Freeform Database?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Adkins
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Bob Adkins

Found a really simple software that is practically useless. It's like a
"freeform database".

http://www.geocities.com/jacinablackbox/SwNewO.html

However, the principle on which it works is very interesting. It's sort of
like AskSam for a text file of jumbled data that you collect.

You would end up with a large text file with random data, but the search
tool would bring it up and display it. Reminds me of what Google does with
the WWW. The unique feature is that the search window IS the main interface.

Does anyone know of a software that works similarly, but has better
functionality? And <ahem> without talking wizards, of course. :)


Bob

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Bob,

Please try "Scrapbook". This is my favorite piece of freeware.Data is
saved in "Cards" of your making instead of one big file and it has a
search function. I love it: use it everyday! It is definitely NOT
useless. It is written by Eric Nitzsche.

The link is home.pacbell.net/nitzsche/scrabook.html

SDL
 
sdl said:
Please try "Scrapbook". This is my favorite piece of freeware.Data is
saved in "Cards" of your making instead of one big file and it has a
search function. I love it: use it everyday! It is definitely NOT
useless. It is written by Eric Nitzsche.

The link is home.pacbell.net/nitzsche/scrabook.html

http://home.pacbell.net/nitzsche/scrapbook.html

This description reminds me of an old program called tn..something.
It was a predessesor to modern notes programs, and it had some kind of
hyperlink system. It was probably written before html was invented.

It was a decks of cards system, where cards where placed on top of each
other, decks could be re-sorted, maybe used the first line on each card as
title.

It was such a fascinating program, but incompatible with any operating
system newer than DOS 2.5 or so.. :-)

I used to try it every 3-4 years and found that it was not usable because
it crashed all the time, but I wished there was a working and modern
version of it.

I wonder if the author of this scrapbook program was inspired by that old
program. The terminology suggests that he may have been.

I can't even remember its name, tncards?, tndecks?, tn maybe stood for
turbonotes..
If I search though a sack with old 5.25" floppies in my summer house I
would probably find it again.
 
Bob,

Please try "Scrapbook". This is my favorite piece of freeware.Data is
saved in "Cards" of your making instead of one big file and it has a
search function. I love it: use it everyday! It is definitely NOT
useless. It is written by Eric Nitzsche.

The link is home.pacbell.net/nitzsche/scrabook.html

Hey, nice program!

Looks like it's easier to find notes than TreePad or KeyNotes.

Is it still in development?

I would like to see hot links, auto-save, and save and exit on pressing the
ESC key.

Did you look at Chatorg? Once you learn to ignore the annoying Wizard dude,
you just type in "find xxxxxx" and there it is. Another button or 2 and a
little more sophistication and you have a killer app there.

The great thing about Chatorg is the _search box is the main interface_.
That's pretty unusual if not unique to this type of program.

Bob

Remove "kins" from address to reply.
 
http://home.pacbell.net/nitzsche/scrapbook.html

This description reminds me of an old program called tn..something.
It was a predessesor to modern notes programs, and it had some kind of
hyperlink system. It was probably written before html was invented.

It was a decks of cards system, where cards where placed on top of each
other, decks could be re-sorted, maybe used the first line on each card as
title.

It was such a fascinating program, but incompatible with any operating
system newer than DOS 2.5 or so.. :-)

I used to try it every 3-4 years and found that it was not usable because
it crashed all the time, but I wished there was a working and modern
version of it.

I wonder if the author of this scrapbook program was inspired by that old
program. The terminology suggests that he may have been.

I can't even remember its name, tncards?, tndecks?, tn maybe stood for
turbonotes..
If I search though a sack with old 5.25" floppies in my summer house I
would probably find it again.

Ah, yes! Tornado Notes. Now known as InfoSelect. As far as I know,
neither was ever freeware.

Bob McConnell
N2SPP
 
Ah, yes! Tornado Notes. Now known as InfoSelect. As far as I know,
neither was ever freeware.

Just what I was thinking of. I guess Tornado is the first of its type.

Bob

Remove "kins" from address to reply.
 
Bob McConnell said:
Ah, yes! Tornado Notes. Now known as InfoSelect. As far as I know,
neither was ever freeware.

Exactly, now I remember the name.

I found it here now under the new name you gave me:
http://www.innovationtools.com/Tools/SoftwareDetails.asp?a=68

Unfortunately they don't offer a trial download of it. It would have been
fun to see what they have made out of old Tornado Notes.

It doesn't surprise me that it has survived and still exists, good software
ideas never die. They may be bought up, the name can be changed, but the
basic ideas are still there.

From the web page:
..........
"notes can be joined or divided;
notes can be moved around in a topic or from to topic;
notes can be sorted into piles (called hotspots);
notes can be classified under tabs with multiple tabs per note;
notes can be zipped off as e-mails;
notes can be linked, one to another to another, with those links being in
far distant proximity in the selector;
notes can be sent to new files;
notes can be colored - either the note title in the selector or the
background of the note itself;
notes can be marked as to do items or with checkboxes.

Powerful search capabilities

I believe the ability to search text has always been the compelling
attraction to InfoSelect. Text search is blazingly fast because all of your
InfoSelect notes are stored in your computer's memory. InfoSelect supports
both simple keyword searches, as well as powerful Boolean searches
(multiple search terms, used with and/or/not, etc.)"
..........

So that is why it was so incredibly fast, all the notes are kept in memory.
With todays multimegabyte memory that is probably a lot easier to handle
without crashes.
 
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