 | Dec 10 2009 |
ORYTEK This is the stuff for heavyweights. It is in another class compared to other document collector/aggregators. DEVONthink 2.0 has now been in public beta for several months, with each new beta offering several new features. This new beta 8 brings even more enhancements. There is a bit of a learning curve because of all the features packed in but even if you don't take advantage of it all, it is easy to use for basic storage of files, notes, and web pages. If you haven't tried it in awhile and have settled on one of the other pdf/note storage apps, do yourself a favor and run it through it's course again because this software is still evolving and making the competitors look like they are standing still.
(Version 2.0pb8) | |
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| Dec 10 2009 |
APPLEHC This is by far the most useful application I use everyday! You will need some time to get used to it. But then it is great. Storing 4000 docs and web archives (2.6 GB) so far.. (1) Please try to put all documents of one kind in only one subfolder. Would be helpful if looking for the document via Spotlight etc. (2) Please try to develop an iPhone app. I would pay as much as $20 only for a nice and quick iPhone UI to my default Devonthink database.
(Version 2.0pb8) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
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 | Dec 10 2009 |
JGJONES28 1) Spotlight will search the entire DEVONthink database if a Spotlight index has been created in the database properties. 2) A DEVONthink app for the iPhone is already in development and has been discussed on the DEVONtechnologies blog.
(Version 2.0pb8) | |
| Oct 17 2009 |
DTRUETT1 This upgrade went way beyond my wildest hopes. I alternated between using DT 1 and SOHO Notes for various collections of PDF files, images, things pulled from Email, etc. Two things made me pull the trigger on the upgrade before I even checked out all of the features: 1. I keep my databases (3) in a folder on Dropbox, so they are available to me from any of my Macs anytime. Having the Sorter and being able to drag something to either the global inbox or a folder I put there is fast, efficient, and reliable. 2. Bookmarklets. Putting a single DT Clip bookmarklet in the bookmarks bar of Safari and OmniWeb is HUGE. Just choose note, bookmark, PDF, PDF paginated, or HTML, add a comment if you like, and choose the folder to put it in for ANY of your databases. Opens DT quickly, so you can confirm it is there and works 100% of the time. This is one fabulous upgrade from a great company.
(Version 2.0pb7) | |
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 | Sep 3 2009 |
STEVEN GOODHEART After installing Snow Leopard, all my third-party Services, including DTPro 2 beta have disappeared -- I read that this would happen. Alas, I can't seem to reinstall DTPros Services, because when I choose "Install Add-ons" from the Help menu, I get the regular dialog box, but when I click "Install" this crashes DTPro beta every single time. Anyone else have this problem == and anyone else able to get DTPro's Services to be available under Snow Leopard? (I have sent Devon Technologies an e-mail about this.)
(Version 2.0pb6) | |
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| Sep 3 2009 |
STEVEN GOODHEART Just heard back from Devon Technologies -- really fast response! "just disable the option "Global Inbox in Save Dialogs" in the Install Add-ons... panel" and sure enough, that did it! (Of course, with Snow Leopard, you may in some instances have to go to System Preferences/Keyboard/Keyboard Shortcuts and enable the Service you are wanting to activate -- and change the keyboard command, too, if you want, another way-cool feature of Snow Leopard) Good luck!
(Version 2.0pb6) | |
 | Aug 6 2009 |
COOKIE08 if you care to right click on the devonthink data base in your home documents folder open it and all the individual files are held inside the data base which is great as you can move this between computers and use the same set of files. Nothing is lost when you delete the original program sound like you have never used one of the best programs for the mac. Saving web files straight to devonthink keeps there html links so you can go back original site from inside devonthink
(Version 2.0pb6) | |
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| Jul 30 2009 |
STEVEN GOODHEART This b6 beta has some nice new features...especially the new Reveal/Show and Markup toolbar additions, the new way to hoist, and the new way to expand and collapse the outline. The other improvements/refinement are welcome, but the "big dog" that's still missing for me is the tagging front-end. I really want to get into tagging my info, instead of using the old "Comments" method, and I'm eager to see who DevonThink implemented this. I think the awesome browser bookmarklets (which really allow me to fully use DTPro 2 in the Service-less Firefox as well as Safari and OmniWeb) gives a hint of what the "front end" might finally look like, and I'm eager to give it a go. Otherwise, I'm pleased with the steady progress, even though I'm jonesing for the final product. By the way, this is one of the most bug-free, non-crashing Mac betas I've ever used, and I don't think there's any worry concern about "losing data" with such a great company, anymore than one would worry about investing data in betas of great programs like EagleFiler, MacJournal, or The Hit List, which I've done.
(Version 2.0b6) | |
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| Jul 7 2009 |
JUST A USER stay away, they cannot offer a product, just a beta that will expire and then all the data organisation will be LOST. DO NOT PAY for it if you want the new features, the beta is free, so do not waste your money on the license, it will expire!! If you do not trust me, well, look at their forum! they promise a lot of features but they never come, go for eagle filer instead!
(Version 2.0b5) | |
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| Jul 14 2009 |
IRRADIATED SOFTWARE Your review is fairly narrow sighted. By the developer doing a beta program, they can get critical feedback to shape the product into something the customers desire. It also shows that this product is under active development, so your purchase will not go toward an abandon piece of software. Good software takes a long time to write, especially for small indie companies. If you want stability, you can still buy and use the 1.x version which gives you a free license to 2.0 when it releases. Even 1.x is more capable than most other competitors in this market, but it's also more expensive. Just my 2 cents.
(Version 2.0b5) | |
| Feb 15 2009 |
LEV After using the DevonThink public beta for six weeks or so, I'd have to say it's a great improvement. It's not so much a breakthrough upgrade, but rather lots of incremental improvements which add up to a far better user experience. It's definitely faster; it seems far more nimble; the (not yet fully implemented) "Sorter" makes Getting Stuff In quicker and easier, and the bookmarklets for interfacing between DevonThink and the web work, for me, more satisfactorily than most apps which position themselves as competition. One of the most asked-for enhancements is now working: full Boolean and proximity searches of the database. Before, you had to rely on DT's "artifical intelligence" -- some sort of word-based semantic algorithm -- if you wanted to do more than a simple word- or phrase-search. The AI usually delivered the goods but it's nice to be able to order up a search by hand if needed. You can now have multiple databases open at once. Great. Drag-and-drop between databases hasn't yet been switched on in the beta, but is in place for the release version. The developers have also implemented tagging, but we won't know what that's like until that, too, goes live. Personally I hope it is compatible with tagging-based apps like Punakea or the superb Leap; we will have to see. Given that it uses the Finder to organise its database, rather than copying everything into a proprietary format, there's no reason why it shouldn't be. There are still some things on the wish-list. Of course they are. It would be even more powerful if, for example, it would let the user set up his own list of "synonyms". The Windows app Nota Bene does this, to great effect. You can, for example, tell it that when you ask for things to do with religion, it should look for words from a user-configured list: "Hindu, Muslim, Roman catholic, priest, nun, monk, curch, chapel, synagogue, Rabbi..." etc. Sweet. But, for whatever reason, after trying just about every "bucket" app going, I find with DevonThink 2 beta, I'm sticking with it. It's open all the time. The UI is still a mile away from the (much less powerful) Yojimbo, but DT is engineering-led and I suspect they'd rather have a slightly complex UI than compromise functionality. Definitely a runner. After a long time lagging behind a bit, DT is back in the game, and all the better for it. The 120 non-continuous hours' free trial is generous and enough to explore this very powerful app. Give it a whirl.
(Version 2.0pb3) | |
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| Jan 23 2009 |
XPLICIT The so called "Sorter" doesn't work, imports are not possible. What about creating webarchives by dragging the URL? Doesn't work either. What kind of beta is this? But I like the fact that in some kind of emergency (which can always happen!) you can look into the databases and get files out of there manually. One more thing: 80 bucks - there are cheaper alternatives.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
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| Jan 23 2009 |
XPLICIT The sorter doesn't even quit properly.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
| Jan 30 2009 |
LEV This is a beta. The developers are perfectly open about the sorter not being fully implemented yet. A number of features aren't up and running. You might want to check the available documentation. (Or you might not. Who knows.)
(Version 2.0pb2) | |
| Jan 10 2009 |
DIGITAL FURY DEVONthink is an OK product, but rather than pay $50, $80 or $150 (depending on version) for an enhanced search engine and a tags implementation using a proprietary database, I would rather use Spotlight - if Apple could improve it - and rely on the native file system and OS X features. I can already create PDFs, RTFs and WebArchives in OS X, and I'm using a Fujitsu S300M with Readiris, to create JPEGs + OCR on my paper documents (with a disciplined directory structure); so the added value of DEVONthink (regardless of version) is sketchy at best for me.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
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| Jan 20 2009 |
HMURCHISON This really isn't a review it's a comment. Star ratings should be reserved for those who have used the product and can speak to the pro and con of the application. Not saying your commentary wasn't helpful at the core.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
| Jan 30 2009 |
ALEXIUSCA Agreed. If you have a 'disciplined directory structure' you have no business reviewing a program that helps us lazy folk create one!
(Version 2.0pb2) | |
| Dec 24 2008 |
GABBLE How do I tag documents imported in the database? The info panel has a Tags field, but I cannot write anything into it (cannot set the cursor inside). The same happens with the document properties window, I cannot write inside any of the fields, "keywords" in particular. Is it a limitation of the public beta version? No indication on their website anyway
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
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| Dec 28 2008 |
JGJONES28 The Upgrader's Guide included in the download lists all the features, including tagging, that are not yet functional in the first public beta.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
| Dec 28 2008 |
GABBLE Thank you so much.
(Version 2.0 pb1) | |
| Dec 17 2008 |
STEVEN GOODHEART Just fyi, DevonThink Professional is on the verge of releasing the beta for the totally revamped Version 2.0....and as a DTP fanboy, I'm really psyched, since the promised features are exactly what I've been hoping for: Multiple databases open at the same time Boolean search operators replacing the current search Smart groups (stored searches) Documents are stored as-is, can be edited externally Support for many common file formats Documents can be linked to from the outside using a URL Overhauled, modern user interface Intelligent tagging support PDF splitting/joining/annotating Global inbox replacing the import destinations chaos Tabbed browsing, viewing, and editing Cover-flow-ish document browsing Much improved RSS feed support Fully overhauled web interface Man, I can hardly wait -- especially for smart groups and tags!!! For those who don't own DTP yet, now would be a good time to buy, because they (and anyone who bought DTP after July 1, 2008) will get the new 2.0 for free, as explained at this link: http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/devonthink2.html Man, I can't wait to get my hands on this beta. They are promising it before Christmas.
(Version 1.5.4) | |
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| Sep 23 2008 |
STEVEN GOODHEART First, let me say that DevonThink Pro is *the* indispensable program on my Mac. It's my "vacuum cleaner," which absorbs and classifies all the research and information I need to store in an incredibly useful way. I own Notetaker, MacJournal, Eagle Filer, and they have their uses, but nothing comes close to the horsepower and intelligence of this program. Anyway, this 1.5.4 update is nice....the first thing I noticed is that the program now loads 4 or 5 times as fast as it did before - sweet! And yes, the wiki links really zoom now. And the improved Webkit integration shows too, and web pages and web archives open much faster. Haven't checked out all the improvements listed, but at first look, I'm really pleased with this update, mainly because of overall speed increases. This program takes some time to learn, but it's not formidable, or anything, and there are really great tutorials at the DevonThink website. If you haven't tried this program out, give it a chance. The "artificial intelligence" is truly remarkable. Also, be sure to check out the horsepower of DTP's Service Menu and scripts...they gives you incredible power in terms of data import. And if you use DevonAgent in combo with DTP, you have unparalleled power for searching and classifying and sorting information.
(Version 1.5.4) | |
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| Sep 3 2008 |
VALDIMAR THOR H The Devon´s are fabulous, all of them. There is nothing out there which matches DevonThinkProOffice and DEVONagent together. The Agent is incredibly well done search program and its far beyond anything Google or Yahoo kind of searches... The DevonThinkProOffice is a killer app from most POV. Spotlight searches, scanning of documents, archiving, Automator scripts, Apple scripts, and on and on. Learning curve is rather long as so many options open up with increasing familiarity with the software; on is always learning sth. new and finding solutions which where not apparent earlier on during the learning process. That means DevonThinkProOffice grows with you as user into the infinite... I have used this combination of DEVONagent and DevonThinkOfficePro for a while and this is amazing duo and totally indispensable for the serious academic wherever his is located on this planet. This software is a must have.
(Version 1.5.3) | |
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| Jul 24 2008 |
ZO219 I am astonished to see Together mentioned on the same page as any DEVONthink app, Pro or Personal. They simply are not in the same league, and neither offer nor provide the same capabilities. AI, anyone? See for yourself. Choose what works for you, but for heaven's sake, discern! BTW, a "steep" learning curve is like a steep hill, a difficult climb.
(Version 1.5.3) | |
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| Aug 5 2008 |
LEV Hmm... but if a "learning curve" is a function which plots X against Y, where X is effort and Y is return-on-effort, something easy to learn would have a very steep curve -- rapid return for little effort. Conversely a shallow curve would depict small returns for large efforts. We use it in the exact opposite sense, which is fine since we all know what we mean; it's just a bit odd if you happen to catch sight of the expression afresh. As for AI -- DevonThink is splendid on that score. The only beef I have is that I'd like it to be either a bit less opaque or to have the option of more direct control if I wanted (i.e. Boolean searching, which is promised for v2; on previous showing, that'll be arriving at about the same time as the Rapture but I guess I can wait...)
(Version 1.5.3) | |
| Dec 31 2007 |
LEV PS to my previous post -- in response to the earlier reviewer, I haven't had any Safari/web problems with this release.
(Version 1.5) | |
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| Dec 31 2007 |
LEV The main drawback of DevonThink for me (I've used it since it first appeared) has been its refusal to play with Spotlight. This -- because I'm a data slut, never quite sure where anything is -- has meant ≥2 searches for whatever-it-is: one in Spotlight, then one for each DevonThink database whatever-it-is might be in. This was on the point of driving me away from DevonThink... particularly with Leopard's much-improved Spotlight implementation. Fortunately, with v1.5, it now plays very nicely with Spotlight. Still no QuickLook, but at least it means that just one Spotlight search can pull up everything. So once again DevonThink is at the head of the pack. Thank you, Devon Technologies. I'd give it 5 'features' stars now, if only it offered (a) multiple databases open simultaneously, and (b) tagging, instead of enforcing a folder hierarchy and "replicants". Oh, and Boolean searching -- though the AI "see also" function is magnificent. Interface looks a bit outdated now, but works. It's much snappier than before. And the learning curve is steep. (Actually, I think I mean "shallow" -- you spend a lot of time getting up to speed. A "steep" learning curve would be e.g. Yojimbo, where you go from Novice to Expert user almost instantly.) Nor can it import files from some of my most-used applications. Tinderbox and Scrivener I can understand; they are both complex organizational systems -- one XML, the other a package of indexed RTF/D files -- and it would be hard to see how the hell DevonThink would handle their data. But DT's inability to read Mellel or Pages 3 files is a big shame. Not DevonTech's fault, I believe, but outside developers not providing plug-ins. But all in all, with this update DevonThink is IMO still the leader for heavy-lifting of text-based data.
(Version 1.5) | |
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| Nov 15 2007 |
BYAMABE DEVONthink Pro (DTP) is a great application for archiving and searching data. I use it to store web tutorials and blog posts on topics that I'm researching. Then when I need that information, I can use DTP's powerful search functionality to retrieve the information. DTP even indexes the data in such a way that it can show related information. The down-side is that with Safari 3 (10.4.11+ and 10.5+) viewing some web archives can cause DTP to crash. This makes the DTP nearly unusable for my purposes. The makers state that it is an Apple bug so have no fix. Whether it is Apple's bug or their bug is irrelevant. DTP is not usable for web research if you have Leopard or Tiger 10.4.11+
(Version 1.3.3) | |
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| Nov 17 2007 |
IGAUCHO There's a new beta out for Leopard. Maybe it will fix your problem. You can find it at: http://www.devon-technologies.com/files/DEVONthink_Pro_1.3.4beta4.dmg.zip
(Version 1.3.3) | |
| Nov 17 2007 |
BYAMABE Thanks, but the reason I wrote this review was that I tried the beta and it didn't solve the problem, and the developers continue to insist that they are waiting for Apple to fix the problem. I have since come up with the work-around of opening web archives with Safari (cmd-shift-O). It's a little clunky and I still get crashes when I accidently double-click some web archives.
(Version 1.3.3) | |
 | Sep 10 2007 |
BILLD System-wide contextual menu plugins are more tricky than most people recognize. There are too many bad ones out there already. I don't have enough fingers on my hands (10) to tick off the number of contextual menu plugins I've had to remove from my computers to eliminate errors they caused. Contextual menus are included in future plans for DEVONthink, but only if they prove 'clean' enough to avoid creating system errors. Disclaimer: I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3.2) | |
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| Aug 23 2007 |
MACLOVER1.1 I LOVE those shell Logos ! It's all about the Devonian period... I say keep the shells. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonian
(Version 1.3.2) | |
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| Aug 25 2007 |
IGAUCHO I also love the Devonian Period motif that Devon Technologies uses. To me it's part of the enjoyment of using their software. It's very clever. It makes me want to buy something from their "other" shop: http://www.cafepress.com/devontech/
(Version 1.3.2) | |
| Jul 2 2007 |
This is purely a GUI/interface comment : I like the new Devon ball company logo and think that the developers would be wise to use it as DevonThink/Pro etc... application icon ( Just color it differently for each type of release ) and loose the shell design. Please use an interface designer to revamp the application - It is so Home made that it puts a lots of potential users off - Why do so many first time users say it has a steep learning curve ? Because of the ugly interface is confusing and not user friendly. It has zero WOW factor. Look at barebones Yojimbo - It has hordes of pleasant comments and appeals to nearly everyone on first launch. On a GUI scale of one to ten - DEVONthink is a very poor three out of ten, which is a pity as the application deserves better.
(Version 1.3.1) | |
| [ 3 Replies - Reply ] | |
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| Aug 23 2007 |
YARGWH WRT the new logo, I agree completely: please use that and dump that ugly, bare snail or whatever it is shell.
(Version 1.3.2) | |
| Dec 14 2007 |
ERRORR Since when is WOW factor a prerequisite for good UI design? That's like saying a flashier paintwork makes a better car to drive! Or a colour TV sounds better than a black and white TV... You will not even notice the UI if it is truly great.
(Version 1.3.4) | |
| Dec 19 2007 |
J.B. No WOW factor needed. Just a simple 'now' factor will suffice. This app looks old fashioned. It doesn't need to look old to be a solid piece of software that works. And since DevonTechnologies make money by selling this software, I think making the product look as if it belongs here and now would be a smart move.
(Version 1.5) | |
| May 13 2007 |
KOSOVAR1 Why doesn't DEVON think Pro have contextual menus, instead of (or in addition to) the scripts available from the scripts menu or the commands in the Services menu? SOHO Notes is a rather crappy program, but at least it has this feature. Oh well, can't have it all I guess.
(Version 1.3.1) | |
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| Mar 21 2007 |
LEV As a long-time user of DevonThink, I'm beginning to fret a little. Why? First, it demands total fidelity. If you live in DevonThink and have just one database, you're fine. But multiple databases ("Which one did I put that thing about iambic hexameter?") or multiple database managers (DT plus Yojimbo, EagleFiler, VoodooPad etc) leave you in trouble for one very simple reason: NO SPOTLIGHT SUPPORT. Spotlight has changed the way I handle data. Just put it away and it can be found when needed. DevonThink doesn't play. Not "doesn't play nicely". Doesn't play at all. As far as Spotlight is concerned, all that stuff you have in DT just doesn't exist. This is a major problem. The lack of tagging is another. DT demands that you have a hierarchical folder system, which in turn demands pre-categorizing of data, and, worse, single categorization. Once snippet X is in folder Y, show's over; there are kludges -- "replicants" and "notes" -- but they are... well, they're kludgy. Devon Tech are falling well behind the curve here. The app is good and stable and some of its functions are excellent. Introduce Spotlight transparency and tagging, and it would be superb. But for now... well, I'm not getting a divorce but I am, shall we say, married-but-looking...
(Version 1.3.1) | |
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| Mar 6 2007 |
JMINNIHAN I would wait for the next version of this software before using. I have had lockup problems which have caused database and file corruption since installing this version. Due to this, I have downgraded back to DEVONthink Personal 1.9x where I have not had these problems.
(Version 1.3) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Mar 15 2007 |
BILLD jminnihan, I'm sorry you experienced problems, but DT Pro has been around since 2005, so I was surprised by your comment to wait for the next version. DT Pro makes many more calls to the Mac operating system than do most applications, and so needs the operating system to be in good shape. When users experience stability problems and report that, we offer to review DT Pro's crash log. Almost invariably the problem was caused by installation of a utility that modifies the OS or by a poorly written third party input manager. Modifications to the operating system, unless carefully written and tested, can cause unintended results such as memory errors that can cascade to a problem. Even well written modification code can break after an Apple update and cause problems. As a very heavy user of DT Pro myself, I can say that I don't experience stability problems. The last time I had to resort to a backup was more than two years ago, and I was running a non-public beta version at the time. I keep OS X in pretty stock condition and run preventive maintenance every week or two. Disclosure: I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3.1) | |
| Jan 30 2007 |
OLDCORPSE I so wanted to like this app. I've been searching for the perfect database and organizer app forever, but as usual, the perfect app is a combination of features from different apps... in other words, you can't get it all in one, at least so far. My problems with DT Pro are multiple. First, I'm very uneasy about a propriatary database that's opaque to Spotlight. I like to be able to access my data from outside of the app - what happens to the DT database if for whatever reason my DT app becomes corrupt, and DT is no longer in business, or I have to purchase a new copy just to access my own data? I'm left with data I can't access. Too dangerous. This is a major flaw: DT does not work with Spotlight - boo! Second, you can't have two (or more) databases open at the same time! Wow. What happens when you want to copy and paste between databases? That's right, close one, then open the other... wow, this is so 1980's style. Get on with the times! Third, there is *no* undo function - none, not one. Look we're all human, we constantly make little mistakes which we want to quickly correct... only in DT you can't! You have to start from scratch every time... ugh... Fourth, the interface could use some brushing up... it's not the easiest to get around, there are no tabs, the window structure is not flexible and the whole thing has a creaky feel. Fifth, major features are missing: f.ex., there are no tags for metadata (which is so convenient in other database programs). Sixth, the implementation of some features is not far going enough. I just love the wiki metaphor and way of linking. In DT, it's quite rudimentary. I hate that. If you want to see linking well done, look at VoodooPad. The linking in wiki structures has changed the way I work - it's awesome... and so lacking in DT - I don't know how old the developers are here, but they need to keep up with what's out there. Seventh, the documentation is frankly poor. And that is unforgivable given that the app itself is not particularly intuitive while the learning curve is way steep. I don't want to make this sound too negative - it is a very promising app, and I'd gladly pay the $90 once it's up to par... but development on DT is really slow, and life is short. Problem is that the DT team is, I think, only 2 devs and they're distracted with a ton of other apps (and other DT versions, like note, personal, office etc.). Too bad.
(Version 1.3b3) | |
| [ 3 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Jan 31 2007 |
CA The documentation is very poor?? Have you browsed the Devonacademy? http://www.devon-technologies.com/support/academy/index.html
(Version 1.3b3) | |
| Jan 31 2007 |
BILLD Please don't confuse the fact that DT databases are not currently Spotlight indexable, with the supposition that the contents of a DT database cannot be completely recovered to the Finder at any time. If DEVONtechnologies were to go out of business, your data is not 'captured'. Simply export all your files to the Finder. That has been a design feature since DEVONthink's introduction in 2002. But yes, I've seen some other document manager applications, especially in the Windows world, that have made it difficult for users to leave them. :-) Disclaimer: I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3b3) | |
| Feb 20 2007 |
JFM While I agree that it would be useful to be able to open several databases at the same time, I am very surprised by your claim that one would be captive of DT Pro: one of the reasons I have bought it is that it is NOT the case: it is very easy to export all the content out of DT Pro. Even if Devon would go out of business (which I don't expect in a foreseeable future, considering the growing community of users), I would still be able to keep all my data and to import it to some other app. I suggest that you test the export feature of DT Pro and see by yourself. True, the learning curve is steep, and maybe you have overlooked that feature. It takes time to discover all the possibilities included in DT Pro.
(Version 1.3b3) | |
| Jan 30 2007 |
MACLOVER1.1 Getting my update.. and commenting at the same time (as I see a few fairly negative comments below) I just love this app. It is sturdy (been using it for quite a few months, daily) database access is fast (my main database is 2GB at this point). I had tried other "similar" products... Yojimbo amongst others but though it may look similar it definitely felt sluggish and not very reliable. I actually had paid for Yojimbo and quickly realized it could not handle that much data fast enough on my system at least... so I wasted my money basically.. heck.. so I strongly recommend you try this one out. It even browses the net which is practical when you do not want to open Safari or DevonAgent. I use ti as my main hub for al the stuff I foten eed to access, snippets of info, all my URL collection, manuals I need to access often.. anything really. I'm thinking of getting the Office version but the only real added bonus I'd use, I think, is the scanning ability and for this I use YEP (the free version... not the latest one). And Devon's products ahve reaally cool icons :-) Big Deal I know LoL
(Version 1.3b3) | |
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| Dec 21 2006 |
ANGELOS Besides the fact that DT Pro is very useful for my daily work I have to say that the interface is not very useful. I would like to work with tabs and a more felexible window-structure rather than navigating through a hierarchical, antiquated filestructure. DT Pro Office: I asked the developer, whether it is possible to offer Plug Ins for DT Pro, so that I, the user of DT Pro, can decide which kind of Plug In I would need (and buy) to optimize my workflow instead of updating the whole app. He answered that DT Pro Plug Ins are possible but they have no interest in doing it this way. Not very customer-friendly in my opinion...
(Version 1.3b2) | |
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| Dec 5 2006 |
MJEDI I downloaded this app thinking it was the updated version for DT Pro; as UMIJIN pointed out, it is actually a new product with more features upgraded from DT Pro. I am a long-time user of DT Pro and I absolutely love it. But the interface is getting a little long in the tooth and I hoped that these new features would be in the DT Pro version. DT Pro (Office) should be more of a sharing feature where a group of users can access the same databases; I know there is a web-sharing feature, but an Office app should be a local-network sharing feature first. Also, I was hoping that a search in multiple databases would be one of the features. The biggest problem I have is the pricing upgrade to DT Pro (Office). People who had purchased DT Pro early on won't be able to upgrade for the price difference they had purchased before, but from the current price for DT Pro. I don't agree with this at all. It looks like I'll be looking to one of the other info apps out there.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| [ 4 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Dec 5 2006 |
BILLD My own approach as a heavy user of DT Pro is to use topical databases. I'm currently managing a hundred thousand or so documents among several topical databases. My main database, which focusses primarily on my interest in environmental science, technology and regulatory and policy issues comprises about 21,000 documents and about 24 million total words. It runs smartly (in more senses than one) on my MacBook Pro with 2 GB RAM. I'm in process of building an associated database covering chemical analytical methodologies (both US and EU), statistical and other procedures and issues related to the evaluation of environmental data, sampling methodologies, etc. This may likely grow larger than my main database. Splitting out the very specific methodological material not only keeps my main database speedier, but keeps the AI features and searches in my main database from being diluted by the specifics in the methodologies database. That's important. As to organizational structure, personally I've never considered my organization hierarchical. I approach organization as putting 'clusters' of related content into groups, as well as 'clustering' related groups. Many of my documents are replicated into two or more groups. Likewise, I often replicate a group into two or more 'clusters' of groups. I will use smart groups to replicate documents for a particular purpose, or replicate results of a search into a new group of related items. I rarely tag individual documents, as I rely on the combination of grouping, searches and the 'See Also' AI feature to identify material in the process of a research project. DT Pro provides other tricks such as Option-click on a term to see other documents that use that term, Command-/ to initiate a search on a text string, and 'See Selected Text' to provide a list of potentially related documents. In the process of a project I'll often create rich text notes linking to documents of special interest, or 'mark' them temporarily (I usually clear such marks later) using label or state marking. Disclosure; I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Dec 5 2006 |
BILLD Oops. My comment on topical grouping of databases and on organization were intended to be posted to Pollet's comment, and I have now posted it there. However, please note that the price of DT Pro 1.x hasn't changed, so I don't understand your comment about the upgrade policy. Disclaimer: I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Dec 5 2006 |
MJEDI Sorry, my mistake regarding the upgrade policy. When I looked back at my receipts, they were ALMOST in line with the current price for DT Pro. My apologies, DT, regarding this. But I still think that all of these current features should have been included in the DT Pro app instead of a new Office app.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Dec 6 2006 |
BILLD We've had a lot of requests for the new features in DT Pro Office. Many users (such as a small law office) can really use them. But not everyone needs them. If they had been added to DT Pro, the price of DT Pro would have to increase, because of the added development costs and the fact that a license fee has to be paid for the OCR engine. So we have two products. DT Pro 1.x (with no price increase) and DT Pro Office 1.x, with an appropriate price. Disclaimer. I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Nov 28 2006 |
UMIJIN Hmmm... a couple things. First this is not strictly DTP. It's DTP OFFICE and apparently different app from DTP. In fact you have to pay for an upgradre from DTP to get it. Second it is a beta, and not of DTP, but the new product.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| [ 3 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Nov 28 2006 |
ANDREW SCOTT I agree. I think this is misleading marketing. DEVONthink Personal has its own MacUpdate entry and so should DEVONthink Pro (Office). As the developer said in their recent email message, they have "extended the DEVONthink product line with DEVONthink Professional Office". Incidentally existing Pro users can upgrade for US$60 but that seems a little steep to me.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Nov 28 2006 |
ANDREW SCOTT Further to my previous comment, my copy of DEVONthink Pro tells me it is up-to-date (1.2.1) and the developer website indicates this is accurate. However the MacUpdate "What's New" listing states that there are updates for "All Editions", implying updates (not upgrades) for DEVONthink Pro and even DEVONthink Personal. The Download Now link points to the DEVONthink Pro Office 1.3 beta rather than the Pro 1.2.1 version and yet the page title is "DEVONthink Pro 1.3b". I take it that this is the work of an enthusiastic developer trying to get the message out about their latest improvements but it could be seen somewhat more cynically. DEVONtechologies, please be clear about your product range.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Nov 28 2006 |
UMIJIN Actually, though I agree, my comment was more for MU folks, as this doesn't see the right place to list DTP Office. It's a separate offering, according to Devon's website, though it will overwrite your copy of DTP when you install it.
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Nov 28 2006 |
DAMIEN POLLET We're using here to organize the PDFs for our scientific articles database, dumping whole proceedings and articles we read in there. But I wonder if we're not stretching DTP to its limits... we have nearly 4 GB of PDF files and searching is kinda slow. I also hoped DTP would have some tag-based organization, like iTunes, rather than a directory hierarchy (which is broken because there isn't a unique correct hierarchy...)
(Version 1.3b) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Dec 5 2006 |
BILLD My own approach as a heavy user of DT Pro is to use topical databases. I'm currently managing a hundred thousand or so documents among several topical databases. My main database, which focusses primarily on my interest in environmental science, technology and regulatory and policy issues comprises about 21,000 documents and about 24 million total words. It runs smartly (in more senses than one) on my MacBook Pro with 2 GB RAM. I'm in process of building an associated database covering chemical analytical methodologies (both US and EU), statistical and other procedures and issues related to the evaluation of environmental data, sampling methodologies, etc. This may likely grow larger than my main database. Splitting out the very specific methodological material not only keeps my main database speedier, but keeps the AI features and searches in my main database from being diluted by the specifics in the methodologies database. That's important. As to organizational structure, personally I've never considered my organization hierarchical. I approach organization as putting 'clusters' of related content into groups, as well as 'clustering' related groups. Many of my documents are replicated into two or more groups. Likewise, I often replicate a group into two or more 'clusters' of groups. I will use smart groups to replicate documents for a particular purpose, or replicate results of a search into a new group of related items. I rarely tag individual documents, as I rely on the combination of grouping, searches and the 'See Also' AI feature to identify material in the process of a research project. DT Pro provides other tricks such as Option-click on a term to see other documents that use that term, Command-/ to initiate a search on a text string, and 'See Selected Text' to provide a list of potentially related documents. In the process of a project I'll often create rich text notes linking to documents of special interest, or 'mark' them temporarily (I usually clear such marks later) using label or state marking. Disclosure; I'm the Evangelist for DEVONtechnologies. (12/5/2006, Version: 1.3b)
(Version 1.3b) | |
| Nov 26 2006 |
ZX81 I have just started to use DTP seriously along with DEVONagent, and it is an incredible app. I can store, retrieve, organize, link, view within the built-in browser, import from DEVONagent. I was first looking for an app that could help me organize visually my notes and am still trying demos of Curio, Inspiration and Tinderbox, but I am sure I will stay with DTP for storing data.
(Version 1.2.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Oct 5 2006 |
TALAZEM The most useful program I have on my Mac. In fact, in response to a previous poster, it is the main reason I did buy a Mac almost a year ago. If you are a researcher, info worker, or just like to clip things off the web, it doesn't get any better than this. The program, and the myriad of associated scripts, allow you to analyze, modify, and reorganize your info to your liking. The last few updates including the latest 1.2.1 (as of this writing) seem to have really sped up the Artificial Intelligence features of the databases. The best info manager for heavy duty info-managing there is.
(Version 1.2.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Oct 5 2006 |
CA The new features of v. 1.2 and 1.2.1 are very nice. I would buy an Apple computer just to use this piece of software :)
(Version 1.2.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Aug 17 2006 |
DARYLF2 They keep making DEVONthink Pro better, and its even faster too! Amazing... This is the best app I've found for intelligently organizing, storing, and searching my notes and PDFs. Utterly invaluable, and *WELL* worth the very reasonable cost.
(Version 1.2) | |
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| Jun 26 2006 |
MACLOVER1.1 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW !!!!!!!!!!
(Version 1.1.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Jun 19 2006 |
JOHN F. I keep seperate databases of PDFs, pictures, text files, and internet files. This app keeps everything, and mostly my head, organized. Before DevonThink, my HD was just a mess. I hate the Finder, DevonThink is the way I think. This app is very cool. And what's best is that you can export all your databases as files and folders to your external backup disk. No worry about currupted databases here.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| May 10 2006 |
CA Awesome. Indispensable. Powerful. Flexible. Intelligent.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Feb 20 2006 |
ANON BUD Totally, completely, & absolutely an indispensable app for me. I keep it open all the time and use it to collect just about everything. And with DevonAgent, this has become a vital part of my workflow!
(Version 1.0.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Nov 5 2005 |
ANONYMOUS I believe that DEVONthink Pro would be one of the best selling Mac software packages if Mac users were aware of its incredible power and usefulness. (Come on Mac magazines, do a service for your readers by including an in-depth review of this product!) DEVONthink Pro is useable the first day you try it but the extent of its power isnt readily visible at first look. Its easy to learn the basics but when you need more power, its available--and that is very important, especially if you use your computer for business. DEVONthink Pro is probably best described as information and archive manager. Although even that isnt a very good description because its image database, bookmark manager, outliner, notebook, snippet manager, simple speadsheet, concordance creator, paperless office manager, among other things. The larger your DEVONthink Pro database becomes (one of my databases is about 2 GBs now), the better it connects related files. It doesnt bog down with size like most other information apps. Its rock solid and hasnt crash yet. If youd like to have a near paperless office, DEVONthink Pro and a sheetfed scanner is the closest you're going to get to it on a Mac. There are many sheetfed printers Im sure will work well, however I've found that the HP Officejet line of all-in-one printers (from $149 up), work hand-in-hand with DEVONthink Pro with minimal setup. Just drop 20 to 50 documents into the sheetfed scanner, hit a couple buttons on the scanner/printer, and your documents appear in DEVONthink Pro. Its that simple. It even does OCR (included with HP Officejet) in the same manner with surprisingly accurate results. DEVON has an active forum and responsive tech support which is quite helpful while learning to tap all of its power. If you use DEVONthink Pro everyday until youre well acquainted with it, I think you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
(Version 1.0.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Oct 13 2005 |
STERNHAMMER Curiously when I launch DEVONthink Pro 1.0.1 and "Check for updates" it tells me "Your software is up-to-date." Confusing.
(Version 1.0.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Sep 24 2005 |
ANONYMOUS Update! Finally received license code at about 36 hours after ordering.
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Oct 1 2005 |
ANONYMOUS So given that the DevonThink demo period lasts, as is clear from the developers' site, for "150 hours of non-continuous use, no other restrictions" (I presume you read that?) what, precisely, was the problem? What loss or damage did you suffer? Or is this just the sort of petulant outburst which we can all experience when we don't get what we want NOW NOW NOW?
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| Sep 24 2005 |
ANONYMOUS Partly influenced by Devontechnologies stellar reputation for service and responsiveness, I purchased Devonthink Pro Thursday morning, 36 hours later I am still waiting for a license key and the demo version, even with reinstalling, does not work. And my credit card has been charged. Apparently two DT employees are responsible for sending out licenses and both of them are missing in action. Very disappointing way to start a business relationship with new customers. Buyer beware.
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Sep 15 2005 |
SPWARF Absolutely indispensable for me, it's opened all the time and it replaces at least 4 apps!! Powerfull, fast and very stable... highly recommanded if you want to get organized.
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Aug 27 2005 |
DATACRUNCH A really excellent, flexible and powerful program. For researching, writing, keeping records - I've yet to find anything that helps me create, edit and organize large amounts of data. The ability to have multiple databases alone is worth the price of the upgrade - it makes the program exponentially more useful than its predecesor. The learning curve is a bit steep - but then again this is an amazingly powerful program. My only two gripes are: a long history of ugly app icons (very minor) and tech support (more serious). The latter is rather defensive and superior (when its officiall) or farmed out to maniacal volunteer wackos who give software evangelism a bad name with their long-winded and frequently off-topic rants about the wonders of the program, while being very short on helpful advice.
(Version 1.0) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Jun 19 2005 |
CHRIS D. I used DT Personal demo for a while to test it out and found it to be an absolutely awesome program. I used mainly to keep a database log of a large construction project I have underway. When DT Pro came out I decided to buy it and I couldn't be happier. There are a couple of bugs but all in all it works perfectly. I also bought DevonAgent and it is equally an awesome program for Internet searches. I was very lucky to find DevonThink Pro and I will give you a bit of how I use it and how seamlessly it works for me... I used MS Entourage to keep track of my Tasks, Daily Logs, Contacts.. etc. I write very detailed daily logs in Entourage so I have a calendar and daily record of what how the project is progressing. I also use my Palm Tungsten to record voice memos while I am at the jobsite. I also use Omni Outliner Pro for my To Do and jobsite lists. What I find wonderful about DT Pro (and personal edition) is that I set up a database in DT Pro and I can then take all my Tasks, Calendar Events, Contacts, etc and just drag them from Entourage to DThink and it copies everything, (header, time, date, subject and all the text). I don't have to open the calendar events and copy and paste them, just open the calendar view and drag the event title from the calendar into DThink (pro or personal) and it brings everything with it.. everything. I also download my voice memos from my Palm Tungsten T and drag the .wav files to the Daily folders I set up in DThink and everything is there in one complete daily and monthy file.. BUT !!! what is then GREAT about putting it in DThink is that if I need to search for a log item (say when I talked to someone on the jobsite, or a meeting) I can search DThink and it highlights every instance that the search string occurs in my logs (except the voice memos of course). I started keeping these detailed logs in Entourage over a year ago and it gives me a perfect "Calendar" record of all my daily meetings, events and tasks but I couldn't do a search and find instances of something that was said a year ago.. Deven Think's search cababilities are incredible. And I haven't found a file type that it won't store. To have pictures, videos, voice memos, daily logs, tasks, calendar events, meetings.. you name it all in one folder is an absolute life saver for me. Most being searchable is wonderful but to be able to drag and drop (not even having to copy and paste most) and to retain all the info in such a detailed way is astonding.. It just works !!! And now that DT Pro has multiple database capability you can log everything separate or combined.. multiple jobs, projects.. etc. I searched and demo'd all the "journal" programs and all were lacking drastically what I needed to pull all my info together. DThink lets you organize ALL your info in every type of file format.. and then export it to Work, Plain Text, Rich Text.. you name it. I can sort and print reports from my logs so easily and limit the info I don't need far beyond anything that Entourage could do. I set up very detailed jobsite log sheets in Omni with multiple lists, steps, colors, headings.. and all I have to do is export my logs in Rich Text format and then import them to DevonThink and every aspect and detail is kept intact including the numbering steps I have set up for my indents, colors and details.. and AGAIN, the great thing is that once my Tasks, Calendar Events, Contacts, Omni Sheets (and anything else I put in DThink) once there are in DThink (even in separte folders and files (rich text or plain) DevonThink searches ever file format and highlights your search string in each and every one.. I can't say enough about how this program has simplified my life.. and the ease of getting it into the DThink amazes me more. If you are running projects in multiple programs.. this is THE program to bring it all together and THEN make it useful and not just a bunch of different file types you can't do anything with.. OutStanding, Keep up the great work !!!
(Version 1.0p1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Apr 1 2006 |
VEYRET All what you described about using Entourage with Devonthinkpro seems impossible. How can you do it: store event, notes directly? Thanks.
(Version 1.1) | |
| Jun 15 2005 |
T Looks awesome! Better apps keep coming. It makes me switch apps every couple of months. The concept of keeping a unified database with my pdfs, pictures, webpages, rtf documenta is intriguing. I will test this app, and who knows...
(Version 1.0p1) | |
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