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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

DEVONthink: Integrated Information Manager

The latest release of DEVONthink [download] seems to scratch several itches I’ve been having lately. Specifically, I confess that I’ve been dashing (very unproductively) between a mountain of txt files, Mail.app, Entourage, two Moleskines, and an Instiki wiki trying to fashion the best solution for managing an amorphous collection of work, web, writing, and extracurricular projects. No single solution has been just what I needed, and, frankly, it’s been debilitating to try and maintain it all (Danny calls me the “patient zero” of productivity fads). It’s like tending rabbits, I tell you. While I know DEVONthink won’t solve all my problems, it looks very promising at corralling some of my thornier information management issues.

So far, I love the way that DEVONthink imports and manages stuff as well as how it draws informal but often rich semantic connections between documents. It has taken everything I've thrown at it so far (incl. Word files, photos, and Quicktime movies), and it still feels fast and stable (knock wood). I’m still getting my head around all the features and am still trying to find the best way to keep a database maintainable and well-organized, but I’m definitely intrigued.

I might also add—coming as this does on the heels of my reviewing two products that many of you found too costly—that DEVONthink rings up at just US$40 (further discounted for students). Given the power behind this app and the flexibility of things you can build with it, I find that gobsmackingly affordable.

So, DEVONthink nerds: if it suits you, consider sharing your thoughts on how to put the app to best use. I’m looking at you and your buddies here, Mr. Fred Reynolds. I know you guys have some pretty hot-rodded setups, and I’d love to hear how you do it. Ditto for good links to tutorials and tips on other sites. Also you can trackback this entry with posts about personal setups and novel uses you've found.

Patrick's picture

I've just gone through experimenting...

I've just gone through experimenting with a dozen different applications that fit the general outliner format. My specific need was for a program that would assist me in writing a non-fiction book.

After about a week of using multiple programs, DT seems to be the best choice. It combines the ability to write a book with multiple chapters and ideas (which at least half a dozen outliner programs do well - Copywrite, Hog Bay, etc.) along with a research tool that allows me to save snippets of data from various sources.

A lot of the responses here seem to be about the collecting and organizing of accumulated scraps. I have no interest in that approach. I plan to use DT as a tool to proactiviely organize both my writing and my research as I go along. There's no "extra" work involved - it's clearly going to save me work! For my needs (and the needs of many writers and researchers such as myself) it doesn't seem conceivable that this would be addressed as part of an OS X update.

I can see places where DT can be improved, but it's the best I've seen so far.

Also, DT allows you to link to data in other formats. This circumvents the issue of having your documents in proprietary format. It seems like extra work (haven't done it yet), but it's a way to the fix the problem.

 
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