Is anyone using InfoSelect? Pros Cons please

[mike zimmer]

Hi,

I came across a some articles touting InfoSelect 7 by MicroLogic. It sounds like it might be a neat PIM to try, maybe even GTD configurable -- but I can't tell as they don't release a trial version.

It sounds like a commercial version of what avanderbilt is doing with a program called Tinderbox. (see the thread Any Mac Users Out There? page 2 in this forum).

I would appreciate reading about any user experiences with this software.

For that matter is anyone using Time & Chaos, or Above & Beyond? I'm just wondering about them as well.

Even though these aren't Mac programs, I still like to see what's out there and give my Virtual PC a workout!

Thanks, I guess I'm a software junky at heart

Mike

 

[ext555]

For info select --I'd suggest joining the info select yahoo group .

I think they're working on version 8 now --I monitor that group occasionaly --I used info select for a while in it's earlier days.

their upgrade pricing sounds a bit pricey -- 99.00 for users of the current version .

 

[tfadams]

InfoSelect is more of an information manager than a PIM, (like Outlook) in my opinion. It's similar to the now-defunct Ecco in terms of capabilities. They also have a Palm version but it's not included with the main program, it's a separate purchase.

It allows you to capture pretty much anything you could imagine (notes, documents, Web sites) in a tree structure. So if you typically take notes or store information in a hierarchical format, you may like it.

Here is the website:

http://www.miclog.com/index.html

Info on v. 8, which hasn't been out long, is here:

http://www.miclog.com/is/8/

 

[mike zimmer]

Thanks for the links.

I carefully read the micrologic web site and this program looks complicated. It does everything but your dishes!

Because I use a Macintosh, I would be afraid to commit to this program because I would always be running it under Virtual PC. I don't know how much of my life I can trust to programs running under an emulator.

Am I wrong?

Just wondering.

Mike

 

[tfadams]

You're correct in that the program does a lot. I can't comment on running it under an emulator with a MAC, but I'd probably have the same reservations you do

 

[pkdolphin]

InfoSelect Rocks!

This is a biased opinion. I have been using Infoselect (IS)for 2 years now and it is the closest thing that I could find to Ecco. Infoselect is great at retrieving bits of information. Before GTD, I used it to keep my daily journal and dumped a ton of bits and pieces of information into it. Now that I am using GTD, it is a great solution to have your reference information AND your NA/Project information instantly available.

I subscribe to the IS yahoo group and I hear a lot of gripes about the Palm synch capabilities.

I think you will be very please if you try IS. I only use 10% of its capabilities and can say that it more than pays for itself. In fact, I had a great example of how it helped me today. I wanted to purchase a book and my wife suggested that I check the library first. I was at work and didn¡¦t have my library card with me, but I simply typed in library in IS and bam! There it was, my card number and login information ƒº . The book was available and thanks to my handy dandy GTD ¡§want to read¡¨ list, I was able to get a bunch of books on my list, thereby maximizing my trip to the library

It is a great program and if you keep it simple, you won¡¦t have to deal with any of the deeper functionality. I use Outlook so I don¡¦t need any of the other capabilities.

Sorry for the long post, I just love the capabilities that this program provides.

 

[TesTeq]

Why InfoSelect?

InfoSelect is not necessary to gather bits of information on the Palm platform. The built-in applications and powerful cross-application search engine provide the same or even better results.
Best regards,
TesTeq

 

[Anonymous]

Re: InfoSelect Rocks!

This is a biased opinion. I have been using Infoselect (IS)for 2 years now and it is the closest thing that I could find to Ecco. Infoselect is great at retrieving bits of information. Before GTD, I used it to keep my daily journal and dumped a ton of bits and pieces of information into it. Now that I am using GTD, it is a great solution to have your reference information AND your NA/Project information instantly available.

I subscribe to the IS yahoo group and I hear a lot of gripes about the Palm synch capabilities.

I think you will be very please if you try IS. I only use 10% of its capabilities and can say that it more than pays for itself. In fact, I had a great example of how it helped me today. I wanted to purchase a book and my wife suggested that I check the library first. I was at work and didn¡¦t have my library card with me, but I simply typed in library in IS and bam! There it was, my card number and login information ƒº . The book was available and thanks to my handy dandy GTD ¡§want to read¡¨ list, I was able to get a bunch of books on my list, thereby maximizing my trip to the library

It is a great program and if you keep it simple, you won¡¦t have to deal with any of the deeper functionality. I use Outlook so I don¡¦t need any of the other capabilities.

Sorry for the long post, I just love the capabilities that this program provides.

Thanks for that feedback and I agree that it's a great program (and I've also heard the complaints RE: Palm synching). Have you upgraded to version 8? I was thinking about going back to IS, because like you, I found that there is nothing closer to Ecco.

 

[pkdolphin]

IS8

I am only using IS 7 and will upgrade to 8 when they come out with a non beta version. Version 8 looks like it has a bunch of little improvements

 

[akubacki]

InfoSelect version 1.0

I've been using InfoSelect version 1.0 (circa 1992) for years and years.

It is the best for filing and searching for the bits of data—GTD LISTS. It is the closest thing I have (electronically) to having an A-M, N-Z file system on my laptop.

I set up broad categories, like, “IDs,” or “URLs” I want/need to refer to but not often enough to have a bookmark/favorite in my browser. I have key information like Keyboard shortcuts, even recipes I find in a magazine.

I looked at the newer versions and I didn't need the bells and whistles. I needed a simple flat filing system that was easy to set up new "folders" and easy to search by key word. That is what InfoSelect 1.0 was designed to do. I’m keeping it!

 

[mochant]

Be cautious with VirtualPC

Thanks for the links.

I carefully read the micrologic web site and this program looks complicated. It does everything but your dishes!

Because I use a Macintosh, I would be afraid to commit to this program because I would always be running it under Virtual PC. I don't know how much of my life I can trust to programs running under an emulator.

Am I wrong?

Just wondering.

Mike

Be careful running resource intensive applications under VirtualPC unless you have an optimized system. You don't say what model Mac you are running but with the current version of VirtualPC I sugest a minimum of a G4 processor (500 Mhz minimum) and a minimum of 256 MB RAM (512 MB is much better). Defrag your hard drive before creating your PC container and make sure all security updates have been applied.

Finally, back up your data frequently. VirtualPC containers are somewhat fragile and file corruption happens. You can't run a disk utility on the virtual drives so it's a really good idea to have at least two backups - one pristine after installing the OS and apps and one with current data.

 

[mike zimmer]

Hi Mochant,

Thanks for the tips. I'm running a G4 TiBook, I can't remember the Mhz.

However, I'm giving running anything I use frequently under Virtual PC. It's just too slow. If I ever find an application that I just can't live without I will buy a PC!

Right now, I'm using a program for the Mac called Tinderbox. It calls itself a "content management" program. When I think that I have given it a sufficient trial, I'll post my results here.

Regards,

Mike

 

[mochant]

Yup... that's pretty common

Hi Mochant,

Thanks for the tips. I'm running a G4 TiBook, I can't remember the Mhz.

However, I'm giving running anything I use frequently under Virtual PC. It's just too slow. If I ever find an application that I just can't live without I will buy a PC!

Right now, I'm using a program for the Mac called Tinderbox. It calls itself a "content management" program. When I think that I have given it a sufficient trial, I'll post my results here.

Regards,

Mike

Mike:

I hear that a lot. As a "reverse switcher" (Mac user in PC/wolf's clothing), I can attest to the attraction of running all these cool applications natively on a PC. I've decided that running PC apps on a Mac only works if it's an occasional application. For your daily apps (what I call dashboard apps because they're always on), Virtual PC is a weak solution at best.

Although we primarily develop Windows software at my company, we do have a number of Macs (I have a G4 in my office and a G5 next door and we have a couple of PowerBook users). All of us have decided that we really need two machines - one for the Mac stuff and one for the PC stuff.

Good luck - I'll be interested to see your comments on Tinderbox.

--Marc