FATFREDDYSCAT  Got a canned email from Chronos tech support today saying that they're FORTY DAYS BEHIND in answering their tech support queries!!!

This is just totally unacceptable. They blame the fact that they released a new version, but any competent company knows and expect an influx of questions when a new version is released.

Sorry, Chronos, but you've lost my business and I will be recommending to all my users that they select software from a company that has sufficient technical resources to test and support their products adequately.   
(Version 8.07)

FATFREDDYSCAT  A unique feature set if it could be relied on, but every version has had bugs, many very obvious to even the minimal level of testing, and Chronos "tech support", if it can even be dignified by that title, can only be described as terrible if not outright nonexistent. I recommend avoiding Chronos products unless you just can't find anything else that will do the job for you. It's just not worth the headaches and interminable waiting for responses and bug fixes.  
(Version 8.07)

ZX  Openbase data...Just say no!!!  
(Version 8.07)

SAVAN7  I hope NoteLife exist...  
(Version 8.07)

ORION MK. V  I really want to like SOHO Notes. It's more flexible than Yojimbo and more attractive than Devonthink, but it's painfully slow and crashes randomly for me. Ah well.  
(Version 8.07)

DLWHITE  Can anyone help me with this?

I've created a new folder, and created a few new notes within that folder, but I can't reorder them manually. I can only sort by Title, Kind and Date Modified.

What I'm trying to do is add days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, etc. And be able to put them in whatever order I want. A tiny program like MyNotes lets me do this with no problem, but Evernote does not. (WTF?)

Surely SOHO Notes, now on version 8, allows me to do something so simple as reorder my notes, iTunes playlist style... We've been reordering iTunes playlists for YEARS AND YEARS.

I need to be able to reorder my notes with the same ease.

Help!  
(Version 8.06)

JUST A USER  so is the iPhone app vaporware or what? It is well above a month now, as bad as the app store is, but sooo bad? What´s the deal Chronos??? Should sue them for selling something that does not exist.  
(Version 8.06)

STEVEN GRAY  Using SOHO Notes v8.06 on a MacBook Pro 15-inch (late 2008) running Snow Leopard 10.6.1.

Try this:

Create a text Note. Make sure that you have text in the Body of the Note.

Duplicate the Note (command-D).

The Body Text in the new Note is missing.

I have contacted the authors about this, but no response yet. I just wanted to pass this along to see if anyone else has noticed this behavior.  
(Version 8.06)

DEHARTZELL  I bought this program for the feature of syncing to iPhone with NOTELIFE App that you could be bought from the App store. I have been waiting since Sept 18th for this to become available. Everytime I inquire to Chronos about availability I get a rude reply that Apple is holding things up. I Chronos is the problem. The notes application works ok but so do lots of others.  
(Version 8.05)

ANON BUD  So is anyone else having a problem with Soho Notes search function not working? I've not been able to search since version 7.  
(Version 8.05)

MARK97  I've used this app since it was Stickybrain 2 and this is the best version yet. This one seems to be more bullet proof than either version 6 or 7. Thus far it has fully worked for me and I've had no issues at all. This is huge for me as I had a lot of problems with previous editions. Maybe this rewrite fixed a lot of my bugs.

I also use DevonThink and Bento. I keep coming back to SohoNotes. Thus far it seems to be working better than ever, but we'll see. The only reason I gave them another chance was their offer of getting iClipboard for free.  
(Version 8.05)

ORION MK. V  Pretty UI, but buggy and slow for me.   
(Version 8.05)

STOSH1985  Smart folders do not respect the "is in folder" criteria and haven't for any of the 8.x releases. I've submitted info to them and have not received any reply or acknowledgment. I'd like to know that this feature will work - and the lack of response from Chronos is harboring me from purchasing the product. Real shame, because this app looks promising.  
(Version 8.04)

IGREG  v.8 opens and seems to work faster than previous versions, at least it does for me in Snow Leopard.

I gave this a straight average rating of 3 stars mainly because, for all that it does, it just does a bit too much in some areas and lacks some seemingly simple things common in other programs.

For example, as far as I can tell it still has no way to highlight selected text, which to me is a simple and necessary feature for a notes program. Yet the program has a zillion other features (most of which I do not use).

I have also never been thrilled by the fact that SOHO Notes uses a separately created and produced database called OpenBase. Installation, uninstallation, & updating of SOHO Notes is made more complicated by OpenBase. OpenBase is NOT Chronos software. I had a problem with SOHO Notes v.7 updating which locked me out of my own database completely until I realized I had to select the additional installation of the database engine in the SOHO installer, which (for some reason) was not selected by default. If SOHO Notes must have a database ( and not separate files for each note), then Chronos should write and maintain their own database. Actually, I prefer that a notes program maintain each note in a separate file (which I think is a safer and more flexible approach).

I really only recommend SOHO Notes to those who like some feature or features that SOHO Notes has that separate it from other software.  
(Version 8.04)

LUX  I first began using SOHONotes version 6 just before 7 was released. I stopped using it because it was very slow and buggy, poor support and also because I was asked to pay the full upgrade price. I have used DEVONthink ever since. However, when I saw that SOHONotes version 8 had been released I was intrigued with the complete re-write, new look and new features - I was hopeful, so I tried it. Alas, nothing substantial has changed. SOHONotes has poor Spotlight integration, still quite slow on an iBook running 10.5.8 with random freezes during searches of the database etc. etc. As I have also posted, it does not back up to MobileMe iDisk. I have emailed Chronos Support three times during the past 7 days about the problems with MobileMe back up and have received no reply.

Conversely, during the same period while trying out DEVONhink Pro beta, which is much more stable than SOHONotes final release, with fantasic Spotlight integration, I came across a problem. I emailed DEVONTechnologies and 4 hours later had received a reply, albeit one which did not fix the issue. However, following the initial response from DEVONTechnologies yesterday, I was able to provide more information today. I received a reply in a matter of hours with a fix.

I have decided to give up on SOHONotes again and stick with Devonthink Pro.  
(Version 8.04)

LUX  8.04 will not back up to MobileMe.

Still no reply from Chronos Support.  
(Version 8.04)

MACD  No wonder the software is bug ridden and support is slow - that's what happens when you redo everything from the scratch. Personally, I think they shouldn't have been releasing software at this stage - with too many bugs which just had to be caught on the development stage, given a proper testing.

But anyways, the thing is out there in the wild, and though it lacks features (for example, comparing to yojimbo, it can't open a PDF in Preview, which is kinda almost a show-stopper for me, but oh well), a bit on the slow side, I would like to give it a try (esp. taking in account the upcoming iphone client).

Support is definitely swamped with reports, that's why even emergency tickets take days to get processed. Well.. it's still their fault, but at least they have the proper support with progress tracking and stuff! Compare with Yojimbo, or Evernote! I think it will still take a couple of months until things calm down, but the potential is here, features are here, and company is listening to the users (they fixed at least 2 tickets I have filed them).

However, a word of warning - if you need perfection, Soho Notes 8 is not the product for you just yet. Wait till 8.1 or something - and it will probably feed your needs aplenty.

I have tried Yojimbo (actually switched from this barely developed POS, and they won't EVER have iPhone client), and tried Evernote - but for the price (if you are a paid user), the software is underdeveloped, lacks features, has clunky interface (both desktop and iphone versions) and their way of thinking how things should work just isn't for me.

So, I want to believe Soho Notes will get rid of most of its annoying bugs, adds the only feature I need very badly (opening PDF in external viewer) - and we'll have a winner.  
(Version 8.02)

SLARKIN  I have owned/used Chronos products from before Stickybrain. I sent the following request on on 9.24.09 to Chronos concerning problems I was having with SOHO Notes 7.0.8 & SOHO Organizer 7.0.7[Question Ref #4151-EYOH-2404]:

"I recently bought a new iMac with Snow Leopard and Time Capsule.

I am able to open SOHO Notes 7.0.8 to the point of seeing my alarms, but a dialog box keeps appearing that says:

"Backup Failed SOHO Notes failed to backup the database because the following error occurred..... You might want to check the backup preferences and make sure everything is set correctly. OK[button]"

I saved my Notes backup to my new hard drive, whereas previously they were saved to a LaCie external drive. I am unable to get into SOHO Notes to set my new backup preferences. I have even clicked on my last SOHO Notes backup from Chronos_robertrifkin 2009-09-02, but am still unable to open SOHO Notes.

It should not matter if my external hard drive is connected or not, since I MANUALLY saved my backups to another folder on my new iMac.

Also, the Apple dealer used Migration Assistant to transfer everything from my former iMac.

Every time I click on the OK[button] it opens one of my six alarms. The data is there as I was able to copy one of my To Do lists.

The dialog box will not go away no matter how many times I click OK.

SOHO Organizer opens but is not usable. iClipboard does not accept my registration information.

Bottom line: I am unable to use my applications."

GOT NO REPLY

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sent 2nd request to Chronos on 9/28/09 as follows:

"I am still waiting for your help on the above situation. I have a lot of important information in SOHO notes that cannot be accessed."

STILL NO REPLY!!! It is now 10.1.09 & STILL NO RESPONSE FROM CHRONOS!!

I did receive an e-mail from Chronos for each of the above requests for help as follows:

"Thank you for adding a message to your question. We will respond to your message by email."

So, what's Chronos' problem??

Everyone should be wary of buying this software, because if you need

help from Chronos you may not receive it.

Also, when SOHO notes was working it took forever to backup. I could easily manually back up 3 other applications and their backups would be completed while Notes was still backing up.   
(Version 8.01)

LUX  Trying out this software and cannot get version 8.0.2 (the most recent version according to the dev website) to back up the database to mobileme - reports "http error".  
(Version 8.01)

STEVEWILLIAMS  I have been trying to use SOHO Notes 8 since its release a few days ago (22 September at 10pm ... who ever heard of a release so late in the day?). I say trying because it seems like there are so many bugs that every time I try to do something I hit upon another problem. I really want to like this software, I really do. It has a great user interface, a big feature set, seems to be updated more often than Yojimbo and the appeal of syncing my notes with an iPhone version was compelling.

So far (4 days in) I have reported 6 bugs and, quite frankly, have now given up telling anyone at Chronos about new things that I am discovering. Its all so tedious. Maybe I should have not bought the program the day it came out, instead waiting for it to be thoroughly bug-tested. But you would have thought the program would have gone through enough alpha/beta testing before it got to being released as a commercial program with so many problems.

IU'd really like my money back, to be honest, as I think the program right now is unusable or, at the very least, frustrating and untrustworthy. I don't want to put all my info into it and find it crashes whenever it feels like it. Yojimbo, whatever else you might criticize it for (painfully slow development cycle, age-old feature set, support / developer attitude that really puts you off), well at least it worked and seldom crashed.

The trouble is, Chronos' "buyer protection" (as they call it) amounts to you having a 30-day period in which to trial the program for free before deciding whether to part with your hard-earned cash or not. Once you've made up your mind and paid your cash there's no going back, bus or no bugs. Seems it a bit harsh under normal circumstances. I know of other software houses that are much more generous.

In the case of version 8, however, there was a special offer to potential customers like me who were thinking of buying version 8 a few days ago. You could pre-order at a discount (but not download until the launch day). All well and good. But that's where the Chronos Buyer Protection fails: you have to part with your cash BEFORE you can try the program. And if, after parting with your money you find it is riddled with bugs, can you now get your money back? We'll see. I've reported a number of bugs to the company this weekend (no reply yet - but it is the weekend and we all need time off after a big product launch, don't we?).  
(Version 8.01)

LEE123  I am using Soho Notes 8 and am a long time Devon Think Pro Office 1.5.x user. I also use Shovebox. First, I like the program and have purchased it. Second, It is not all a positive experience and I will point the things out that are/were annoying.

For me this program has replaced both of the programs above and this works out to save me time and effort with the mouse and keyboard. It has also finally aggregated all of my collections of 'stuff' in one place. The workflow is better for me because basically I found it easier to get web archives, bookmarks, snippets of text etc... into Soho as opposed to Devon. I used Shovebox (I really like this program) mostly for the web capture stuff and Devon for Scans, PDFs, more important documents. Now I can just use Soho which gives me the easy web capture stuff and a solid database type product. It also does the scan ocr stuff as well.

I like the way spotlight works with Soho better as well. In DTP if I search in spotlight and then select an article to display, the main window would open but I would still have to search in Devon to get the article to open (this may be fixed in DT 2 or maybe it was just my setup). With Soho the article opens right up.

I like the Flash Note feature in Soho. This is a menubar item that lets you search your notes database for quick access. It shows a list of the matched notes that you can page down through if needed. The list also has a preview pane where you can see the highlighted note and even copy txt and images from. Very handy.

There are some things I would change for sure. I had a few glitches with the install right off the bat. I had to race to push the Ok button on the second part of the install because it kept crashing as I tried to read the text on the window. Finally on the third try I clicked as soon as it popped up and the install finished fine. How did that one get out the door?

There is also the little matter of the contextual menu items not working. I ended up removing them all together. The 'Services' menu items work fine and are actually really handy. So if the other menus don't work and are not even needed then why in the world have them installed? I get the feeling the company needs a better beta testing program.

I find it annoying that you do not have complete control of the placement of the 'Dock Note'. This is the main thing you see on the screen used for capturing and dragging notes too. It can be completely hidden which is nice but my wife needs the other view. This view is a little tab which you can only place at the lower, middle and top of the sides of your screen. Why not just make this so you can drag it wherever?

This program could also be so much more attractive. Sure its way better than all the other ones in this class but that does not take much. You did a complete re-write of the program and did not include any of the cool new leopard interface stuff? What about a quick view type look for Flash Note and the Dock Note? Have a look at Qu-s or even KeyQue for some ideas. Maybe there would be a trade off with functionality that would make it a bad idea?

Thats it for now. I have only been using it a couple of days so I am sure some of my views will change. I do not want to start a debate over who is best or what features are best between Devon Think and Soho. I completely understand that there are plus and minus to each. I only want to review this product.  
(Version 8.01)

JCRIMMINGS  I've only been using the new version for a day but it is amazingly fast compared to version 7 and working well and no issues so far. I used to avoid using the old versions because they we so slow I think it will become one of my most used applications once the iPhone app is released  
(Version 8.0)

DAVE BROCK  I really love what SOHO Notes looks like, what I don't understand is how the company can put in so much time and effort making a really nice GUI, but seemingly can't hire one decent programmer to make sure that oh I don't know, the program doesn't constantly break down, fall apart, and go approximately 20 times slower then anything else I have ever used for the same purpose. Devonthink which is industrial looking ugly, screams in comparison to this thing with a much larger load of documents. Eagle Filer is a close second, Together is starting to go the same route as SOHO notes, it keeps adding bling while failing to fix some fundamental problems and Yohimbo is doing I don't know what. First app update in what like 3 years is very unimpressive. BBedit is the shiznit but aside from that one app I haven't the foggiest idea what BareBones thinks its doing.

For me right now Devonthink which is both kind of ugly and confusing, is leading the heavyweight best in class pack, with Eagle Filer which has some of the ugliest icons ever seen by man on any platform is a close second. Why is it that nobody can seem to make a good looking program that works reliably?   
(Version 8.0)

SHERMAN WILCOX  Tried it. Importing a folder full of files that EagleFiler imported and indexed in less than 5 minutes took around 45 minutes, and locked up my machine while it was working. Searches are considerably slower than EagleFiler. SOHO Notes and its predecessors have always had a nice feature set (but perhaps a little feature-bloated), but for now v. 8 is not for me. EagleFiler wins handily.  
(Version 8.0)

JUST A USER  wish it had a tag browser, otherwise I really like soho notes, can´t wait for the iPhone client to be released!  
(Version 8.0)

ZX81  I tried to install SohoNotes, but something seems to have gone wrong with the OpenBase install ; Soho fails to launch. Tried to uninstall and run the installer again, but the OpenBase app. is missing.  
(Version 7.0.8)

TANKKNIGHT  I used to love Notes & Organizer, but after PhoneValet updated Openbase to 11 I had to uninstall SOHO. I asked Chronos, but they said it was Openbase fault that it did not work with SOHO. I thought this version would work as the update notes said it does, but no go. It just hangs saying "Opening Database...". I tried all variations of uninstalling/installing, including the database, restarting and even uninstalling PhoneValet. I will wait and see if version 8 will work. I have started using Devonthink and if it works out (looking pretty interesting) I may move on from Chronos products.

I still recommend Notes & Organizer ... When they work.  
(Version 7.0.8)

IGREG  I can not get the uninstallers for Notes 7 or the database Engine to launch. I get message that I need Admin Privileges. But I am the Administrator. I even tried creating a second Admin Account and they still will not launch.  
(Version 7.0.7)

MARK97  I'm torn. I have to make a decision, between updating and using DevonThink Pro. There are some great things about both, but I don't need multiple packages doing the same thing.

What do you think?  
(Version 7.0.6)

GINOPIAZZA49  I would like to know what all of you previous posters think of Yojimbo 2.0. Barebone's seems to not added too many features. Also, I guess we will have to wait till September 22nd to see what the new SOHO Notes 8.0 will contain as far as features.  
(Version 7.0.4)

MEERSWORLD  My message to Chronos asking for instructions on migrating my individually-licensed copy of SOHO Notes to my new laptop from my G4 desktop was answered in just a few hours with the instructions below. It got the job done!

1. Launch SOHO Notes on your old computer.

2. Choose File > Back Up Database > To a File, and save the backup.

3. Transfer this backup file to your new computer.

4. Install SOHO Notes on your new computer.

5. Launch SOHO Notes. This will create a new database.

6. Choose File > Restore Database > From a File, and select the backup file and click Open.

I have been very pleased with the app and glad I didn't have to leave it behind.  
(Version 7.0.4)

LEE123  I just finished a 30 day trial of this software and really liked it. It is very easy to get things into the notes database through the services or right click menu and via drag n drop into the sidebar thing. You have quick access through a little menu item to all your notes. I have used devonthink for a couple of years now and would switch to soho with no problems. The one thing I would miss if I did switch is the spotlight integration of devonthink. I had no stability problems at all. I transferred my notes from devon, about 600 mb, in a matter of 30-60 secs. Searching in soho was pretty much instantaneous for me and worked well even in pdfs. One thing I wished for was a way to add the notes from the organizer events to the notes database. I contacted support on two occasions about how to use the program and received an email response in 24hrs which seemed reasonable to me.   
(Version 7.0.4)

JUST A USER  really like the features and the interface.

I tried them all and found soho notes the only one really useful plus fun for note taking. I use it with DT (which is a pain as it has no permanent license, just beta releases). I also own Circus Ponies Notebook, but began hating the interface.

Soho notes is kind of buggy, however. Also, the search really seems to be slow.

Concerning customer support: It does exist and they even respond in a useful way to pre-purchase technical questions.

If anyone knows anything better than soho notes for note taking, please come forward with suggestions other than yojimbo (no comment), shovebox (which I use for iPhone sync, it is not bad, but not really powerful), evernote (I really do not care for online sync via a web service and annual payment) or caboodle (which is totally ok, but not really as powerful).  
(Version 7.0.4)

HAPPYT  I have found Chronos' customer service to be very poor. I have had a couple of problems connecting to the database - in fact, right now I am unable to open Notes. I have sent two "emergency" queries to them and have had nothing so far except an automated "Do not reply" response. It's been four days!

My problem is that I have recently ported everything over to a new MacBookPro and when I try opening Notes I get a message that it is unable to connect to the database. All the data appears to be intact in my Library, but it just doesn't see it for some reason. Maybe someone reading this can help?  
(Version 7.0.4)

DOUG LERNER  I have been a loyal Soho Notes fan for years. I do have problems about search speed though. I emailed Chronos today and am waiting for a reply.

Right now I have just about 680 notes in my database. That doesn't seem so much. But it's important bits and scraps of data accumulated over the years, ever since Sticky Brain, including software license numbers, etc.

I notice it takes are really really long time for search to work. For example, I just did a test looking up the word "Intuit" because I have a few notes relating to that company - a seminar I did for them, a schedule, etc.

But it took almost 70 seconds to locate the 8 notes that had "Intuit" in it. It can be very frustrating at times like when I'm on the phone and I say, "hold on, I'll look that up for you."

My question to Chronos was, is this normal with this number of notes? Is there any way of speeding this up without going through all 680 notes and adding "tags" (which I suppose creates an extra index) for each note?

I have never had any reliability/stability problems with the product and have been using it daily since StickyBrain 3.0.

doug  
(Version 7.0.4)

MIRSKYMAN  Hi. I have been looking for an app that lets me add tags to notes so I was really interested in SohoNotes, especially now that it lets you create notes with user-defined fields, similar to a program like Bento.

I tried downloading it from their web site but the installer gave me errors. I contacted them and got no response. From the posts here, I am assuming that lack of response is typical. Also, having read people's reviews, I have decided to forget SohoNotes altogether.

I am wondering, though, if anyone here has tried Together which seems like a similar app, only with less features. I did have a question about Together and the programmer of the app wrote me back in a matter of hours.

I did look at Devonthink Pro but I have found it confusing. Is there a way to add tags to notes? If not, what kind of system does it use?

Thanks  
(Version 7.0.4)

ROBOTANK  Just tried this out and found it to be ridiculously buggy. Every time I opened the application, it would ask to install the CM plugin and widget even though they were already installed. It also did some other weird stuff with my notes, such as showing them all in the trash and not properly saving new notes until I'd opened the app 4 or 5 times. Also, the process that runs the menu bar and drawer items froze up. I don't know if there was something else on my machine that had an influence on this, but for me this app was too buggy even to try for more than a few minutes.  
(Version 7.0.4)

LEO SPILL  I have foolishly persevered, repeatedly paid hard earned cash on each paid update.

But no more. It never really fitted my work flow, never really fitted my needs.

I've moved on, trashed it. Ask yourself - would Apple make an app that worked

and looked like this ?  
(Version 7.0.4)

ZO219  Why do they go on? It never gets any better. I mean, how many app reviews start out, Avoid Like the Plague. Hello?  
(Version 7.0.4)

SGGINC  Avoid like the plague.

Unable to connect to database errors.

Switched to Yohimbo years ago and never looked back.

I have an old database I cannot access. Don't need it.

Thanks ... Ken  
(Version 7.0.4)

SNUFFYOP  I hate to say it but this is really badly written. I've used Yojimbo macJourna caboodle and others. This ware was consitantly corrupting data crashing on import various memory leaks and they do NOT answer their phone.. your lucky to get a response from the ticketing system 4 days after you Uninstall and setup new ware Trust me on this Stay Away. You'll be more sane for the effort.  
(Version 7.0.3)

PMFINE  I used this product for years as well as Sticky Brain before and when it worked it was great. However, once I had a db corruption problem and needed help, outside of my own expertise, the company never responded. Not in private email or on their forums as they prefer.

Good products still need the backend support for when even a consultant (me) can not get around a problem and this company failed terribly at that task.

I decided that I could no longer invest my time and data and my client's data to a company that offered me no help at all on those very rare occasions it was needed.

I moved on to EverNote, a free solution that is not perfect but adds wonderful cross platform support to my iPhone too.

Even the best product is not worth using if you can not get any help when you need it.

-Peter  
(Version 7.0.3)

MAREKJANCI  Warning about the installation of the 7.03 update. It may place the new files at the root level of your disk. Do a backup first before upgrading.  
(Version 7.0.3)

BOBZOZUS  I must concur with those who find SOHO Notes slow, buggy, and expensive. I particularly do not like the fact that SOHO notes requires one to create notes using the SOHO notes data base format. Particularly a problem in that the format of this data base changes during each- expensive- upgrade. And, for those of us still using Tiger- the newest version of SOHO notes does not even apply!

So, I am glad to report that I switched- to the excellent - and reasonably priced- Eagle Filer. It is a data based manager which keeps files in their own data format. It is constantly updated (three times in the last few months alone)- with no upgrade fee! It has powerful and accurate search, tagging and spotlight integration. I could go on- just check it out at: or . You will not be sorry that you did!

P.S. I am in no way connected with Eaglefiler, nor receive any financial compensation from the developers of this program. I have just been a long term user of Chronos software programs- Organizer, SOHO notes, even Consultant- and have always been disappointed by the wide chasm between what the developers promise- and what the programs deliver. Their unreliability, and high upgrade costs. Sorry, but after feeling had for the last ten years- I finally have broken free! It feels good....  
(Version 7.0.2)

BLUEBIRD  J.B. , I see you're one of those numbers guys too. You've got to be in dreamland if you think you could trust your valuable data to this program with all it bugs left and right.  
(Version 7.0.2)

J.B.  Ha ha! Are all you numbers and letters guys the same guy? I have a feeling that someone has something personal against SohoNotes. Anyway, I'm here to say that I have had no problems with SN. Sure there are bugs right and left, but that's software life! Otherwise, I find the app extremely useful with its very smart and creative features. The only thing I have to whine about is the steep upgrade pricing. Hence the 4 out of 5.   
(Version 7.0.2)

ZO219  Watch a product go backwards. Worse and worse. Amazing  
(Version 7.0.2)

A300SJ  Now that we're on version 7.0.2, the synching capability is disastrous. Don't synch because it will corrupt your data!

It just keeps getting worse.  
(Version 7.0.2)

A300SJ  Search function is slow and inaccurate.

Synch functions with .Mac just doesn't work

In fact, most of the touted functions that it promises do not deliver.

Password protection is impractical and cumbersome.

Each upgrade version is essentially a beta-tester program. Be ready to be a paying guinea pig.

Company repeatedly advertises the 4 star it received several years ago for a StickyBrain and not Soho notes. That review no longer applies for these subsequent versions. This practice is basically dishonest.  
(Version 7.0.1)

BLUEBIRD  Memphisbird - SOHO Notes is the premier notes app for the Mac - in theory. All the features you list are exactly why everyone WANTS to love this app. I WANT to love this app, but can't. I gave SOHO notes and Chronos a glowing review also at one time. But then the let-down began. Read all the reviews here and on that other software update site and you'll see why so many of us gave up.

The biggest problem now is the SLAP IN THE FACE by Chronos to force all of us who paid $40 to fork out another $25 to upgrade when they didn't fix the one we paid $40 for. THIS IS BAAAAD BUSINESS!

Memphis, you're just lucky so far. When it starts to fail on you and your data you'll change your tune.  
(Version 7.0.1)

MEMPHISBIRD  I have been using SOHO notes for about four months now. I switched from Yojimbo and have never looked back. The Barebones people could take a lesson or two on labels and smart collections, among other things, from Chronos. After demoing, SOHO Notes for almost the full 30 days before purchasing it -- wanted to make sure that is was the right thing to switch from Yojimbo -- I found there were a couple of features which I couldn't live without: Flashnote menu bar tool and QuickNote. I can be in any application and type my shortcut to jot a QuickNote, which I use ALL the time. When I need to find something quickly in my notes, I do another shortcut that opens the FlashNote window, type in a word or two and instantly get a list of related files. I don't have to actually open SOHO notes to do this. I also love being able to scan from within the application, and I don't feel that SOHO Notes is slow, certainly not any more so than Yojimbo was with the same number of documents (about 2,000).

As for tech support. I have contacted them three times for one thing or another, and I used the form they have on their website. I did have to register for an account, but I have received responses from them the same day or the next day, and they have been very helpful. In fact, I was a borderline case for the free upgrade to 7.0, and they were kind enough to upgrade me for free. But, even without that, I have been very pleased with the application AND with the support.

In a nutshell: when I was using Yojimbo, I was always looking around for another similar application, trying everyone that came along. Now that I'm using SOHO Notes, I'm not looking around anymore.  
(Version 7.0.1)

SUNBEAM  I agree with the previous poster. It's just not as bad as people are whining about. It is, in fact, an incredibly useful program with extremely creative features. Yes the company has a bad upgrade policy and they tend to be extremely xenophobic but it's probably to avoid whiny and annoying customers. The one time I've needed tech support they responded in a very reasonable time.  
(Version 7.0.1)

J.B.  I just don't agree with all this whining. I find Soho Notes really really useful. In the same way that I found Sticky Brain useful. I've had no trouble updating from 6 to 7 and the bugs that inevitably exist in any software updates get fixed eventually. I agree that the pricing of the upgrades feels a bit steep, but then so does the pricing of lots of stuff in this world.  
(Version 7.0.1)

PLASTERPYRUS  Be fore warned stay away this company has a linty of complaints against them, I will add one more to the list. This company does not know the meaning of customer service. I against my better judgement decided to purchase version 6.5.4 because I've been a long time customer, since it was StickyBrain, which was a great application, I figured at 6.5.4 it had most of the bugs worked out and it still would be developed further and just maybe it would get to be a decent mature product. Well, in less than a month it switched to a just Leopard product, version 7.0. Now beginning again the whole buggy cycle again. Well none the less since I had purchased the last version within the 30 days limit to be upgraded for free to version 7.0. Well I've written three times requesting a license and still have not heard a peep back from them. Disappointed you bet I do expect a response from a developer at least after I've purchased his product and he has the free upgrade thing in his web site. Its a matter of integrity and standing behind his product. Their action or more like none action in this case and others chronicled here and other sites speak for themselves!   
(Version 7.0.1)

AKROBAT  I'm gonna have to swap to Yojimbo. Why? Well the database has changed in such a way that any SOHO product from v.7 upwards no longer reads or works with the database of lower versions. I didn't realise this after upgrading to 7 on my Intel-based MacBook running Leopard. My other machine is a PPC eMac running Tiger, which incidentally cannot run v.7

One of the main reasons I liked this suite of apps was for the network feature and the server-based database... Well now that's gone...

CHOICES:

1. Upgrade my eMac to Leopard (can't 'cause my eMac is not powerful enough)

2. Downgrade v.7 to v.6 on my MacBook (database still wont work as it's ireparably changed by v.7)

3. Buy a new Mac and install Leopard (yeah, right)

4. Keep the SOHO suite and make all changes manually every time.

5. Try another application... (which I did)

I still think it's a really good suite SOHO Organiser, it's just a pity they behave in weird ways. So I'll give Yojimbo & Contactizer Pro a spin.  
(Version 7.0)

AROBULACK  Version 7 sure sounds cool, but the question with any Chronos product remain: how stable is it?

Historically, as any user of SOHO Notes will say, Notes is not a very stable product, nor does it tend to deliver on even half of Chronos' over-ambitious promises.

I wish I had the courage to try version 7, but I've lost so much important data to previous releases that I really can't be bothered.  
(Version 7.0)

A300SJ  How a company can continuously charge an upgrade fee by just changing a version number with no substantially new features (and even worse, without fixing standing bugs and issues) is unconscionably. This is exactly what the makers of SOHO notes have continually done.

The search function is horribly inaccurate missing words, phrases, that are obviously present. I needed to manually go through some notes where I new the information I was looking for was located because the search function consistently was missed words and phrases.

Just as bad is that the company claims to have speeded up the start up time and the search function... well, it is just as slow as the previous versions. There are also quirks and glitches when using the 'private' function for notes.

With all these problems, the company has taken off their on-line support page where paying customers were able to help each other and leave comments. Why they would take out such a useful resource and then not provide adequate customer support is beyond understanding.

I stupidly hoped for this app. to get back on track and also to regain the trust with this company. Neither has happened in the years that I have been with this app. It's now time to bite the bullet and change my note-taking app. This app. may be loaded with features, but it is useless if the app. is riddled with quirks, inconsistencies and bugs.

The makers of SOHO notes have thrown away a good thing that was once Sticky Brain. This version is not worthy of a whole number increase as it has not fixed any of the past issues and has not introduced any significant nor useful feature. This version is more an update (at best) and certainly not an upgrade.  
(Version 7.0)

LUX  I purchased a reg key for SOHO Notes 6 in December 2007 - 3 months of less than trouble-free use, eg. erratic display, new notes overwriting previous notes, less than helpful support from the developer etc. and now I'm being asked to fork out $25 for version 7. Needless to say, I won't be upgrading or even using this app again. DEVON technologies software (DEVONThink / DEVONNote) is far superior and much better value for money.   
(Version 7.0)

LEO SPILL  So eight months has passed since I purchased another $25 upgrade and now there is yet another $25 upgrade fee to pay ?

What's changed ? Anything fundamental, anything really useful or revolutionary ? No I hear you say and no I say to using this flakey, badly designed application. Your milage may vary but my time using it is over - it's a subpar company and a subpar Mac tool.  
(Version 7.0)

DGUGGEN  I am using SOHO Notes 6.5.3/datafile of just over 2 GB in the following configurations:

867MHZ/1GB RAM G4 Powerbook running Tiger 10.4.11 - very slow and cumbersome. Slows the whole machine down to a crawl.

2.66GHZ/5 GB RAM Mac Pro running Tiger 10.4.11 - slick program, very useful

2.66GHZ/5 GB RAM Mac Pro running Leopard 10.5.1 - WILL NOT OPEN THE DATABASE. PROGRAM WON'T RUN.

I've reinstalled from scratch and tried to open a known-good database file with no joy. Do not believe the claims of Leopard compatibility unless you've verified it for yourself. It won't work for me.

I've visited the SOHO site, registered, and cannot find the "Ask tech support" window". When you click on "contact tech support," you are taken to the knowledgebase, which offers no provision to contact tech support. Based on my experience, SOHO doesn't care to hear from customers.  
(Version 6.5.3)

FAT FREDDYS CAT  Chronos' claims of Leopard compatibility for SOHO Notes (and probably their related software as well) are inaccurate. The SOHO Notes application itself has an erratic display, sometimes refusing to display notes when a search is performed, and the Dashboard widget will not allow copying of the displayed text, something that under Mac OS X 10.4 is no problem. As others have reported, Chronos support is slow to respond; I send a question to them about this issue several days ago and have yet to receive any sort of reply.

Those interested in running Leopard should wait until such time as Chronos issues a proper update, or should consider another product (note that the most often recommended competitor, DevonThink, is also pending an update for Leopard compatibility though that developer is much more responsive to queries than is Chronos).  
(Version 6.5.2)

GUNTIS  After several upgrades and hoping to get good and working application I've given up and I switched to DEVONthink Pro. My problem with SOHO Notes was that originally it was very slow to open and slow to search. Chronos improved bit by bit here and there while finally v.6.5.1 was quite fast. But in v.6 they also introduced so many unnecessary features that for me SOHO Notes became bloatware. Document scanning, DockNote, blogging - that was overkill for my needs. I can always scan with the scanner's software and drop files into my notes application. DockNote - completely unnecessary for me. For blogging I better use some native blogging application, like ecto or MarsEdit.

And unfortunately on my MacBook Pro Spotlight constantly failed to index SOHO Notes database, and I had to live without search possibility. 1/3 of database got indexed, 2/3 never did. I disabled and enabled Spotlight, rebuilt database Index maybe dozen of times, but no luck... I saw some note in the application window with the particular words in its name which I was looking for, but when I searched for these words, SOHO Notes found nothing. I knew there should be at least 5-6 notes, but it found only 2, because even internally it used Spotlight for searching its database.

Finally it was enough for me and when few days ago MacZOT offered 50% discount on DEVONthink Pro, I switched. Wow, what a difference! First, it opens twice faster, secondly, its search speed is probably 10 or 50 times faster! It's really lightning-fast, and its Artificial Intellect finds and sorts also similar entries. The only grip with DEVONthink Pro (DtP) is that the current version doesn't provide any data to Spotlight, so I have to remember to search Spotlight, *and* also DtP database. Developer promises to offer Spotlight indexing in the next major version upgrade, whenever it'll come.

So unless you need notes sharing between workgroup members, DEVONthink Pro with its instant search and Artificial Intellect search and sort capabilities is much better solution.  
(Version 6.5.2)

F451  Wow, I am glad COSJR is having luck as I have been a registered user since the StickyBrain days and there are several outstanding issues with this latest version of SOHO Notes that the developer is not responding to fixing although they are major in nature.

No forums make this application substantially less useful to end users. I had to cease relying on it for serious data collection as it is always a guessing game when the developer will actually fix a bug(s). A total shame for a once brilliant application.  
(Version 6.5.1)

COSJR  I've been using SOHO Notes for about 6 months. I absolutely love this app and have posted my positive reviews elsewhere. I use it all day long in my very busy business schedule. Nothing fits my needs better. After upgrading to the 6.5 version, I discovered a bug in Flashnote where unlocking a password protected item would crash the Services utility in SOHO Notes. I duplicated the problem, sent a support ticket item to Chronos and the very next day the issue was resolved with the update to 6.5.1.

I can't speak for others who say they have issues, but my experience over the past 6 months has been one of the best buying decisions I have made. I use a Macbook Pro that's maxed out with many popular system tweaks, yet I maintain a very tuned system.

My recommendation is BUY this program. It is great! A four star rating only because I think the app could be faster.  
(Version 6.5.1)

AROBULACK  I made the wise decision to abandon Chronos' painfully bug-ridden and crash-prone software about 6 months ago. Curious as to whether it had actually gotten any better, this evening I installed SOHO Organizer to check it out. Not surprisingly, this application and Notes are both as bad as they ever were.

Organizer crashed within about 2 minutes of use. And it was a repeatable crash that followed a very common usage pattern in adding a task to the calendar.

Additionally, I added two "attachments" to a contact, initially indicating that they were outbound calls. After the second crash Notes changed them to tasks. Go figure.

Furthermore, in the time zones, it lists Pacific as being -7 to GMT. In fact, it is -8.

In general the application is slow, confusing, resource-intensive, and very, very buggy. Chronos has a serious case of features-itis. They seem obsessed with adding an endless barrage of features to their products when they haven't even stabilized its core operations.

It's too bad the company's developers aren't as skilled as its marketers and they might actually crank out some decent product.

And in regards to contacting the company, their phone number is (435) 615-7335, according to the WHOIS record for their domain name (http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=chronosnet.com).   
(Version 6.5.1)

A300SJ  I have been a SOHO Notes users since way back when it was still called Sticky Brain. In all honesty, it really was an excellent app. - the best of its kind.

However, when it changed to SOHO Notes, (beginning with version 5.0.3), it was already buggy and it converted my Sticky Brain data to a format which did not allow me to go back. Not advising the user that transitioning to SOHO Notes would prevent you from going back to Sticky Brain because the database was "updated" is just plain negligent. Furthermore, until version 5.7.2 came out, it was essentially a beta-tester app. - riddled with bugs and quirks. Charging substantial fee for an "upgrade" to what is basically a beta-tester app. is not fair play.

Granted, when they reached version 5.7.2, SOHO Notes was again the superlative program that Sticky Brain was in its last iteration. However, now that they are back to version 6, the same situation of the transition to version 5 is back. Once again, they are charging an unconscionable upgrade fee for what is again a beta-tester app. riddled again with bugs and anomalies. Just do a Goole search to see how many people lost their data in the transition to version 6. And once again, it updates your data to a format that is not backwards compatible (this time, they tell you, but it is written in a way that can easily be passed over).

The fact that in the course of the same month (if not couple of weeks), it has been updated twice is a testament to the fact that the people at SOHO Notes are scrambling to fix fatal bugs that should never have been in a final release. Finally, it is just bad business to suddenly pull out a FORUMS section on their website that helped so many people. Here in the good ol' US of A, that wreaks of censorship. Now we licensed users who paid cash for each of these updates must now also pay to get help for bugs that should never have been there. This is basically dishonest.

It is a shame that such a good program has gone down the tubes. What's more, one cannot understand why a company would treat its loyal users in such a non professional way. For the moment, I plan to stick with version 5.7.2. It really is an excellent app. However, until CHRONOS changes its mentality towards its clients, I suspect the majority of us are already jumping ship. CHRONOS needs to do damage-control and fix the relationship it has with its clients to bring back our good faith. If not, this app. will be relegated to oblivion.

My 2¢  
(Version 6.5.1)

KAYEL   have just installed Soho Notes 6.5.1 and now my Dock Note bar doesn't show up until I click on the menu icon. When I enable the "hiding" function, the dock notes migrate across the screen if I click on the tab or try to adjust the size. It just moves left until it falls off the screen and then the only way I can seem to get it back is to disable "Turn hiding on".

I hope this is easy to fix. My mac is a PowerBook G4 1.67 ghz with 10.4.10  
(Version 6.5.1)

MUDFLAPPER  Wow, 6.3 is great. I just downloaded and tried it out for a couple of days and I really like it.

• .Mac syncing issues seem to be history

• Great-looking interface

• I like the way it automatically shows PDFs if they're contained in a note

• The docklet is so handy, even comes with a clipboard

• Automatic backups give me peace of mind

I really like Journler, it's a great (free!) app, but the absence of .Mac syncing and a docklet are making me lean toward Soho Notes.  
(Version 6.3)

GOODWILL :)  I did an almost complete research to compare note-taking softwares: Devonthink pro(DTP), yojimbo, SOHO note, Mori etc. I finally tested DTP, SOHO note and Yojimbo. Based my experience, all of them have both pros and cons. I finally choose SOHO note due to its rich of features, particully for two unique features: quicknote and flashnote. The early version of SOHO note has two major problems: instability (buggy) and slowness. But after it upgrade to 6.2 and now the 6.3, the application is quite stable now. And the speed is much better than the earlier version (but still slower than DTP). I also notice that if you want to upgrade from earlier version, the best way is completely uninstall the earlier verion and install the latest version from the ground.  
(Version 6.3)

LLONGLEY  I also find Chronos Notes to be the most feature rich program of it's type. I began using it around version 2.5 as sticky brain. Once it changed to Chronos notes I continued to use it until it trashed my system. I left and when version 6 came out I paid the upgrade cost and returned to Notes as there is nothing to compare, when it works!!! I recently left again and I do not think I will return. I went back to Yojimbo (also use Circus Ponies Notebook occasionally) and have tried Devonthink. Notes has just been to buggy. The info in that database is important to me and syncing is a must (both dot Mac and Palm syning). I really believe that if they had left the forum up users like me would have been willing to continue to use the product. I cannot say for sure that it's not something on my system that creates the latest versions problems (although I doubt it since so many people have issues with the software. However with no forum there is no sounding board for loyal users to vommunicate with other users with similar issues and discuss possible fixes. When version 6 began to screw up my notes while syncing I new it was time to go. Sorry because it is a great concept and I miss it because nothing covers all the bases like Notes...when it works.  
(Version 6.2)

PLASTERPYRUS  You know, I use to love StickeyNotes than Chronos did the GOTCHA! by changeing people to Soho Notes shortly after Stickey Notes went to version 3.0, very buggy experiance for users! OK so than Soho Notes 5.0 comes out and users say well Iv'e stayed with it this far so its is got to be better, so you pay the way to expensive upgrade price. Well version 5 is just as buggy all through its tenure and than they come out with version 6.0 and they ask for anothere expensive upgrade price and you say enough! ( just look at the list of bugs they're fixing now). You would think by now they would be adding lots of cool features not just fixing more bugs.   
(Version 6.2)

ARGLBORPS  I've heard a lot of bad things about SOSO Notes which were based mainly on a very buggy version 5.x and a very user unfriendly upgrade policy.

I'm trying the 30 days demo and I can only say I'm very impressed with the feature set. The only downside is that .Mac syncing can sometimes consume considerable CPU. Stabilitywise I didn't see any problems and performancewise it's OK. Honestly spotlight searching is faster than the DB approach taken with this app, but the features and UI are in the details far superior to the competition. (I'll be giving up Yojimbo for this baby, and I purchased Notae in the past as well, Journler was a close 2nd, but no .Mac synching didn't make it fly)  
(Version 6.2)

MAREKJANCI  Warning! Definitely backup your Notes database before upgrading to 6.0 (and now 6.0.1. After upgrading to 6.0, my Notes has many, MANY duplicates of notes that that reside in my database. I'd just written to SOHO for technical advice as to what to do. I'll report here what that advice is.

I like to idea of Notes, but of all the "puchased" software under OS X on my G5-2.0, this app his given me problems. I'll give this version a go, especially if the advice for the above problem will be helpful and prompt.

Ivor  
(Version 6.0)

ANDREW SCOTT  I am aware of this, having used DEVONthink for some time. My point is, if SOHO Notes changes it's Palm sync methods in ways that I'm unwilling to use then it effectively ceases to have this ability *for me*. Palm synchronisation is just about the only thing that kept me using SOHO Notes and without it I'll probably migrate my data to platforms that offer different feature sets—even if they too lack Palm support.

There are lots of things to like about SOHO Notes and Chronos seem committed to Palm support in some manner or other, it's just for me I think it's time to move on.  
(Version 6.0)

ANDREW SCOTT  I'm disappointed to see that the end is in sight for direct Palm support. I can see that Chronos have good reasons but I don't want to buy a third party package like Missing Sync to replace something I already have in version 5.x.

"Limited Life For Palm Synchronization Conduit

Chronos would like you to know that it will continue to offer and support its Palm conduit for a limited time only. We are in the process of transitioning our Palm syncing to the Missing Sync™ software by Mark/Space. This move will offer our users big advantages like the ability to also sync their notes to other devices like the Black Berry, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, and more. At this time, we're unable to predict exactly when this transition will occur but we expect it to happen before the end of 2007.

As many of you know, Palm Inc.'s support for the Mac OS X platform has been virtually non-existent for years. This has made it increasingly difficult for developers like Chronos to successfully write and debug synchronization conduits. It's also becoming increasingly unclear as to whether some of the tools we use for conduit development will continue to work under Apple's forthcoming Mac OS X Leopard. We thus can no longer guarantee how long we'll be able to support our conduit and want our new SOHO Notes 6 users to understand this situation upfront."

I appreciate Chronos stating this clearly however it's just another reason for moving all my notes over to DEVONthink.  
(Version 6.0)

LEO SPILL  .

Upgrade price = 63% of full-price - unbelievable.

No price incentive/benifit for 5x users than 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x users ? Each of these involves an upgrade fee - That alone tells you quite a bit about Chronosnet and the people who run it !   
(Version 6.0)

DRAGONCE  Version 5 was so slow... the upgrade MUST be free for version 5 TESTERS.  
(Version 6.0)

KOSOVAR1  Ooops, one more comment and then I'll stop kicking the dead mule that is Soho Notes. When I wrote below that DEVONThink Pro might lack an import function, I meant that it didn't seem possible for DEVONThink Pro to import data from Chronos Notes in a straightforward way. DevonThink Pro DOES have an import function and, in fact, one can easily use it to migrate data from Soho Notes into the DEVONThink products. Hope this information helps anyone who is fed up and wants to switch to a much superior product.  
(Version 5.7.2)

KOSOVAR1  After the generous one-star review I wrote for SOHO NOTES, I read Lostcities review below and I started to consider why for several years I'd put up with Chronos's defective products, ChronosNotes and SohoNotes,. After all, all Chronos did was give me lost data and a lot of grief. I stuck with the junk because I'd paid for it. Well, I had an epiphany. Chronos was never going to throw serious money after bad to fix it's product, so I threw it way. I bought DEVONThink Pro and DevonAgent atogether. Within a couple of hours of tinkering with it, it became clear what a superior product DEVONThink Pro is compared to Soho Notes. First of all, the the DEVONproduct is so much faster and second, it seems to be completely stable. There doesn't seem to be any import function in DEVONThink Pro, but it was easy to move the folder containing all my Soho Notes files (in .rtf format) and import (i.e., drop them) into DEVONThink Pro. I assume that would also work with the $39.00 DEVONThink Personal product. Finally, I think I can rest easy with my data, but if problems come up, you can be sure I'll return again to this forum to rag on DEVONtechnologes, LLC.   
(Version 5.7.2)

KOSOVAR1  Beware Soho Notes, Chronos Notes, or whatever iteration of the software that bears these names! This is prgram that you will come to HATE with a fierce, burning passion because it routinely loses data. I have used this software for several years, since it was called simply Chronos Notes. The first version worked pretty much as described, but upgrading was a big mistake and I lost most or all of my notes every time. Some of notes contained critical data, which I--stupidly--had not backed up elsewhere. I tend to believe that this software was designed to be very bad, just so a subset of users will be driven to upgrade, in the hopes that the new version will work better. Well, the upgrades get increasingly more complex and less reliable. Usually the problems are about inexplicable data loss, but there are numerous other issues as well. The most recent bug manifests every time I try to amend an existing note, Soho Notes interupts me with a message saying that another program has made changes to the note I'm editing and that I have to either create a new note or save the changes. There is no exit option for this action so I either end up with two notes, not knowing which is the original or the changes I made are lost. Once or twice I mangaed to get tech support, they were arrogant and claimed that the fault was mine, since THEIR PROGRAM COULD NEVER LOSE DATA. HA HA HA. I say to you CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Added to the fact that you're paying for junk software, you're paying too much.  
(Version 5.7.2)

HARRISTYPE  Lord Lightning: Can you back up your claim? Do you only have one or two notes to manage? SOHO Notes is a key part of our design business. We manage thousands of notes including databases of the serial numbers we own, business info, notes on design projects, etc. It also stores files, photos, pdfs, and websites, and all can be found quickly using the FlashNote feature. The DockNote feature is the most innovative feature of all the note-taking programs, and it adds an outstanding clipboard recording feature to boot. Version 5.7.1 was a bit buggy but still worked. I contacted the developer and they instantly sent me a beta to try, which fixed the problems. If your needs are simplistic, then I suggest looking no further than Apple's own Stickies, or even the free xPad. But if you need a complete note and file management system, then SOHO Notes is the best of the lot. I'd much rather drive a Sherman tank than ride a unicycle. After using 5.7.2 for the last few hours with no issues, I'm giving this 5 stars.  
(Version 5.7.2)

LORD LIGHTNING  SOHO Ho Ho!

It's like using a Sherman tank to swat a fly. Waste of space.  
(Version 5.7.2)

LOSTCITIES  Sadly, I am ending about 15 years of using Chronos applications. This company has squandered the goodwill and reputation gained from earlier years of solid innovative programs and responsiveness to customers. If a rival had bought up Chronos with the intent of destroying the company, it would have followed the same plan Chronos has followed the past few years.

My use of their products goes back beyond StickyBrain (precursor of SOHO Notes) to Consultant, one of the earliest PIMs (Personal Information Managers) for the Mac. Chronos was, I thought, an innovator, with the elegant Consultant and with StickyBrain, an early notes-managing program that offered a number of neat features. One could drag a little calendar into a note, sort in folders-within-folders, have various templates for notes, searching was very fast & there was as I recall a fuzzy search feature, and the program was totally reliable. It was pretty much Yojimbo but, what, 10 years ago? Customer support was good. Sync with Palm worked well.

Then reliability faded, the replacement SOHO came along, and customer forums and free email support were eliminated. SOHO is slow and buggy. It loses information, the cardinal sin for its type of program. I expect the entire company to fold soon. They had a ten-year lead on this now-huge area of hierarchic folder-analogy notekeepers and now they can’t compete at all. I’m not angry but sad.

There’s at least a dozen programs to choose from when leaving SOHO behind. For the serious researcher, I believe DevonThink Pro [http://www.devon-technologies.com/] is the only real contender. It’s flexible, fast, reliable, and has features nothing else attempts, like auto-indexing and “see also” or “find similar” suggestions from an AI. It learns from your own organization of the material into subject folders, so that before long it can categorize new entries all by itself, with remarkable accuracy, as well as suggesting related items that may be filed elsewhere.

For a little less money, Circus Ponies Notebook [www.circusponies.com] does a good job. It doesn’t offer AI or self-organizing, but you can place clippings into specific subject notebooks very easily using contextual menu choices, it does do outlining, and handles large volumes of information quite well. The customizable notebook format is appealing. I still use it for organizing less scholarly information when I want to be able to leaf through material on well-defined topics, such as various areas of plants and gardening. Topics are put into separate notebooks rather than being in folders within one or a few very large databases, so if your mac has memory limitations this may be for you. DT Pro doesn’t yet have the ability to open more than one database at the same time (though this is promised soon) so there’s a temptation to keep everything in One Big File--which gets maximum benefit from DTP’s terrific ability to suggest similar items [see Steven Berlin Johnson’s lengthy paeans about how this enriches his thinking and writing, at http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/movabletype/archives/000230.html and http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/2005/02/devonthink_cont.html].

For thorough, structured reviews of many other applications that might replace SOHO for you, see Ted Goranson’s About This Particular Outliner series, in the online publication About This Particular Mac [the various installments are listed at http://www.atpm.com/Back/atpo.shtml]. Though his title says “outliner”, these days it seems that most apps that do outlining do it in the context of another larger capability such as word processing, information organizing, snippet-keeping, making presentations, etc., so his series gives you a unique bird’s-eye view of a big section of mac landscape. If outlining per se is especially important to you, remember that the excellent Omni Outliner has a clipping storage faculty too.

To the people at Chronos--perhaps not the same people that made Consultant and Sticky Brain?--we can only say “Ave atque vale”, “Hail and farewell.”  
(Version 5.7.1)

BRENDON9X  DO NOT INSTALL 5.7.1. Lost all my data. Awaiting support.  
(Version 5.7.1)

SOULBARN  I am not trying to be super-negative, but this version - which has even more features - still can't get the basics right:

- INEXCUSABLY Loses data

- Fails to sync properly - or at all.

In addition:

- Even when you tell it not to sync contacts and calendars, it does (increasing the risk of data loss.)

-It is virtually impossible to fully uninstall.

-The items that do sync often show up as read only on the client machine, making two-way changes impossible.

-Syncs are slow and often time out.

- Still creates "ghost items" - note entries that don't appear in the database, and that have no titles - that get caught in an endless loop, constantly calling the "conflict resolver" dialogue, over and over and over...

- Still a blackout on user-to-user support.

What says it all? If you look at the sync log, you'll find that the software generates error messages like this (a direct quote, btw):

"Failed to launch sync session for some reason."

I spent a full day trying this software out - that's how much I value the features it offers, but doesn't deliver. Chronos should be ashamed.

I can give the "reason" the error message refers to: Soho Notes is junk.  
(Version 5.7.1)

DANC  DO NOT INSTALL THIS MISERABLE SOFTWARE

I installed everything exactly according to instructions and it DELETED ALL OF MY CONTACTS.

ALL OF THEM.

I've never encountered such a wretched piece of code, it's worse than a virus.  
(Version 5.7b2)

DOUG LERNER  I must say I'm surprised by some of the notes here. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I love SOHO Notes!

I've been using it since it was StickBrains v3 and have never had an upgrade problem or a sync problem.

I tried everything else out there and never found anything as fun and useful to use. I depend on it for holding all my scraps of info.

I too was disappointed at Chronos ending their support forums. Now support takes forever.

But the software itself has always been great for me!

doug  
(Version 5.6.2)

PLASTERPYRUS  I agree with everyone this application goes from BAD to WORSE. The worst part about it is the developer does not give a hoot. Well maybe one day they will respond to all the bad reviews and do something about it.  
(Version 5.6.2)

FRANKS  I used this program since it was Sticky Brain. However As SOHONotes it is way too slow. This needs to be addressed ASAP.  
(Version 5.6.2)

SOULBARN  AMAZING FEATURE SET - and the worst implementation you'll find (not to mention callous tech support.)

I love SOHO notes - when it works. It is so much more capable and richer than the other similar note-taking database programs.

BUT - many of the features SOHO offers just don't work. Primary among them is .Mac sync., which not only fails frequently, but does so in a way that loses data. I could detail a dozen other problems.

And don't expect help from the manufacturer. After the SOHO problems began piling up, Chronos - rather than offering a fix - simply pulled their online forums. Tech support is only available by email. There's a paid and free version of the email support. I sent a question to the free one and never got an answer. Nor did the company's CEO respond to a personal letter asking for help, assistance, basic info, news, etc.

Too much time acquiring new customers, not enough time taking care of the existing ones. I regret saying this, because deep down, there's a gem of a program in SOHO notes...at the moment, though, you end up with something more like a lump of coal.  
(Version 5.6.2)

DARYLF2  I was so frustrated with the "upgrade" (hmmm...) from StickyBrain to the extremely buggy and slow (in my experience, at least) SOHO Notes that I switched to DEVONthink Professional (and I am thrilled with DTpro). This was a move out of desperation, as SOHO Notes was become unusable and very slow, and I had too much critical information entrusted to it...

Now Chronos, the developer of SOHO Notes, has abruptly terminated their technical support forums, which were the main way customers were able to get help (as the help came as often from other users as from Chronos). I'd seriously consider one of the many alternatives to SOHO Notes, as the loss of the support forums is a HUGE blow to so many Chronos customers...  
(Version 5.6.2)

HINES  How wonderful. They fix the trash problem, but now the entire app quits when you empty the trash. What's more, now Notes won't lauch anymore.

Way to go, coders! Thanks for troubleshooting, should have left Notes as it was.  
(Version 5.6.2)

BROOSE  Been having tremendous trouble with this software (SOHO Notes). The sync function does not work properly resulting in many lost notes and arbitrarily duplicated folders. After spending many sessions of trouble shooting and forum reading, the problems have only escalated. I can't delete certain files and other files get deleted for no reason, and the grab function works when it wants to. This is frustrating and causing great anger. I would use iNotePad but it doesn't have the tabs and the grab features. I'm not sure what to do. I rely on a strong note taking/filing program and have many valuable notes that are already gone, and now existing notes appear to be at risk of being lost. Sticky Brain sufficed for a while, but with the Chronos decision to combine it with SOHO Notes, I've had nothing but problems. And to put salt in the wound, I've paid good money for this software, when I could have spent it on a program that works.  
(Version 5.6)

GOODWILL :)  A nice note-taking app. Overall, I like this piece of program, though I still experience the slow responsiveness (as other people point out here) of the it. The flashnote and quicknote are absolutely two most attractive features that you will love.  
(Version 5.6)

NOSCH  Surprise, surprise. Version 5.6 seems to be faster. I hope this will last for a while.  
(Version 5.6)

AQUILLES10  I too was a happy stickybrain user that decided to try put the new SOHO Notes. Fortunately, my database was upgrade without a hitch, and none of my contacts and calenders weren't deleted. I'm familiar with the old stickybrain UI so I easily made the transition to SOHO Notes. I've also tried out Yojimbo, Formations, Mori, Circus Ponies Notebook and DEVONthink Pro (very impressive if a little over the top for my needs). For me SOHO Notes is the best combination of features and ease. The syncing with .Mac stinks at this point though, and the fact the support is limited only to Chronos board, and email tech support is on a pay first basis is ridiculous quite frankly. I am still unsure if I should purchase SOHO Notes becasue of these troubling issues. But the program does exactly what I need to do but I'm still trying out the competitors.  
(Version 5.5)

FRANK H. WU  I was so glad I discovered this thread of commentary on Soho Notes. I, too, was a happy user of StickyBrain. I was a light user, but a happy one -- maybe a few notes a week of stuff. Then I updated to Soho Notes. A few days later I start to get messages about sync problems. By the time I took action, I was getting these a half-dozen times a day. But I didn't realize it was Soho Notes. Sure enough, though, it was. As soon as I uninstalled it, the problems stopped. But when I uninstalled it, it took along my entire Apple AddressBook -- good thing I backed up that same day. Anyway, I hate to pile on when there's already such a list of negative reviews. However, I believe it's important to warn other potential users of a serious problem. Too bad. It was a very nice program in the previous versions.  
(Version 5.5)

BEPPS  It seems that so far very few people have been able to successfully upgrade from Sticky Brain to SOHO Notes 5.5.x. As someone else pointed out, Chronos made the questionable business decision of discontinuing any free phone or email support for their products. You're left to explore their Tech Support Forum, which for the most part is populated by other users who are experiencing the same problems--which may be great for a support group, but hardly helpful when you've just paid for an upgrade that you can't get to work and your precious data is in limbo. My feeling is that any company that chooses not to stand behind its products with free, quality, timely support is a) apparently not confident in its own products and b) sending a clear message that it would just as soon not be bothered by its own paying customers. So buyer beware indeed!  
(Version 5.5)

TOMJWRIGHT  When I upgrdaded from StickyBrain to this program, it erased every entry in my iCal calendars (in fact, it deleted the calendars) and, in addition, removed all information from my Apple Address Book except for the name of each contact (gone were addresses, phone numbers, etc.)

To make matters worse, Chronos support policy is to charge for phone calls and for e-mail trouble-shooting.

Be extremely cautious before using the sync features of this program.  
(Version 5.5)

MU5TI  1. Why does this depend on OpenBase, when much faster SQLite is integrated into the OS (Can you say "Core Data"?)

2. Why does the uninstallation leave traces of OpenBase framework when in fact this is the only application that installed it? And even though I said "remove completely"?

3. Crash prone. Bulky. Slow. Yojimbo, or to an extent Mori, or Journler run circles around this one.

4. Why do I need all those default data? I have to go and delete everything one by one to make this "my" database.

5. 25.5 MB package installer? No, thanks.  
(Version 5.5)

FINNIGAN  This product is billed as a replacement for Sticky Brain, which has been discontinued. When I upgraded it erased my entire database of notes, and, because it was set to sync contacts and calendars, erased every event I had in iCal. Also, because it upgrades the database, there is no easy way to go back to Sticky Brain afterward, unless you uninstall SOHO Notes, and reinstall Sticky Brain. And since StickyBrain can no longer be downloaded from the developper's site, you better have your own back-up disk image.  
(Version 5.5fc2)