Re: Re: Shadow Alterntive - Redux.

Whether the demand is sufficient for you to build a new outliner is a question you will have to answer. Honestly, of late I am finding that Open Office does a reasonably good job of basic outlining. What it doesn't give me is the ability to add notes that I can then either hide or display. While I would rather use Shadow, I can live without it I suppose.

if you do decide to go ahead with a new Shadow, I would really recommend that you do it in Java. This will make it relatively easy to port it from one platform to another. I also would recommend that you take a page out of Evernote's book and build it to work on both local platforms and off the Internet. That allows easy transfer of material from one platform to another, ensures that the material is not lost in a crash of a single platform, and allows access directly on the Internet when that is desired. I really think that is the future for many applications starting with the basic office suites.

All the best,
 Bert 




________________________________
From: Jeff Mitchell <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Mon, November 16, 2009 2:00:25 PM
Subject: Re: [shadow-discuss] Re: Shadow Alterntive - Redux.

  
On Sun, 18 Oct 2009, emermels wrote:

#   I know I've asked you about this in the past, but it seems this topic 
# won't die.  You have a core group of loyalists who can not find a good 
# alternative to Shadow.  We're begging for some updates to an otherwise 
# good product.  I know some of us have offered to pay for the work and/or 
# upgrades to the software.  I bet there are others who would do the same. 
# Please, please, please...put some time into making some updates (with 
# compensation) , or turn the code over to someone else who can carry on 
# your legacy.

heh; usually these sorts of things descend into about 15 people, 
all with 15 very different goals; handheld this, desktop that, but all 
different to each other :)

I think most people are leaning on the 'not Palm OS 5' side, but 
then quickly breaks into some wanting updates or a new Windows (or Mac) 
desktop client, some wanting a web-based client, others wanting a Pre, 
Android or iPhone edition. (I do have it running on the upcoming Open 
Pandora device that none of you have heard of ;)

On the one hand, it is awfully tempting to just make a fancy new 
pure web-app, with cut-down interface options for phones with strong 
javascript support (ie: most of the serious guys nowadays), but it makes a 
lot of peoples teeth itch (mine included), and brings in security 
concerns and all sorts of questions. Certainly there are other 'fat' 
webapps of this nature that try to do everything, but of course I always 
wanted to be 'lean' -- lots of power, but not too much fat, which narrows 
ones vision a bit (I prefer to think shrinking your market can be a good 
thing sometimes.. trying to handle everyone muddies it.)

I really just don't know which direction is _needed_ anymore.

What do the 'Shadow core loyalists' demand?  What is the desirable 
niche for 'us'?

jeff

--
If everyone would put barbecue sauce on their food, there would be no war.

 

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