Tinderbox

5.0 stars

"The best organizational tool"

January 2, 2011  |   By Domino_k

Version: Tinderbox 5.7.1

Pros

Tinderbox has so many featuyrtes and possibilities and adapts to your needs. It's the perfect tool for notes, really!

Cons

Long learning curve. But there is no need to learn everything from Day 1.

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5.0 stars

"Best app for structuring thoughts. Nothing else like it"

September 16, 2010  |   By tonefonseca

Version: Tinderbox 5.6

Pros

Freedom to move notes around anywhere, multiple views go from spatial map view - to outline - to chart view etc. Really fast load up, can scale to an immense level of complexity and then back way out to help simplify it again

Cons

really the only con is that there is currently no simple way to collaborate on one of these files with someone else. web access would be huge. Also only for osx which can be tough in the workplace

Summary

For me the best thing about this app is the ability to spatially structure thoughts and plans. i hesitate to even call it mind mapping because it does much more than the standard radial hub and spoke mind mapping tools out there.

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5.0 stars

"An essential piece of kit for complex research projects"

September 9, 2010  |   By strickvl

Version: Tinderbox 5.5.4

Pros

Highly-customisable, I use this for most writing, brainstorming and research tasks in my everyday work as a historian. Allows me to keep track of the processes that are going on in my head in a more structured way. Can be as complex I like.

Cons

Steep learning curve, but that's to be expected from a product with so much customisability. Images for map-view would be appreciated, but I think they're coming. Very few cons, I have to say.

Summary

Absolutely worth the investment. Excellent online support on the forums and extremely useful weekends with other tinderbox users which really help in making it all work for the tasks that matter to you. Serious researchers using Macs should strongly consider getting this. If you're not using macs, consider switching over in order to use Tinderbox.

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5.0 stars

"I've used Tinderbox over a year and love it."

September 8, 2010  |   By smgct

Version: Tinderbox 5.5.4

Pros

Though it does have a steep learning curve, you need not learn everything at once. I found it can be used for simple things, and learning goes along with the ideas to take things further. I wrote stories in it, exported to html for website use.

Cons

I would say that the inability to include images is for me its biggest drawback right now. The other thing I'd like to see is guard-field linkability. And yes, it takes a while to explore and discover all its potential, but that doesn't preclude use.

Summary

I've found the Eastgate folk to be extremely helpful and courteous, and quick-acting when contacted. There is also a forum for help with the designers themselves checking in, and there are some great resources at the Eastgate site. They are constantly tweaking and bettering the program, which may be annoying, but it means that bugs are fixed, upgrades are made, and new versions are free for a year, very reasonable after that.

Overall, I think Tinderbox can be just about as simple or as complex as a project demands.

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3.0 stars

"Used to be a fan, no longer use it."

August 19, 2010  |   By plindsay.0

Version: Tinderbox 5.5.4

Pros

Links. Quirky charm, nice mindmap-style view and other views of notes, programmable links, friendly web-forum and email support. External files can be linked to notes within tinderbox file. Mac only.

Cons

Support is needed. Expensive. No longer any embedded images. No embedded anything. Few ready-made templates/examples to allow beginners to get started doing something useful. Frustratingly steep learning curve. Did I mention expensive ?

Summary

Potentially very powerful. But then so is C++. OK for enthusiasts but I'm not one. Buy it if you want a new hobby.

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1.0 stars

"Dusty"

July 21, 2009  |   By dressed2kell

Version: Tinderbox 4.7.1

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
This thing feels ooooooooold! PPC (rosetta only)? Wow!

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4.0 stars

"Great upgrade: much improved speed, flexibility"

March 18, 2009  |   By foaf

Version: Tinderbox 4.6.1

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
If you've held off on updating for a while, this version gives you several good reasons to take the plunge, including much improved speed and some fine-tuning in the agent and rule syntax. And given the current macroeconomic situation, this is a great opportunity to help your friendly neighborhood artisanal software designer weather the storm!

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2.0 stars

"The docs haven't been updated"

March 13, 2009  |   By Pygmalion

Version: Tinderbox 4.6

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Great new version with extended capabilities. Unfortunately the only thing that was updated in the manual was the version number on the cover. Bravo for trying to make Tinderbox easier and more consistent. But without complete, unified documentation, Eastgate is just making the learning curve even steeper.

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1.0 stars

"Tinderbox BC"

October 23, 2008  |   By jarlaxle.merc

Version: Tinderbox 4.5.3

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.

I excitedly purchased this application sometime around late 2004, early 2005. At the time Tinderbox proved to be a useful tool. Fast forward some three and a half years and the only sizable change is the price. The current version of Tinderbox isn't worth the upgrade amount much less the sticker price. Tinderbox has a knack for making less progress than a slippery snake on an ice rink.

Tinderbox is still as visually unappealing as it was over three and a half years ago. The Tinderbox interactive experience was more palatable back then, possibly because OS X was going through it's own aesthetic growing pains and Apple had yet to sever all memorable ties to OS 9 due to the Classic Environment. In addition to a modernized application icon I believe Tinderbox has blessed map views with a shape or two and maybe added a bevel or drop shadow effect here and there, but overall this is the pinnacle "Windows 95" experience available on the Mac today.

At the (June) 2005 WWDC Apple announced their move to Intel Microprocessors. Since then WWDC 2006, 2007, and 2008 have come and gone, meanwhile Tinderbox still only runs under Rosetta, Apple's dynamic translator. Rosetta enables applications compiled for PowerPC processors (e.g., G3, G4, G5) to run on Apple systems that use Intel processors. Apparently Adobe isnâ??t the biggest putz on the block, as previously crowned.

According to the TInderbox site, a Windows port of Tinderbox is currently underway. Anyone with experience using cross-platform products knows that there are few (if any) exceptions to the guaranteed, third-rate experience. Cross-platform applications are generally only as good as the greatest common factors (amongst OSes) allow. In other words the bar for highest quality across all platforms is lowered to the level of maximum capability of the worst constituent, and guess who usually ends up with the short end of the stick on this one.

These are glaring indications that the antiquated Tinderbox has no plans other than to remain thus. Long gone is any hope that Tinderbox will harness the insight of user experiences (along with that of itâ??s developers) and leverage the improved capabilities of underlying technologies (e.g., OS X 10.5) to advance the (now stale) ingenuity of what has become â??Bummerbox 4.5â??. All prospective improvements and innovations of Tinderbox features have been neglected in favor of producing overpriced books and chintzy ports.

The only remaining critical acclaim for Tinderbox is in regard to the incredible level of success their sales department has achieved. For despite an inability to hoodwink most people into buying such winkware, there was still enough talent to get the developers to buy into it.

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2.0 stars

"The Woody Allen of Outliners!"

March 16, 2008  |   By asaffer--2008

Version: Tinderbox 4.2

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Tinderbox is a bit like Woody Allen: kinda funny-looking, unconventional, but significantly more witty, deep and brilliant than any other comedy writer!

Tinderbox's mind-map interface is more flexible and powerful than MindManager or Scrivener, it's outliner is more powerful than OmniOutliner, and it's searches and resulting actions are more powerful than OS X itself!

The customer support from the developer is superb. Mark is a considerate genius.

The trade-offs are that the interface looks pre-OS X, and the learning curve is steep.

I resisted using it (and buying it) for a long time, and instead used Circus Ponies Notebook, OmniOutliner Pro, Inspiration, MindManager, and Scrivener. I don't use any of them anymore, now that I have Tinderbox, and I'm certain that I'm still only using 40% of the features.

The price is offensive ONLY UNTIL YOU USE IT. I could not imagine making films without Final Cut, which is expensive but incomparable. I could not imaging retouching photos without Photoshop, which is expensive but incomparable. And I couldn't imagine drafting everything from complex email replies to short films to university presentations without Tinderbox.

It is more than 'expensive but incomparable.' It is more than best-in-class. It is best in a number of classes.

It is the best textual content organiser on any platform.

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From CNET. Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

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Tinderbox v5.10.2 Mac OS X

From Avaxhome. Visit Amazon Software Center here

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Tinderbox 5.10.1

Tinderbox 5.10.1 | Mac Os X | 35 MB
Tinderbox stores and organizes your notes, plans, and ideas. It can help you analyze and understand them. And Tinderbox is a powerful but personal content assistant that helps you share your notes through the cloud and on the Web.

VISUAL
Tinderbox maps your notes as you make them. Build relationships by arranging notes, organizing them with shape and color, and linking them. Tinderbox lets you record ideas quickly and keep them where you'll find them again when you need them.

TIMELY
Tinderbox’s new timeline view creates wonderful, interactive diagrams to reconstruct events and plan projects.

SMART
Tinderbox gives you maps, timelines, charts, outlines, and more – and you can have many views open at once.
Tinderbox notes can have prototypes, saving you time and keeping your work organized. A note is just like its prototype -- except when you've said it's different. Change the prototype, and the change is inherited instantly.

ATTENTIVE
Tinderbox agents scan your notes continuously, searching for notes that meet your criteria. Agents can look for tasks that are overdue, or notes you need to complete, or topics that you find especially interesting. Tinderbox can automatically update notes from the internet.

SWIFT
Tinderbox handles thousands of notes with ease, and Tinderbox is fast. Want to make a note? Just type! Want to edit a note? Just click. Need to search? Tinderbox starts looking for the answer as soon as you start typing, and often finds your answer before you finish.

STANDARD
With Tinderbox, your data is yours. Tinderbox files are XML, and Tinderbox can create HTML, XML, RSS, OPML, and more. Tinderbox shares notes with with Simplenote for Web and iPhone access.
Tinderbox export is unequalled in flexibility. Everything is stored on your own computer: you aren't dependent on a distant server. Write anytime: on airplanes, in cafés, at home or away.

ACTIVE
Tinderbox is a deep program with an active and friendly user community. The Tinderbox Forum and Tinderbox Wiki host ongoing discussions and tutorials. Tinderbox weekends – held throughout the US and Europe – bring Tinderbox users together to share ideas and to explore Tinderbox with the developers in person. Application notes and case studies explore uses of Tinderbox from Forensic Psychiatry to writing musical comedy. The Tinderbox Public File Exchange hosts a range of templates, assistants, and samples. You can arrange private Tinderbox training for you and your team.

PERSONAL
Tinderbox is personal. It works the way you want, and adapts gracefully as your needs change. It's small and agile, so you can get started right away, but it's got the power you'll need to handle all your notes.
Your Tinderbox agents work constantly to keep things organized. A rich portfolio of views -- maps, charts, outlines, and more -- keeps you in touch with your information. Work the way you want.

Requirements
PPC / Intel, Mac OS X 10.4 or later

From Avaxhome. Visit Amazon Software Center here

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