Filed under: Software, Productivity, Beta Beat
Beta Beat: DEVONnote/DEVONthink 2.0
It's certainly no secret that I'm a sucker for file and data organization programs, and have collected more than I use. Long ago, I received a copy of DEVONnote as part of a bundle, and have since upgraded to DEVONthink Pro. The program has long been intriguing to me -- auto-classification of files and advanced search relationships are great -- but various aspects of the app have kept me from really diving into it; a lack of pleasing aesthetics not being least on the list. You can call me superficial, but ... no, you'd be right. However, the public betas of DEVONthink 2.0 and DEVONnote 2.0 just came out, looking great and adding a bevy of useful new features.
DEVON Technologies states that the 2.0 versions represent an almost complete rewrite of the database core. With improved search (including advanced Boolean and proximity operators), a universal inbox accessible from multiple databases (DEVONthink versions can have simultaneous databases open) and a complete revamp of the user interface (including Cover Flow and much-improved overall aesthetics), this beta is a huge step forward. For me, the most important change is the file storage method. The applications now use a bundle format and store files "as is" on the drive, accessible by external applications and recoverable if anything happens to the database. Add the support for file templates and a wide range of new filetypes (Word, OpenOffice, iWork, Skim ... ), and DEVONthink just became a whole lot more useful to me.
Check out the release notes for DEVONnote and DEVONthink 2.0 for more details on the changes. The betas are available on their respective pages (DEVONnote | DEVONthink). Upgrade pricing is available for existing customers (customers who purchased DEVONnote or DEVONthink, or cross-graded after July 1st, 2008 are eligible for a free upgrade). DEVONthink comes in three flavors: Personal ($49.95US), Professional ($79.95US) and Professional Office ($149.95). DEVONnote, which is more or less a lightweight (but very useful) version of DEVONthink, is available for $24.95US.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Y said 2:57PM on 12-22-2008
I'm in the same boat. I looked at Devonthink a LOT and always talked myself out of using it because of how it used to store files, the UI being very old school, etc. I chose to keep my law school docs outside of it. It was ALMOST but not quite there.
Now just as I'm about done as a 3L, this 2.0 beta appears and fixes a lot of what kept me away from it ... I have a feeling I'll be better organized next semester ...
Now if they'd just activate the tagging feature that looks like it's already partially implemented but disabled ...
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Maciek said 3:03PM on 12-22-2008
You're pretty wrong about bundle format being 2.0 only feature - it was there before
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Brett Terpstra said 3:25PM on 12-22-2008
That's possible. It wasn't my understanding that there was file system storage when I last tried getting in to DEVONthink Pro, which was one of the reasons I passed on making it a daily-use program. It may have eluded me at the time, or may have been changed in the interim. I do like the 2.0 method, nonetheless.
rewards said 5:15PM on 3-06-2009
I've only logged a few hours with DT 1.9.16 since MacHeist started giving licenses away for
rewards said 5:26PM on 3-06-2009
Whoops.... looks like for DT, files are copied to ~/Library/Application Support/DEVONthink/Files/
Jash Sayani said 5:01PM on 12-22-2008
Sucks !
Look at the price and the capabilities of the app.....
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Alan Yeung said 9:36PM on 12-22-2008
It looks good, and some of the changes were definitely needed (particularly storing files as plain files on the filesystem), and I really like how it handles multiple databases and the Inbox, but overall this beta seems underwhelming. We've waited quite a long time for version 2, and the UI still lacks polish. No editing of webarchives? Tag support not finished? Website archiving doesn't quite work?
DevonThink still has the best classification/AI algorithms around, but some of the competition has been adding AI algorithms too (e.g. Together 2.1's latent semantic mapping) and generally have more elegant, if simpler, user interfaces. I'm hoping the next beta is better.
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kalisphoenix said 2:59AM on 12-23-2008
@Jash Sayani:
Indeed; look at the capabilities and price. Anyone looking for an information management application should probably *not* go off an announcement on TUAW, but look at the app and try it out his or herself. I personally think that DTP is significantly underpriced... and this is coming from someone who has bought fewer than ten pieces of software in his life.
The reason DEVONtechnologies offers a 150-hour runtime demo is that it takes a significant amount of time to appreciate the application for what it is. It's easy to say "Oh, it's Yojimbo" or "Oh, it's Together," or whatever your information management flavor of the month is; it takes considerably more time to realize that DTP is the 900-pound gorilla of information management, on *any* platform, for a damned good reason.
@Alan Yeung:
The UI isn't gorgeous. Really, it's a lot like the UIs of TextEdit, Preview, Finder, Safari, and a few other apps cobbled together and smoothed out a bit. There are also some small interface issues that are being worked out (that's why this is a beta).
But a couple of the problems you mention don't seem entirely valid to me. For instance, I just edited a webarchive in DTPO (for the first time, since I really dislike the damn things on principle). I've been cheerfully archiving websites for some time with DTPO 2 betas, and it works rather well -- the only thing that does not is importing websites directly into the database, which I don't do anyway. Tagging is largely finished, although admittedly not in the way that I or some others would like.
However, few of the features you mention as lacking are among the reasons I use DTP. I don't really think they're compelling reasons to do anything. I mean,
seriously, mirroring websites? Editing webarchives?
The main reasons to use DEVONthink are the intelligent database (which you mentioned), the very slick wikilinking (sort of like VoodooPad for adults), the staggering search capabilities (the syntax to which is fully usable in the smart groups), the greatly enhanced file support, snazzy text editing tools (templates,
a pleasantly minimalist full-screen mode), and so on. The changes that mattered (smart groups, tabs, file support, multiple simultaneous databases, trash can, external editor support, and so on) have been made.
The superficial issues with this public beta are just that: superficial. The application is solid, reliable, and more powerful than anything on the market.
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mark said 2:51PM on 12-26-2008
I've used devonthink for 3 years now. It's always been a frustrating application, so close to being great, so maddening I'd quit using for short periods of time.
kalisphoenix is right. It's the 900 pound gorilla, and not always for good reasons. You don't want a 900 pound gorilla in a museum, and there are many times when devonthink isn't the right tool for the job.
As for 2.0, not everyone in devon's forums are as enthusiastic as kalisphoenix. And after all this time, I too am underwhelmed. Maybe the final product will change my mind, who knows. And the UI is one of the ugliest around. Some people won't care. I do. I like using applications that make me want to open them. Devonthink certainly isn't one of them.
Some of the thinking behind devonthing leads me to believe it will always be the application that some love, some will tolerate, and most will shake their heads at the companies decisions.
Just this week someone asked how to turn devonthink's sounds off. An employee of the company instructed the user to turn off ALL system sounds. Unbelievable.
I'll continue to watch development, but I have little faith that 2.0 will do enough for me to upgrade.
kalisphoenix: "the very slick wikilinking (sort of like VoodooPad for adults)"
Considering the time you spend on the devon support forums and slagging the competition I sure hope you're being paid for your PR work.
You seem to feel the first few comments were unfair to devonthink, yet you yourself make a moronic statement regarding voodoopad.
Voodoopad is unique (much more so than devonthink) and is a better tool in many situations than devonthink (though comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges--- and linking for adults? What an idiotic thing to say).
For wiki-linking voodoopad can't be beat. Devonthink can't compete.
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DT said 8:01AM on 3-05-2009
The Pro version does not handle eMail archiving. You need the Pro Office for that, sadly that one's 149$. Together handles eMails, and it's only 40$. So why isn't the Pro version eMail enabled?
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