I was looking through my notes for the wireless network password at one of the centers I volunteer at, and could not find the correct scrap of a note in my traveling pile of notes. The way I find a needed note away from home is I pull out all my scraps and folded pieces of paper out of a shaving kit bag. I look through the pieces of paper until I find the scrap that has the password written on it. When away from home all my paper scraps and needed CD’s were kept in a shaving kit.
On my Mac I went through this process of consolidating my notes twice. The first notes collection was for large and stagnant writings I have collected over the years. The second notes cleanup was to clean up the stacks of little pieces of paper laying on my desk. If you have a Mac you can read about my final choices for quick notes, perhaps one of them will work for you.
I selected these programs for notes rather than using paper scraps to write quick temporary notes with. My temporary notes are generally needed for few weeks, and then are no longer needed. The problem is paper scraps have two sides, so I usually have a note I want on one side, and an old note on the other.
Because Windows is what is, the numbers of software choices for notes is enormous. Note taking programs of all manner are available. Ranging from very simple sticky notes, to installing and using the world famous Wiki software that powers Wikipedia to track my notes with. A little overkill for my needs, but many serious writers and researchers are using these very powerful Wiki Software Programs to manage their extensive, detailed notes.
My situation is closer to yours. I want a smaller notes program. I want a workable notes program whether I am using Windows, Mac Os, or Linux, in three or more different physical locations on many different computers. I think I have found a solution that seems to work for me and perhaps will work for you too.
Many people are using internet based applications, or syncing their files through a website on the internet. These systems or applications are great for many users, and they are valuable for those users. Sometime the internet is not available, or we feel better having our notes stored locally.
On the public laptops I monitor, syncing software is a form of bloat ware. No one using the community computers has expressed any interest in collecting, keeping, or syncing data. Any software I install would become bloatware as the curious will click on the icon to see what it does. Keeping remote notes and data off the community laptops is a better option for healthy computers.
I prefer notes software that operates in Windows the same way Notational Velocity works on my Mac. Notational Velocity is a simple note taker that is url aware. Notational Velocity stays out of the way until I hit a key sequence to bring it out of waiting. I got on the net and searched for a Windows Notational Velocity type program. I ended up with these software options:
From there it is a toss up between the two programs. Both programs do a great job. On my Mac I use Notational Velocity. I chose Resoph Notes for my Windows Laptop. To be honest, I never made it further than Resoph Notes. Resoph Notes claimed to do everything I wanted a simple notes taking program to do. I installed Resoph Notes, and it does what it claims, so why complicate my choices?
The only problem left to be solved was how to accomplish reasonable note taking and saving on the community laptops where I volunteer. After looking at Wiki software I found three interesting possibilities. One is the original web page software, and the other two are children of the original. They each are editable web pages. Web Pages they do not care what the operating system they are being used on.
The first program, and I use that term loosely because it really is not a program but a portable web page named TiddlyWiki. TiddlyWiki is a pre-made web page that can either reside on your hard drive, or in my case on a thumb drive or memory stick. TiddlyWiki opens in your favorite browser, and you add non linear random notes, and daily journal entries.
I have limited experience with web page design, so I spent some time reading before I understood enough to realize how perfect TiddlyWiki is for portable notes. What makes TiddlyWiki or one of its siblings great is those notes I need where I volunteer are a small slice of all my notes. My portable notes only need to be about the laptops where I volunteer. I loaded TiddlyWiki to a thumb drive and I am all set.
While I was reading web pages for TiddlyWiki I found another portable web page named Wiki on a Stick (WoaS), a self acknowledged child of TiddlyWiki, and also Book on a Stick. Book on a Stick is a child of Wiki on a Stick and grandchild of TiddlyWiki. All three programs are the same, yet different. Depending on how you think and work, one will stand out from the others as your personal favorite.
Using TiddlyWiki is really quite simple, though you may need to read some as I did to make it understandable. There are several links and a small manual available to get you started. Once you play around with them, any of the three Stick programs are easy to use and understand.
The first thing I did with TiddlyWiki was identify myself to the program/web page. Enter your name in the block and save it. Next I used the menu to create a Tiddler. A Tiddler is nothing more than a random piece of information with a name. There is also a Journal option which brings up a screen similar to a Tiddler but uses the date instead of having you provide a name.
For now, if you find temporary notes are a problem, you now have a couple of options that are easy to use, and in the case of the Web Page Wiki’s, they are also portable. All they need is a few minutes of periodic cleaning, deleting, and combining to keep all your notes under control.
