LF: Free brainstorming software

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken B.
  • Start date Start date
K

Ken B.

Looking for free brainstorming programs that are fully functional. I
have found a couple of demo's but nothing that is free.
 
Ken B. said:
Looking for free brainstorming programs that are fully functional. I
have found a couple of demo's but nothing that is free.
Click to expand...

I recommend Correlate, a most interesting application.

Correlate Personal (registerware)
http://www.correlate.com/correlate25/gettingstarted/index.htm

Note #1
I found it very helpful to start, very first thing, by going through
the sequence of short lessons in its "Getting Started Fast" helpfile.
The link above is an html version of that helpfile (GetStarted.hlp)

Note #2.
I've not got around to trying the last step.

http://www.correlate.com/correlate25/gettingstarted/lssn07_2.htm

It's what I see to be, hopefully, as the means to get your Correlate data
exported into a standard markup format. (??) If anyone tests, I'd much
like to know the results. Getting a personal account on their server, I
read that to be free of charge. What held me back was that I don't like
the type of labor associated with working through registration forms.
 
omega said:
"Ken B." <[email protected]>:
I recommend Correlate, a most interesting application.

Correlate Personal (registerware)
http://www.correlate.com/correlate25/gettingstarted/index.htm
Click to expand...

I quickly gave this a look. Some of the features are crippled in the
personal version, and it automatically wants to phone home when it starts.
(If you want the Internet features, there is no way to avoid this. . .)

A better option IMO is Brainbox at:
http://www.circle-of-excellence.com/_main/download.htm

I've used earlier versions and it was a very nifty program. The only reason
I don't use it now, is that there is little I can't already do with Word
that I can't do with this program. I suspect that if you have OO you could
adapt it in a similar manner. Still, it might interest people here. . .
 
I quickly gave this a look. Some of the features are crippled in the
personal version,
Click to expand...

Such as what?

I truly am unable to guess what possible you could find crippled. There
are not limits at all that I could see for one's personal needs. That
is, to create feature-rich knowledge maps, of any number, any size, any
complexity.

Naturally this is not to be compared with a large-scale commercial enterprise
product. The customers of Correlate Pro -- General Electric, Microsoft, IBM,
etc -- they would hardly expect such a thing in personal freeware.
and it automatically wants to phone home when it starts.
Click to expand...

Its initial start process is not smooth. First, it is mandatory to click
the "OK, personal version for personal use" button. Then the second thing
I do is close the browser pane.

That browser pane is the one that is automatically set, on startup, to
connect to their home page. Further, yes, phones home in that it does appear
to send your unique number to the server. When I launch this app, I tend
to be offline, get a DNS page error. About the same if you were to null
correlate.com in your host files, or configure a block with your firewall.

So step one is hit OK, and step two is close the browser pane. The browser
pane you're closing could be that preset correlate.com page online; or it
could be a DNS error page, if you've put null them in your hosts file (and
eaiser toggle, I think that firewall), or are offline.
(If you want the Internet features, there is no way to avoid this. . .)
Click to expand...

No, this is not correct. It is only its startup behavior that is bad. Once
those first two clicks at startup are done, all is norm. If you click a
hyperlink in one of your knowledgemaps that points online, the browser pane
will then reappear, and the connection will be made directly to the server
you want, just as with any browser; there is not any additional communication
there with correlate.com.

I can't say that the startup behavior is good and benign. But at least it is
startup only, it is not interwoven. What I am more interested in is what in
the world you could have found "crippled" (other than the start page)?

I know you said you only looked at this for a moment. Thus you would not have
been able to get an idea about the great array of what you can create (or
"brainstorm") with its unique document featues. Yet what is it you tried to
do that you found was missing/crippled?

.. . . .
A better option IMO is Brainbox at:
http://www.circle-of-excellence.com/_main/download.htm

I've used earlier versions and it was a very nifty program. The only reason
I don't use it now, is that there is little I can't already do with Word
that I can't do with this program. I suspect that if you have OO you could
adapt it in a similar manner. Still, it might interest people here. . .
Click to expand...

I installed this once years ago. One of the initial reasons I had no interest
was that it is 16-bit (win3x).

I follow the principle of avoiding 16-bit as far as it is possible. (No
16-bit unless it's can't-livewithout, such as my occasional brief use of
winfile.exe for special functions)


.. . . .

One other program to mention for the OP, who'd asked both for "brainstorming
software" together with, in a concurrent thread, "writers' tools," that would
be the one called Literary Machine.

I never took to LM, but if it has any fans here (and if the OP wasn't a
hit-and-run sort). then perhaps one of them might see fit to recommend that
one.
 
I quickly gave this a look. Some of the features are crippled in the
Such as what?
Click to expand...

I tried to publish to the Web (under File menu, IIRC) and met with some
message that told me I couldn't do that unless I had an account with them or
something similar.

Also, I couldn't change the start page to anything other than their home
page under setup. There were a few other minor issues.
Further, yes, phones home in that it does appear
to send your unique number to the server. When I launch this app, I tend
to be offline, get a DNS page error. About the same if you were to null
correlate.com in your host files, or configure a block with your firewall.
Click to expand...

I agree that it would be possible to work around the phone home issue easily
enough with a firewall.
I can't say that the startup behavior is good and benign. But at least it is
startup only, it is not interwoven. What I am more interested in is what in
the world you could have found "crippled" (other than the start page)?
Click to expand...

Don't misunderstand me. I wouldn't describe this as a bad program, or one
not worth considering. I'm not sure I'd describe it as brainstorming
software though -- I would classify it as project management software.
I installed this once years ago. One of the initial reasons I had no interest
was that it is 16-bit (win3x).
Click to expand...

The newest version is MUCH enhanced over the old version. It's a 32-bit
proggie that has expanded considerably in capability and usability (and
size) over the original. In fact, it's almost overkill in it's current
incarnation. As much as I liked it, I realized that I could dupicate most of
its capabilities in Word, which I already owned. So I don't use it anymore,
though I do recommend it.

I did test the Literary Machine at one point. Found it damn complicated and
not intuitive at all -- a fact acknowledged by the program's author.

Truth be told, I prefer to use Keynote. With it's RTF capabilities and
internal / external hyperlink capability it's very flexible and quick. Wish
it could do images but I work around that by "marrying it" with Irfanview.
 
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