Author Topic: Your most used SPECIAL programs (Read 167045 times)

mwang · « **Reply #125 on:** January 02, 2011, 12:31 PM »

I guess it may be due to the lack of Unicode.
-Curt (January 02, 2011, 11:36 AM)

I don't have surfulater installed anymore so I can no longer test, but from memory clipping web pages with unicode content isn't a problem. As cyberdiva said, it's the search function that has unicode issues.

Curt · « **Reply #126 on:** January 02, 2011, 12:39 PM »

Just to understand better, do you have a knowledgebase open when you try that operation?
-cranioscopical (January 02, 2011, 10:30 AM)
do you need to have a file open in order to clip from the web? (just checking - it's not clear to me from the responses)
-tomos (January 02, 2011, 11:45 AM)

-oh... I had closed the "MyKnowledge"-tab.
Now I opened it and made a new clip, and all is well.

Hmm... MUST I really study the ####ing manual?!!

J-Mac · « **Reply #127 on:** January 02, 2011, 01:24 PM »

That's odd because I don’t have Surfulator start with Windows yet if I'm browsing and decide to clip a page to Surfulator I just right-click within the browser, Select All, then right-click again and click "Surfulator: Add Article Plus Page". That causes Surfulator to open and get the page copy.

Jim

cyberdiva · « **Reply #128 on:** January 02, 2011, 02:35 PM »

-I marked the article's text on this Danish page, and right-clicked Surfulater: Add new article.

Nothing else.

I guess it may be due to the lack of Unicode.
-Curt (January 02, 2011, 11:36 AM)

Hi, Curt. I opened to the Danish page whose link you provided, highlighted the article (did you do that?), right-clicked Add New Article, and Surfulater added the article, complete with all the Danish letters.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #129 on:** January 02, 2011, 02:53 PM »

Curt, I have finally managed to duplicate your "No Article Created" message. I did so by closing my KnowledgeBase and then closing Surfulater, and then trying to capture an article. You DO have to have a KnowledgeBase open in order to add an article. However, I never close the KnowledgeBase when I close Surfulater. Thus, like J-Mac, I can add articles without first having to open Surfulater. The act of adding an article will open Surfulater, and since my KnowledgeBase was never closed, it's ready to receive the added article.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #130 on:** January 02, 2011, 03:43 PM »

Just to understand better, do you have a knowledgebase open when you try that operation?
-cranioscopical (January 02, 2011, 10:30 AM)

do you need to have a file open in order to clip from the web? (just checking - it's not clear to me from the responses)

-tomos (January 02, 2011, 11:45 AM)

Yes, you do. It won't work for me without an open file.
I can clip from the page that Curt cites with no trouble at all…

Your most used SPECIAL programs

I just clipped this bit of text at random from the page and this is a screen grab of the result.

As a start, the thing to do would be File/open/MyKnowledge.Surfulater (assuming that exists… it's the default, I think)
or
File/New/[any name you want]

Hope that helps

[Edit for dumb typos]

Curt · « **Reply #131 on:** January 02, 2011, 04:41 PM »

Just to understand better, do you have a knowledgebase open when you try that operation?
-cranioscopical (January 02, 2011, 10:30 AM)
do you need to have a file open in order to clip from the web? (just checking - it's not clear to me from the responses)
-tomos (January 02, 2011, 11:45 AM)

-oh... I had closed the "MyKnowledge"-tab.
Now I opened it and made a new clip, and all is well.

-Curt (January 02, 2011, 12:39 PM)

cranioscopical · « **Reply #132 on:** January 02, 2011, 07:04 PM »

made a new clip, and all is well
-Curt (January 02, 2011, 04:41 PM)

40hz · « **Reply #133 on:** January 02, 2011, 07:58 PM »

Just to shift gears a moment: one new "special" app I've been getting a lot of mileage out of over the past year is something called Outline 4D published by Write Brothers Inc.

This truly is an outliner/brainstorming app "on steroids." (As their sales literature so aptly puts it.

)

Ostensibly designed for writers and writing projects, but I've also used it for website information design, project planning, and general creative tasks.

Not inexpensive by any stretch. But if it's the type of app you can see a use for, it's well worth checking out. I have yet to see anything equivalent that does half as much half as easily. Publisher List: $99 (Street: $89/box-$79/download.) Occasionally goes on sale at various seller sites so be sure to shop around before purchasing.

(Don't let the garish colors throw you. You can change them to anything you want.)

Note: This is one of those apps that you have to experience before you can grok all it can do for you. And it's also expensive and specialized enough that you had best try it out before you key in your credit card info. There's a 5-day trial copy download available here.

-----------
Obligatory disclaimer: 40hz is not affiliated with Write Brothers, Inc. nor does he receive any consideration for saying such nice things about their product Outline 4D. He found his copy on sale for $69 and paid for it just like everyone else does.

Curt · « **Reply #134 on:** January 03, 2011, 02:54 AM »

Just to shift gears a moment: ...
-40hz (January 02, 2011, 07:58 PM)

No, not just for a moment. Your post is on the right original track, Thanks!, this is what I intended the thread to be about :-)

Reading about the companies' many programs, I realize the hardest part to begin with may be figuring out what program I need. I have purchased quite a number of the kind that I don't use, because I never had the patience to thoroughly first study the market. The price tags on screenplay.com's products makes it important (for me) to pick the right version from the beginning!

However, I do like the idea behind their relative cheap "Word Menu", it sounds as a fine way to improve on my English-skills. The WhiteSmoke that I have, never really made any difference to me.

Tuxman · « **Reply #135 on:** January 03, 2011, 10:09 PM »

According to Wakoopa, my "most used" "special" programs besides browsers, media players, P2P stuff, etc. are PuTTy (KiTTy, to be precise), Comicrack and the Windows Command Prompt.

Given that these statistics are cumulative starting a few years ago, it says quite nothing...

J-Mac · « **Reply #136 on:** January 03, 2011, 11:07 PM »

Outline 4D looks interesting, but at that price I would want a bit longer of a trial version to see if it indeed would meet my needs. I have too often made a purchase thinking that the app looked like it would work for me, only to discover after really getting into it that it doesn’t. I wonder why the trial is so short?

Thanks!

Jim

Curt · « **Reply #137 on:** January 04, 2011, 03:07 AM »

http://www.screenplay.com/t-returns.aspx

All programs and books purchased directly from Write Brothers, Inc. include a full money back guarantee less shipping charges incurred on the original order.

Movie Magic Screenwriter, Outline 4D, and Word Menu have a 30 day refund guarantee. Dramatica Pro and Writer’s DreamKit have 90 day refund guarantee.

J-Mac · « **Reply #138 on:** January 04, 2011, 01:12 PM »

Now that sounds more interesting! In that case I might give it a try, though I still HATE to part with my money first and then try to retrieve it if it doesn’t work out.

Thank you.

Jim

rjbull · « **Reply #139 on:** January 04, 2011, 02:29 PM »

Just to shift gears a moment: one new "special" app I've been getting a lot of mileage out of over the past year is something called Outline 4D published by Write Brothers Inc.
-40hz (January 02, 2011, 07:58 PM)

40hz, is that as it looks, a single-pane outliner? That now seems rarer than two-pane, but looks to me better for writing documents as opposed to storing information. From their Web site, it sounds a bit like a subset of ECCO.

superboyac · « **Reply #140 on:** January 04, 2011, 03:04 PM »

AA!! 40hz...that 4d thing looks great. There are too many good options for outlining out there!

I'm trying to figure out the best way to do all the stuff necessary to write a story with. I like Liquid Story binder as an all in one package, but these outliners and stuff have certain things that are very nice. Between InfoQube, Onenote, Evernote, now this...I don't know. I shouldn't stress...I should just use what I have and wait for the need to arise.

Curt · « **Reply #141 on:** January 04, 2011, 03:12 PM »

http://www.screenplay.com/t-returns.aspx
All programs and books purchased directly from Write Brothers, Inc. include a full money back guarantee less shipping charges incurred on the original order.
-Curt (January 04, 2011, 03:07 AM)

Now that sounds more interesting! In that case I might give it a try, though I still HATE to part with my money first and then try to retrieve it if it doesn’t work out.
-J-Mac (January 04, 2011, 01:12 PM)

It gets even worse:

When returning a download only order, we ask that you call Write Brothers, Inc. directly so we may provide you with an Intellectual Property letter for you to sign which states you have removed the program from all computers.

When this letter is faxed to our offices at 818-843-8364, we will initiate the refund process within 1 business day. When calling, please have your order number and/or customer ID number ready so we may more conveniently service you.

They don't make it too easy.

40hz · « **Reply #142 on:** January 04, 2011, 03:36 PM »

Kind of insane, I'll agree. But then I have to consider what a lot of people who use this type of software are like. Last time I sat in on a workshop, I think there were maybe three out of 150 who weren't using pirated software. Most seemed to think it funny someone actually paid for their copy of Final Draft.

Sad.

40hz · « **Reply #143 on:** January 04, 2011, 03:48 PM »

Just to shift gears a moment: one new "special" app I've been getting a lot of mileage out of over the past year is something called Outline 4D published by Write Brothers Inc.
-40hz (January 02, 2011, 07:58 PM)

40hz, is that as it looks, a single-pane outliner? That now seems rarer than two-pane, but looks to me better for writing documents as opposed to storing information. From their Web site, it sounds a bit like a subset of ECCO.
-rjbull (January 04, 2011, 02:29 PM)

Yup. The rarest of rare birds these days. Single pane with hoist and collapse features (guess its called "folding" now) just the way the angels intended it. Haven't seen one of those since the days of MaxThink or Acta, have ya?

I own an old copy of Ecco. Used to be a big fan. 4D's not that much like it IMHO. It reminds me more of Acta than anything else except it has features specifically geared towards fiction writing built into it.

wraith808 · « **Reply #144 on:** January 04, 2011, 04:08 PM »

You've convinced me to give it a try, when from the beginning, I hadn't really paid much attention to it.

40hz · « **Reply #145 on:** January 04, 2011, 04:16 PM »

Be sure you do try it, and really give it a workout before you decide.

I really like the thing. My writing buddy friend (who is a far better writer than me) can't stand working with it. He's strictly an index card type of guy.

I think this is one if those apps you either love or hate. Like DramaticaPro and a many other writer's tools, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground with this stuff.

superboyac · « **Reply #146 on:** January 04, 2011, 04:20 PM »

Be sure you do try it, and really give it a workout before you decide.

I really like the thing. My writing buddy friend (who is a far better writer than me) can't stand working with it. He's strictly an index card type of guy.

I think this is one if those apps you either love or hate. Like DramaticaPro and a many other writer's tools, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground with this stuff.
-40hz (January 04, 2011, 04:16 PM)

40hz, what's your gut reaction to this question, you don't have to overexplain it:
Outline 4D vs. Liquid Story Binder ?

40hz · « **Reply #147 on:** January 04, 2011, 05:27 PM »

@Curt - the Writer's Store (www.writersstore.com) has an easier return policy. Standard 30-day if not satisfied, subject to any restrictions by the software publishers themselves on specific products - which are clearly pointed out on the website. They carry most products.

Good people to deal with. I shop there regularly and I've been very happy with the prices and their service.

40hz · « **Reply #148 on:** January 04, 2011, 06:11 PM »

40hz, what's your gut reaction to this question, you don't have to overexplain it:
Outline 4D vs. Liquid Story Binder ?
-superboyac (January 04, 2011, 04:20 PM)

Getting a little too long-winded for you huh? (Overexplain? Me?)

--------------

OK.

If I were buying only one thing:

I'd go with Liquid Story Binder if I were a fiction or dramatic writer that needed a central place to store my stuff, and some tools to help me create and keep it all organized.
I'd go with Outline 4D if I were primarily involved with story development and plot brainstorming - or if I were writing a complex book or TV series (e.g. Harry Potter, Alias, Lost, 24, MI5, etc.) where I needed to stay on top of numerous characters, multiple plots or subplots, and story elements.

So my gut? Most folks should start with LSB.

Does that answer?

superboyac · « **Reply #149 on:** January 04, 2011, 06:15 PM »

Excellent! OK, I'm going to stick with LSB. I haven't used it yet, but I will very soon, that's why i want to decide beforehand. Thanks!! No you're not longwinded, I'm just short-tempered...perhaps you deserve a superboy DC badge.