than anything about Opera having a lite version.

1534

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 17, 2009, 08:45 AM »

I think it depends on usage. Ubuntu is sometimes not the best for trying out Linux because it hides stuff rather than introduce stuff to Linux.

PCLinuxOS possibly is more friendlier due to it's ability to look like Windows. (Although it's a crap shoot between it and Mandriva)

Mint is better in that it's an improved Ubuntu.

Sidux is much closer to Debian than Ubuntu is so it's probably more convenient for things like portability since it sticks much closer to the Linux model.

Puppy saves it's settings on a pupsave file so it's much easier to load off something removable as it was designed for that. Just put QEMUPuppy on a removable drive and you have your desktop environment.

There are probably other Linuxes that are much easier not in a pre-configured way but in a "if you follow these advises, you understand more of how Linux works so you can do unorthodox things with it" like Gentoo and LinuxfromScratch.

1535

General Software Discussion / Re: Complaints about Direct Access Text Expander Taking Ideas from Others - Split Topic

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 17, 2009, 07:14 AM »

app103, great post but if I may interject, (from my perspective) I think BartelsMedia is not so much objecting the decision for legality but for the ethics behind the decision.

He's not giving us reasons to not use the other products because he plans to sue them. He's opening awareness for a possibility that his product is specifically being targeted by another developer as their model without them working on anything new on their part.

With ReactOS, you know the developers are trying to reverse engineer Windows. Everyone who looks up ReactOS knows that. With his product, he may fear that it isn't popular enough that people won't be aware that another developer is seemingly copying his application feature per feature. Not just on similar shortcuts or interfaces. Basically when he releases a new feature, soon that feature goes into the other product without any new addition.

I think he just wants some clarification on this so users won't be wondering who made what feature first.

1536

General Software Discussion / Re: REQUEST: Add input to a topic I made in Opera's forum

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 17, 2009, 07:04 AM »

zridling, yeah the summary is on the topic title. I tend to write things where I try to introduce the core idea and then move on from there. (Although as I said in a reply to this topic, I kinda just typed this one up and see what kind of idea went out)

This is the one paragraph summary:

At it's core, it's re-opening a discussion about Opera-lite. A former popular thread in the forums about creating a Lite version of Opera.

The rest below are just explanations for why the one paragraph summary is not possible and how the title already achieved that summary more than any one paragraph can.

I then explained why I was against the idea but why I'm starting to have second thoughts and maybe there's something to having it right now.

I pointed out two applications' current strategy that made me change my mind. Google Chrome and PrevX Edge.

The rest are just my reasons and explanations as to why I'm not necro-posting an old suggestion thread but rather trying to bring a different light after recent events with these two applications and many users' reaction to both applications' strategy in introducing their products. (from my perspective)

I don't really know how to shorten it anymore than that. As you can see, even this summarized version is longer than the topic title but still just explained the intent of the topic title. It's really the details and background that separates the thread from the old pro/con reasons for a lite version of Opera.

If you took those out, 99% of the discussion will just go back to how the old threads were where users say "Yeah, good idea!" and "No!!! Waste of resources. Bad idea!"

but this thread is not about that. It's about all the little things that happened that changed the course of both my opinion and the case for and against this old thread. It's about the way PrevX Edge is connecting to it's users from it's old model. It's about how Chrome connected to it's users regardless of many power users disagreeing with it's direction. Unfortunately, you still need to read the whole thread for that.

1537

General Software Discussion / REQUEST: Add input to a topic I made in Opera's forum

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 17, 2009, 04:05 AM »

I know some people here have some bad experiences with Opera's forum and it can feel like shouting at a wall but I was thinking if maybe you guys could add some outsider's input (both positive and negative) to this topic I made in Opera just to jump start it a bit.

Here's the link: http://my.opera.com/...ndpost.pl?id=2866781

Here's the copy and paste version of the contents in the link:

Re-visiting the concept of Opera-Lite (discussion topic, not a suggestion)

Hey everyone. It's been awhile.

I know it's an old issue and even though I haven't been on this forum in a while, I bet most Opera users feel this is set in stone. I'm not really here to force the issue but rather re-open interest in it and (hopefully) if there's still people interested in this, a much clearer wish-list can be made.

I don't know if anyone knew since I didn't participate in the threads of the past nor was I active in the forum but I wasn't for the concept of an Opera-lite and I did agree with many who sided against it stating that Opera's resources could be better focused elsewhere. I still have the same opinion so what changed?

PrevX Edge and Google Chrome.

One thing I can say about Google Chrome is that I was quite surprised by the reception it got even though I felt it did alot of things on the user interface and feature introduction side that I always wanted Opera to have and I think I suggested before. Not exactly the same because as I said, I wasn't for Opera lite but I did make a topic before (if I'm not mistaken) suggesting that Opera do the following:

1) Minimalistic interface by default and take advantage of Opera's ability to present itself differently with multiple toolbar/mouse settings by providing the classic interface, a FF interface and an IE7 interface. I didn't exactly have Chrome's interface in mind but I wanted a default interface that has another button that rather than hide all toolbars through fullscreen, hid everything but the menu bar and re-enabled it by default.

2) Better documentation that showed how Opera's MDI works (pre-Chrome, FF didn't really market this)

3) Highlight Opera's hidden features while keeping it un-obstructed from a user's PoV (better interface again)

Well hindsight is twenty-twenty and I'm sure most hardcore browser fans (whom probably are most of Opera users) would say that Chrome is overrated and the reason for it's marketing was because it's from Google, the media darling and the minimalistic interface was due to Chrome's lack of features.

I don't disagree with that but I'd just like to insert the possibility that maybe Chrome also got more marketshare because Chrome understood what it wanted people to have where as Opera's desktop focus had seemed to be to try and maintain it's existence on the desktop while creating a business from it's mobile market.

I didn't mean to make it sound negative and this isn't so much a criticism of Opera's general marketing as it is tied with Opera's way of marketing it's interface quirks. What I'm trying to say is that maybe Chrome also got a boost because when it showcased it's MDI, it emphasized that it was there. Not just because it was fast but that from both the marketing and interface perception, it was something that was convenient for casual users. (power users probably understand this and wasn't quite impressed)

To add to this, they used this to propel the feel that Chrome was "light" and they did this with a simple illusion that Chrome's way of inserting tabs to a window looked more like a light on resources box being moved to it's own frame or in front or behind another boxed thingy with a tabbed interface. In that sense if you were a person who didn't know of MDI before, Chrome made you feel that even if you didn't need it, you still had a light on resources browser. It connected the interface design with the marketing intent rather than separated it after the product/feature was released.

From a stability point of view, it was riskier. From a new product though, it made quite a statement because it allowed the hype for it's feature to brew while kept it ambiguous and un-important for power users that it took awhile before it sunk in for Firefox users to copy it and by that time, Chrome had generated enough interest that people not only knew but respected that Chrome influenced Firefox to change it's course or that Firefox was stealing Chrome's features and that Chrome was good enough.

Many will point out that Chrome's release wasn't picture perfect and rosy like I'm painting it and they would be right. Privacy issues, lack of extension support, buggy stuff. I'm not denying this but I'd like to suggest that the fact that Chrome is still generating interest today and have even retained marketshare without providing anything new is a testament to how well Chrome was introduced rather than the reverse idea that Chrome did so poorly at launch and it was only the Google name that got it here. To cite proofs, I'd like to point out how both Chromium and IRON don't have as much recognition as Chrome despite Chromium also being under the Google banner.

Anyways, this first part isn't so much to criticize everything Opera and say "they should have listened to me or other users" (Chrome certainly didn't seem like it did) or how great Google is at generating interest for products but just to point out that Chrome appeared to have approached things where both the marketer, the developer and the userbase interaction seemed to be in line to create a finished impression of the product.

1) The marketer seemed to have understood what was needed to create rising interest for Chrome because they both introduced features that didn't generate a want with most people interested in concept ideas but enough to create interest in following Chrome's development.

2) The developer side seemed to have understood what the userbase might want as a single purpose browser not only from a usability point of view but from a differentiating from others in the market point of view.

3) The userbase interaction seemed to be considered as Chrome's release features peaked enough curiosity in a single pack that even with all the power users crying "no extensions!" "FIrefox can do more!" "Opera can do more!", few really cared at that point. Chrome wasn't fabulous but it delivered and that was good enough

Even if you disagree with all this, can you deny the fact that if Chrome would get dropped by Google tomorrow that it generated more progressive interest in it's capabilities than any new Opera versions that got released? I'm not talking about launch interest, I'm talking about post-launch interest maintenance. Even right now, Chrome is pretty much dead as far as bringing in new features from it's launch yet it still baffles power users as to what Chrome users sees in it and the Chrome users who stuck with it, just use it.

Meanwhile even though Opera's default interface is now darker *cough* flashier and it did a good job of adding a + besides a tab (which seems most FF users wanted compared to the beta way, FF did it), it had to do so at the price of annoying it's current user base by switching better keyboard shortcuts in favor of something more similar to Firefox's default and how big of an increase did it get? Ehh...not much.

This doesn't mean Opera 10 can't steal the thunder yet. It does however hint that Opera still seems to be trying to play catch-up rather than forge ahead with attracting casual users.

Ok, so where does PrevX Edge come into play?

Well if you haven't been monitoring Wilders Forums, you might not know anything about it.

It is however stealthily gaining interest in the forum. This shouldn't surprise many people since Wilders is known for trying anything new security related. What is surprising is how PrevX is getting discussed in the forums. This isn't just some person saying the new PrevX Edge is great and works well. It actually has some members talking about what's good/bad/useless about it. In essence, it is creating interest for it's new product outside of it's main turf.

Now I'm not a marketing expert but I think the blame can be pointed out to one culprit: branding.

PrevX 2 according to some users was good but if you're a casual surfer like me, chances are you wouldn't have heard much about it compared to the main staples of AV products. PrevX Edge has seemingly gotten people interested about it even though people didn't pay much attention to PrevX 2 anymore.

That much isn't surprising. New products get talked about.

What's surprising is the direction and reasoning PrevX are saying which are getting them props from even the most scrutinous of users.

See, Edge didn't just change 1 or 2 things to PrevX 2. It actually took out some features from PrevX 2 that expert power users wanted while improved upon the simplicity of it's core interface and pressed a reset button that allowed them to re-invigorate interest in the application. In that sense, it didn't just feel like PrevX Edge was a new product that got updated, it felt that even PrevX developers attitude got updated to appeal and answer to not only it's old userbase but to new people that might fit under it's core userbase. Simply put, PrevX changed it's branding.

Now security apps and browsers are obviously different and many will say they are too different to be compared together and I'm not trying to do that. Instead, what I'm trying to say is that Opera's branding has gotten so poor that to non-Opera users, they're not interested in it.

Sure, they see new skins. Sure, they hear of new shortcuts and new features. Sure, they are excited by the changes and are already thinking of new ways to better market Opera BUT...

Opera still seems to be the same. It doesn't give you that new vibe. If anything, the changes seems to be alienating the old users who wanted an alternative browser to Gecko/Firefox browsers

Why is this? I can't answer that for you. Nor for me.

I don't want Opera to always stay the same because it got where it is because it introduced new features that were never seen before.

Yet, I don't want Opera to be so different that it's default feel is like using Firefox with no extensions but with slightly better speed. (That casuals won't notice since they don't open lots of tabs)

Instead, I want an Opera that didn't drop it's ad AFTER Firefox already made a foot hold in the marketplace.

I don't want an Opera that got sync capabilities AFTER Foxmarks is well known.

I don't want an Opera with Widgets AFTER Firefox had established a large collection of extensions already.

It's not just what I want, I'm just trying to point out some of the things I see that are still reminding people that they are using "Opera" the brand that cries "complicated" in the browser marketshare. (and not all of them are bad)

1) Panels - I like panels. I like having one place to see Notes. I like having one place to see Transfers. I like how easy it is to move tabs with the Window panel. I'm not saying Opera should remove panels. I just think that maybe Opera should release a panel-less version that actually tries to improve on it's notetaking capabilities and it's torrent capabilities (if they want) and their tab moving MDI ease capabilities.

Yes, I'm saying Opera shouldn't go backwards and settle for less features that Opera fanboys would point out to as being easily hidden if you don't want it to. I'm saying Opera should forge ahead but maybe it's time it re-branded a Lite version that actually can be a breeding ground for them to test and introduce new features casual user might appreciate without the pressure of it having to flow with the suite. Yes, that's what alphas and betas are for but this isn't just a case of a new feature. It's also about branding and marketing at this point.

If you have a Lite version that introduce and removes features, people tend to appreciate both the new features and demand the old features that were in the full "Opera"-branded version of the browser. This creates appreciation in the new userbase for start bars, bookmark stars and a whole other lists while they're there rather than when it's gone and it's too late to get them back and people are rationalizing how great the new features are compared to the old and thus killing demand

2) More custom search/toolbars/mouse settings/skins/greasemonkey pre-inserted and less default user interface - Yes, asking in the forum works but do they help you sell and make your first impression customer appreciate the way Opera handles this? No, it doesn't. This could also usher in an appreciation for Firefox's way of displaying add-ons. Yes, they aren't add-ons but it still doesn't mean it doesn't become easier to discover what special features a browser have pre-installed. Not only will it help in reviews but it will also generate interest in existing Opera features and help motivate people to contribute to Opera. (for the chance to get into the default choice of features) It's basically a feature cheatsheet for the casual users.

3) No to flashy stuff - Yes, power users may love them but it just confuses casual users and distracts them from more important Opera features. No Widgets (or if you do, add the good ones by default and leave it at that), No cascading, tiling, dancing tabs that highlight what MDI is capable of (if casual users are to be expected to see Opera as a "focused on browsing" browser, then they shouldn't be risked seeing eye candy when they try to explore instead of actual browser functionality), No more unnecessary style sheets (Yes, contrasts are great but outside of these, what do most casuals see except a browser that changed their "magic window to the internetz")

Again, to clarify, these aren't so much suggestions as much as me trying to give the impression that there are ways Opera can be made to feel different without changing it's looks or moving things around. If anything the Ribbon has taught us (as much as I hate it), it's that hiding and showing things can go a long way more than just packaging and giving users a choice to configure a software to their preference.

That's also why I'm saying Opera-lite. I don't want these features removed. I'm just trying to create an extreme contrast so that I can provide a less mainstream but might possibly be more valid rationale for why Opera is not breaking ground as much as Firefox and Chrome. This doesn't mean I'm right...or that I'm wrong. Just that maybe as a community, it's time to consider this and that life isn't just always "Opera fails at marketing" or "If websites fixed themselves for Opera, people will appreciate it" or "If Opera hid some features, that alone would not scare users away and they would come flocking by"

1538

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 16, 2009, 03:00 AM »

Oh sorry. From my lack of technical know how point of view, there's very little difference between BSD and Linux. 

1539

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 15, 2009, 10:55 AM »

Hey, don't look at me. I'm not a Mac fan either. 

1540

Living Room / Re: What may you be missing?

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 15, 2009, 10:52 AM »

Curt, the wrong passion. Guys like the example above couldn't get where they are if they didn't have passion but passion manifested the wrong way is like a poor man in his attempt to both cut down practice time as well as get listener feedback played heavy metal on an urban environment at the crack of midnight where everyone just wanted to get some rest.

With the right amount of luck, he would still get enough listener feedback or even get a party started which would motivate him further to practice and hone his skills.

But,

the most likely thing is that he'll get neighbors shouting at him to go to sleep.

1541

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Songsmith

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 15, 2009, 02:21 AM »

Haha, oh come on. It's not bad. Have you guys heard any of the Disney Channel's songs? They're way worse! 

I say give Miley Cyrus SongSmith and I might just tolerate Hannah Montana.

1542

Living Room / Re: What may you be missing?

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 15, 2009, 02:05 AM »

Ok, it seems everyone wrote what I wanted to add so I'll opt for a jerkier perspective.

The reason few payed attention isn't just a flaw with demographics but also because all music is overrated in general.

Yes, music is an acquired taste and you have to understand it's structure to fully appreciate it but at the same time it's only really valuable if you have never heard of it before and felt something special about it.

This doesn't mean all music is bad inherently, just that all music is based around a structure of nostalgia. Even the creation of music requires one feeling "special" upon hearing and combining the right sounds.

Because of this inherent structure, if you took all the marketing and consumer packaging away from any music, it's only sound. Just like if you took away the points and stats in basketball, it's just a game of putting a round object into a small circle. Sure, some people will like it but it's inherently not going to motivate anyone to feel special about their AND1 dribbling skills or Larry Bird-like shooting accuracy.

Music, without the right marketing or the wrong passion, is just...sound

One other thing that has been ignored was how the musician approached his work.

More times than not, people who get discovered in subways are more passionate about their playing with a decent capability in producing the right sounds that people walking by who might be interested get attracted to both the body language and the sound.

Musicians who come by and play some music in a place as if they came in to do their jobs often won't get noticed no matter how talented they are. Yes, a maestro might notice their talents but they rarely would ever string a large crowd along. Another thing to note is that people who want the people around them to enjoy their music tend to change their songs until they see a reaction. Even a talented musician can't just play a pre-set number of tunes in an environment where he's not pandering to a crowd but trying to appeal his taste to them.

1543

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 15, 2009, 01:22 AM »

@Paul:
It's still Linux, whether it's within the Ubuntu family or every other distro. I don't consider Ubuntu "the pioneer of spreading Linux to the desktop," but that's just me. Canonical has done a fine job of marketing "Ubuntu," and to a lesser extent, Linux. I just don't recommend it as a diving board for jumping into Linux. There are friendlier distros out there that give you the same OS under the hood, and a smoother ride than Ashley experienced in these posts.

-zridling (January 15, 2009, 01:08 AM)

Yeah that's what I meant. Before Ubuntu, marketing on Linux was based around pushing Linux. After Ubuntu, marketing on Linux finally! was about casual user familiarity and lower barrier of entry.

The problem with saying that there are friendlier distros out there is that for anyone not knowing any better, they hear the majority of Linux community cry Ubuntu. You could even recommend Linux Mint and explain to them that it's a much user friendlier version of Ubuntu and most newbies will still go for Ubuntu because that's what most in the Linux community claim as the smoothest ride.

1544

General Software Discussion / Re: List of newbie questions regarding software

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 11:13 PM »

Thanks for the clarification. I'll have to try it out sometime. Not too high on all-in-one apps so the motivation isn't here right now.

1545

General Software Discussion / Re: List of newbie questions regarding software

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 01:23 PM »

Not to sound slow kartal but what is it?

The implementation of Franklin Covey got me interested but the screenshots look even scarier than SQLNotes and my PC doesn't have much juice to handle a slow application. (It already hanged because I have Firefox, Chrome, ThinkingRock and Compendium opened at the same time)

1546

Living Room / Re: Controlling your mouse with head, eye and mouth movements

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 10:32 AM »

Zing! Ouch, another validation to the accusation of Ghacks scraping DC forum contents. 

1547

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 10:29 AM »

I think this topic highlights how marketing on the low end is still a quirky thing to do properly. You never know when the same incentives you used to draw a customer in is the same thing you need to gradually draw out or else the sudden transition will alienate most of your current users.

As it was written in the end of chapter 2:

Some people are better at starting a business than they are at running a business.

1548

Living Room / Re: Controlling your mouse with head, eye and mouth movements

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 10:19 AM »

Is this based on the same technology that software that was supposed to emulate what the wii did on the PC? I can't remember the name.

1549

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 10:16 AM »

Haha, you hit the nail right on the head. 

Unfortunately it's the bane that comes with ignorance, sometimes I need to tolerate these threads to become informed. Sometimes it's because of the links suggested by others and sometimes it's because they provide me with new search terms or extremist opinions to get a fuller picture of the issues.

1550

General Software Discussion / Re: List of newbie questions regarding software

« Last post by Paul Keith on January 14, 2009, 09:49 AM »

Hi, sorry I've been pre-occupied lately and haven't worked on the thread.

Two new types of software I'm looking out for:

1. Minimalistic Lightweight Tag-based Notetaker

As mentioned in this thread, Incollector isn't stable enough and Evernote is too bloated and search engine-centric to work well. Also Tobu has a flawed interface that could easily be worked on.

It would be even better if you could search/filter by tags from FARR.

2. Minimalistic Tag-based Micro-Journal software

I've tried doing this with Plurk but it's just too unstable and the search is too poor to do any decent filtering. Recently I've been doing this in Google Calendar but it isn't exactly made for re-visiting the dates of old threads. Outlook's interface is too busy and it is too heavy. Notepads are difficult to filter out and using a full fledged diary software is too distracting. Wikis can work but they aren't exactly tag-based easy to view either and again, too busy of an interface.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can suggest a better alternative.