Sonny Software

Hello Folks

Jon suggested I post my request in a separate listing so I could better feedback from you all.

I have been searching endlessly for a software package for the Mac that works along the lines of IdeaMason http://www.ideamason.com/ which is a software package for Windows. (I worked with the programmers to have it function with Japanese before I switched to the Mac). The program works along the logic and manner in which I prepare and write my own academic papers. Although I have tried to convince the folks at IdeaMason to do a Mac version, it is not on their list of projects any time soon. So, I was wondering if you or anyone else have any suggestions for what is available in the Mac world? Maybe Bookends is moving in this direction too? I am in the midst of doing my analysis for my PhD and need to prepare for a lot of writing ahead.

Jon has suggested Scrivener and DevonThink Pro. I have both of these as well as NoteBook. However, none of these really fit in with the flow of writing an academic paper. If you take a quick look at IdeaMason I think you will get an idea of what I am after.

Any suggestions would be happily received!!

Cheers!

Darren McDonald
Tokyo

Hi

I guess this is something some (many?) of us are looking for... and haven't found as yet. I'm just a lecturer and researcher who does quite a lot of academic writing, and a Mac user. So I might not get the technical aspects. These are some thoughts onn the matter.

I use DEVONThink Pro to sort and organize most of my research stuff. I'm looking forward to version 2 so it will handle properly Word and other docs, it will keep all files in the Finder and allow for a easy use of tags/keywords.
I use Bookends as my bibliography reference manager, although I try to keep pdfs in DT Pro.
I use Scrivener to draft texts, which I then "layout" and polish them in Word or Mellel (I like the latter a lot, but I have to share docs with people that use Word). Other people do that in Pages or NisusWriter Pro. It's similar to the workflow described here: http://homepage.mac.com/kvmagruder/hsci ... kflow.html by Kerry Magruder some time ago.

Each of these apps has great things, and room for improvement too. IdeaMason (which I only know from the tutorials on it's website) has some nice ideas for that.

But the need for some kind of integrated environment à la IdeaMason is still there. I guess that could be achieved (if it ever is) either by porting IdeaMason to the Mac/developing a new app from scratch, or by better integrating apps like DT, BE and Scriv.

It would be great to select a file in DT Pro and click a button to create a new record in Bookends, attach the file to the new record without moving it, have it try to autocomplete the data and let you do it if DT cannot. It would be great if you could drag a DTPro group or folder (a smart one even better) to Scrivener's Research sidebar folder and view the contents directly there. More or less the way Apple apps may access iLife's photos, video and audio "assests". And of course some interface "harmonisation" would help.

I'd let out the final retouching for Word/Mellel/Pages/Nisus or whatever. For that the main thing would be to be able to set some basic text structure in Scrivener or DT's word processor (which I believe is Apple's Text Engine), that is, headings 1 to 6, lists, footnotes, etc. and have them understood properly by Word/Mellel/Pages. From several posts in DT, Mellel, Scrivener and other forums, I collect the main bottleneck is in Apple's Text Engine and the use of rtf.

It be interesting if someone with better technical knowledge could elaborate on these ideas, to tell us if they are feasible or not, difficult or not, likely or not. (Well, likely is not exactly a technical question )

Any other ideas?

Regards

Manuel Aguilar Hendrickson

DEVONthink Pro is what you want. That, in combination with Mellel or Pages and Bookends or Sente does what IdeaMason does, and much more

Hi Folks!

Thank you danzac and hendrix for your contribution.

I have tried out the applications you suggested, but they still do not seem to match the power of IdeaMason.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions? Found any other information danzac and hendrix?

Looking forward to any information.

Darren McDonald
Tokyo

I've looked in detail at ideamason and am unclear on what it does that Devonthink doesn't. what is it specifically doing for you that you want out of a Mac program?

Has anyone tried Selenium?

http://www.stuffediggysoftware.com/selenium.html

I haven't tried it because it requires OS 10.5, but I'd be interested to know whether it is as good as it sounds.

Rolf