I'd like to have a way to identify references that are present in one database, but absent in another. Right now the only way I have found to make sure that a database I am using is comprehensive is to fold several databases (that may, for example, be present on different machines) into one and then search for duplicates. This process becomes impractical very quickly and there is the problem of linked pdf files.
A nice option might be to offer synchronization of databases using iDisk, the way several other well-reviewed programs for the Mac now do. However, even a side-by-side comparison feature would be a helpful addition to Bookends.
Compare/synchronize databases?
The most relevant example is probably NetNewsWire. I use it to monitor journals that offer tables of contents in the form of RSS feeds, which many major science journals now do. The program updates search results every time it is opened and closed using a .Mac account or an FTP server, so that whenever I open it on any computer connected to the Web, I can pick up where I left off: every title I've already seen or flagged for closer examination is correctly labeled, article titles posted since the program was last launched are marked as not yet seen.
OmniWeb and Safari also synchronize automatically, but this is mostly bookmarks and settings. In addition, Adobe layout programs now come with a feature called Version Cue, which allows multiple users (on multiple computers) to work on the latest version of the same file. There are probably others - like File Maker - that handle databases, but I am not very familiar with them.
In Bookends, I imagined that databases might be selected for synchronization the way playlists are in iTunes, with at least one, say "recent papers," accessible from multiple computers.
OmniWeb and Safari also synchronize automatically, but this is mostly bookmarks and settings. In addition, Adobe layout programs now come with a feature called Version Cue, which allows multiple users (on multiple computers) to work on the latest version of the same file. There are probably others - like File Maker - that handle databases, but I am not very familiar with them.
In Bookends, I imagined that databases might be selected for synchronization the way playlists are in iTunes, with at least one, say "recent papers," accessible from multiple computers.