I like The Brain! Used for years, it's a stunning piece of software in my view, but now that firefox is my default browser i open it rarely....

Would be very interested in your comparison of the Brain to MindManager. Thanks.

I attempted to download the 30-day trial of The Brain, but I stopped because it wanted too much of my personal information in exchange for merely a trial. I wonder how many opportunities are lost for The Brain and other companies because there are many people (including me) are highly resistant to giving out personal information. Just a thought... that The Brain should put on their system.

I have used and even written about Personal Brain. It is intriguing, but at least for my kind of work (text heavy, lots of reference material) I find that it doesn't scale very well. But it is so distinctive and interesting that it's certainly worth a look. I find MindManager better/easier for graphically-oriented organizing, and a normal outliner, including the not-quite-normal but useful BrainStorm, to work better with straight text. And, of course, Zoot to keep track of large-volume reference material.

TheBrain is a great software. I must say that having switched over to an Apple Mac a year ago, it is the only Wintel based software I really regret.
There is also a free software called transLucid, which is an Online Knowledge Management tool. The blurb from their website says that: "TransLucid is an easy to use web application that serves as a knowledge-, content-, and bookmark manager, all in one.
We currently support import from PersonalBrain and have plans to add import capability for MindMaps created with MindManager from Mindjet."

I've looked at this tool several times but subsequently gave up on it each time I reflected on the demo which in effect threatened to help me remember every thought I ever had. ("You'll see connections on things you never remembered you had, etc")

Thing is. I work very hard trying to forget every thought I ever had. The beauty of GTD is that is has always helped me to renegotiate commitments and discard ideas and thoughts that burden me. (Breathe deep, Randy. Let these great ideas go...)

I am among those who believe that the one reason we ought to make discrete lists of all our stuff is so that we might throw away most of it forever.

I'm sure there are applications for this. And I'm a diehard user of MindManager from its first days out...but I gotta say -- the Brain somehow feels more like a tool I would use to store my junk then to process my thoughts. Perhaps this is a completely irrational fear.

I'll be curious to see where this goes and how it helps others.

I am using "freemind" software for organising my thoughts in a tree like fashion. I have found "freemind" to be very useful and its free !!!. Since it is written in Java, software run on all platforms (unix, mac, windows,...).

I am currently using this to - organise my tasks, manage bookmarks, capturing things I read of importance,....

"freemind" can be downloaded from, http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

I also use freemind and am happy with it. I used the demo of MindManager and liked it but wasn't quite up to paying for a copy when it expired. I looked around and found freemind. I have run it at work on Windows and at home on Linux and the Mac. Whenever I start a new project or need to do research to learn about something new I start it up. It helps me organize my thoughts and keep track of loose ends that I need to take care of.

I too would have been interested in the brain trial - but they wanted to much personal information - which they don't need from me - so they lost the oportunity

I am another would be downloader of "The Brain" but they asked for too much personal information. It would be great if you could post a comment when/if the Brainiacs ever modify their signup/free trial form.

This category of software fascinates me. The first free form database software I purchased was MemoryMate back in 1989.


I own (purchased) PersonalBrain, MindManager (the education version available about 5 years ago), and my new favorite, NoteStudio.


Considerations to think about for your evaluation:

1. Ease of adding new entries


2. Linking documents


3. Sharing data (files/tables/libraries)


4. Encryption


5. Network accessible?


6. PDA accessible?


7. Import/Export functions

NoteStudio, by DogMelon Studio, is a personal wiki. It garnered my attention back in December '03 when I first found out about GtD. A variety of templates have been built for GtD. Entries made on your Palm pilot are brought back into your desktop (Windows or Mac). Encryption, network sharing, XML for input/export, and free upgrades. $50US.


Try 'em all and find your favorite.

I have been using PersonalBrain for several years, and find it to be a very different from mind mapping software (Mind Manager, Free Mind, ...). In fact, I am now using Personal Brain to organize my MindManager files.

I think of PB as a much better replacement for file management + internet bookmarks, since it keeps these things together, rather than forcing me to look in one place for files and another place for browser links.

That said, I find it most useful when I begin collecting lots of files. When I get into situations of primarily working in email and on the web, I find that I use PersonalBrain less. ActiveWords also reduces my use of PersonalBrain to some extent.

Thank you David, this software is a great addition to my library. I will be able to use it for mind maps and for organization and for org charting and for, well the list doesn't seem to end does it?

I had seen this software used before in site organization before on http://www.kurzweilai.net but I never realized it was available for consumer use. Any plans to layout davidco.com this way? Maybe as a supplement for the site map?

I did not like the way it was always on top but I can definitely get over that. Keep finding great tools like this David and I will remain a subscriber to your blog for many years to come.

This software led me to http://www.webbrain.com which uses The Brain software to index web sites.

After reading David's entry I tried the PersonalBrain. I got a good amount of information into it but found the graph structure to be a hindrance. I like having my text in front of me rather than having named items with attached notes. I had tried Note Studio in the past and thought I'd try it one more time. I'm now hooked on it.

Note Studio has several advantages for me. It does freeform text entry. I can create my own structure and links in any form I like. It runs on Palm, Mac, and Windows. Most entry will be in Windows at work but I can sync files to the Palm version so I have my information while travelling. I can also hotsync the Palm at home and see my info there on my Mac. Finally, it has several means of exporting the data so it isn't tied up forever in the program.

David again here. Thanks for all the input. As I reformat our business models so I can free up more time for a new level of R&D and ways to distribute it, this info and your feedback will be more and more important. Keep it coming. - David

I downloaded PB about a week ago but ever since my personal universe seems to me if it would be drawn into this program. The advantage I see using PB is that I am getting more focused on projects. PB lets me utilize functions on my computer I never had before and it works perfect for someone like me who has a very active mind.
Reading the other postings, I see that there are many other great programs like PB. Surely each has their own advantage and disadvantages. PB is powerful and highly customizable. Once I reached a level where my own universe started to take shape in the digital map of my ?Personal Brain? this was an answer I was looking for!
After years of trial and errors I accumulated 60,000+ user files on the PC I currently use and probably an other 60,000 in different backups. The File and folder structure I built up to manage my information is finally in good working order except it is not linked and when I need something that is not known to me by name, file format, or other needed attributes then I am at lost or on an uphill battle to find it.
It seems to me PB will solve this problem. Furthermore, the built in function like: ?WANDER? is an awesome feature! Yes, it took me a while to overcome the intimidating factor even though I am not easy to intimidate, but once I got comfortable with PB, now I trust it and see no reason to try other program. PB works for me and I am taking the weekly live web tutorials to learn its advanced features.
Note for those who wish to cut down on time spent front of digital displays: First I was intrigued to bring in more data as fast as I can into PB but I had to realize, it is too time consuming and not necessary. Over time it will get a lot of data in it anyways. My aim now is more modest: I use the time spent function on ?thoughts? as well as the WONDER option in certain projects and found my focus on tasks are lot closer to my priority list then before I had PB.
In Short: FOCUS, INTUITIVENESS (WANDER option) RELATIONAL INFORMATION management, these are the first discoveries I have in PB.
PB is 5 STAR in my book.

Thanks for the nice post, David. It was a pleasure meeting you.

My Brain's back on the Web, so you can see what it's like to live with the tool for a decade. Head to http://sociate.thebrain.com and login as guest/guest, or follow the updated link I put on my blog (http://www.sociate.com; beware, the link in the sidebar doesn't work). It's been some three years since my data was available, so I'm thrilled it's back up.

Let me touch the comments more or less in order:

Luca, I principally use Firefox. What didn't work for you?

Guy, MindManager and Inspiration have a two-dimensional, paper metaphor. When you get to the edges of the "paper," you're kind of out of luck. TheBrain is 2.25-D. You're not flying through a 3-D space, which I find disorienting, but you're in a multi-directional, non-hierarchical space that is both huge and locally comfortable -- at least to me. That's a start.

Karl (and Mike, and Nathan), sorry you found TheBrain's personal info queries irritating. It's not much more than your name, rank and serial #, is it?

Jim, I find TheBrain scales wonderfully. For ten years I've been putting all my thoughts in the same Brain file. I thought for sure I'd have some part of my Brain feel like the "lost forest," but that hasn't happened. There are parts that are untidy or have dead links, but I'm always gardening and the dead links turn into live history with the Wayback Machine, so I don't mind. I now find all hierarchical organizers (and therefore all outliners, though I use Natara Bonsai on occasion, because it works with my Palm) somehow very limiting.

Anyone use DevonThink, the program Steven Johnson loves?

Randy, I hear what you're saying about forgetting. We do need to let things go from our memory... a lot.

Nevertheless, one of the things I've realized is that there are precious few tools to help us remember things and make sense of the world. TheBrain is my favorite, and it's not for everyone, but I'm constantly thrilled at the depth of things I find I've put in it, and seldom irritated that I put crap in. Maybe I'm filtering well before I add things.

sawtoothbarbie (great name!), thanks for the pointer to NoteStudio, which seems very wiki-like.

I've been thinking quite a bit about the relationship between TheBrain, wikis and tag spaces (folksonomies, if you like). I don't have any great answers, but I see these as complementary, not duplicative. They each seem to offer a different kind of power, and I like them all.

Jack, I agree that at close quarters (lots of emails and documents about some specific item or project) TheBrain gets cluttered or cumbersome. At some point, I keep things out of it to keep the name space clean. Like you, I use TheBrain instead of the Windows Explorer (the Finder equivalent, not IE), making it easier to find files.

Isn't it ridiculous that Microsoft is still selling an operating system that doesn't have lightning-fast search built in? And that they're torn about whether it'll be in Vista? And that Google can spin one out, just like that? It amazes me.

Brian, the WebBrain isn't supported the TheBrain folks anymore. They've been busy selling the enterprise version of TheBrain, the EKP (enterprise knowledge platform), which lets groups share a Brain. Frankly, I'm a fan of PersonalBrain and wish the company had opened it up and put a little more marketing thinking behind it.

Beirne, sounds like you're on that wiki/Brain borderline like me. I put very little text in the Notes section of my Brain. Mostly, I think of my Brain as a web of links, a super-context that ties together everything else in useful ways.

The Palm sync function is key, too, though I find I'm using my Palm less and less. Wish my Sidekick ran Palm software.

Zsolt, I'm glad you're captivated by TheBrain. I recommend you be thoughtful and slow in what you add to it. Throwing lots of things in automatically or thoughtlessly will bite you later on.

I'll post this on my blog as an entry, too. (If only Blogger supported Trackback....)

Hello everyone. I am the founder and CEO of TheBrain Technologies, the company behind PersonalBrain. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful commentary.

I just thought I would drop in to say that if anyone wants to download a copy of PersonalBrain and does not want to fill out the form, simply login to our site (www.thebrain.com) with the email address "support@thebrain.com" and enter the password "support"

In the next version of our site, we will make a lot of this information optional.

Thanks again for all of the feedback. As mentioned, we do have free weekly seminars where you can watch and discuss PersonalBrain directly with real live people. We would be happy to have you.

wow...PersonalBrain, MindManager, GTD, fellow macintosh users in one blog entry - this is like a big bang! :)

David, I still recall emailing you for the first time with a technical question about Mind Manager when I didn't even know you were an author of a best selling (or shall I say groundbreaking!) book! :-D Do excuse me for not mentioning the PersonalBrain to you then! glad you found this gem.

I've since put the PB on the backburner and, too, since became a Mac user and notice PB and MM are indeed apps I do indeed miss. I've been going gung ho on the whole web 2.0 buzz and for those interested (esp those interested in getting back to low tech), found this:

http://trimpath.com/demos/nextaction_static1/nextaction.htm

save it as a complete web page on your desktop and viola - you've got a dynamic, *living* dashboard to play with just like that!

I do not wish to disgress - this is quite on the opposite side of the spectrum from PB - just believe in keeping us folks balanced - great to see GTD is at the fulcrum between all its incantations! ;)

happy computing!

I have known this application for quite some time, but never really bought the concept for two main reasons. At first it always looks nice and promising (Minority Report effect?), although I could never stop thinking that it was a fine solution for a not-so-well-defined problem (do I really need a file explorer "on steroids"?). Secondly is the "stuff-factor": it really looks as a potential BIG blackhole, and the suggested use by the developers only reinforces that perception (listing and linking all your thoughts in a big brain).

Nevertheless, considering DA's recent interest, I decided to spend some time with it. What I discovered is that it is a superb application, ONCE you define very hard edges for it.

My current GTD system is based on MindManager and ResultsManager with a twist for project planning (JCVGantt), as I want to know WHEN my projects will be done. However, I have also always wanted something as a big life map, but the 10k to 50k altitude was really hard to manage with MindManager.

So now I have a brain only for this. As the relationships between higher levels are much fuzzier than the project-next action combo, PersonalBrain does a much better job of actually reproducing them. Even my Someday/Maybe items at these levels are easy to control, since I can see them isolated, but also attached to a specific focus area, vision or goal. By the way, I consider anything on higher altitudes as projects: you need to define a successful outcome and next actions (in this case, itens in an altitude immediately below). Appropriate reference files are also linked to each item, as well as time schedules.

David, this may be the platform on which to build a 10k+ GTD system template...

I wonder what the future of specialized organizational programs like PersonalBrain is, given the advent of Google Desktop search. Desktop searching is such a powerful concept, and Google implements it so well, that I'm not sure I'd commit to putting information into a system that Google cannot search.

Hi all,

I have a question for Harlan and Jerry. I too have been very interested in PersonalBrain, but the software seems to be stagnant for many years now. It seems that the company is completely focusing on the enterprise product, and the PersonalBrain is not high up in their list of priorities.

I remember reading a PersonalBrain users group (on Yahoo Groups, I believe) and many users there were talking about how stagnant the software was becoming and lack of support. A lot of them were doing all sorts of acrobatics and writing little utilities to enhance the program in one way or another (or to import/export stuff from it).

One of the problems with this kind of software is that it's hard to get started when you don't see the company being 100% commitd to it and supporting it. There's nothing worse than dumping your life to a software application, only to see it being neglected and not being updated by the developer.

Harlan, what is your position on this? When was the last update to PersonalBrain released? (it must be years ago now, isn't it?)

Are you actively working on a new version of PersonalBrain at the moment? If so, when do you estimate it will be released?

Thanks for your time Harlan and Jerry. I will be looking forward to your replies.

Regards,

-ilias.

I've used Personal Brain on and off for several years. The biggest problem I have with it is that the UI actually makes me feel nauseous. Navigating through a brain sets something off in my brain and I can't use it for very long. This has never happened with any other software that I have used.

I have been using this program for the last year and find it great. Nevertheless it also bothers me not to see much from the company behind it related to new releases, updates, etc.

Any news there Harlan?

Thanks!

I am just a newbie on mind mapping. but i want to start early.

i've just downloaded the Personal Brain and freemind. i've already installed Freemind and used it, quite impressed with it's simplicity and usefulness.

I'm about to intall PB when i came accross with this page. As i read over i'm amazed that there are a bunch of mind mapping tools to choose from.

PB impressed me graphically and it's concept, giving me the desire to purchase it. This web blog is a good help for me to consider and ponder over the best mind mapping tool that would fit my need.

Thank you everybody. the concept of Mind mapping is really Brilliant. You are all brilliant!

Wow... I had been using Brain and MindManager back in university. It was fun to hook my research director on them. :) Since I joined a company where strict rules apply to any personal software installed on the company's property, I had to find something else. My girlfriend is busy working on my home computer. I am using gmail to label messages=notes and keep everything online. Google allows me to search personal notes. By the way I am fun of copernic desktop search engine. It is very helpful to search for network drive for full text articles in pdf format and my e-mail archives (couple of GB).
Best,
andriy

I've always been intrigued by The Brain, but we run a mixed OS shop, and need software that will run in Windows/Mac/Linux for full versatilility.

FreeMind is a pretty good compromise that the moment, especially since you can host clickable mind maps on the web. (Tho it seems you need host that can serve JSPs.)

Thanks to all for the great info,
Gil

I bought PB when it was first released and have been desperately searching for a 'real' use for it ever since. I get it out (of the jar on the shelf in the shed - thanks to Zoot group for that) and play with it for a bit once every year or so but then wonder why and it fades away for the next 'rest period'.
I think that we (well, me) have been so influenced by flat file hierarchies for so long that any alternative, even with such a sexy interface just can't bend my thinking.
Maybe the next generation? Or indeed maybe Google/MS/Copernic desktop searching for all?

Personal Brain is a very great tool. I've been using it since version 1 first came out, and that's been about 12 years now.

What it is: It's a mindmap which keeps its focus on the selected node, and which only shows the nearest 2 layers of nodes/jump connections.

Or put another way: It's a graphical interface on the standard UNIX/MS-WINDOS file system. ;) Here's what I mean--- you have the current directory. It has children (sub directories), it has parent(s) (parent directory), and jump connectiosn (symbolic links/shortcuts).

Now, what's Personal Brain good for? I use every day for: my web bookmark manager, as well as a quick launch tool bar. This is what anyone using it grasps easily.

What else do I use it for? System development. Anything involving a flow. Focused text databases. Project documentation collecting. Database design (as in, designing a database).

What PB provides is a great tool for doing quick "flow" scenarios. For instance, psuedo-code. Mapping data processes. Building the data set for an expert system (knowledge capturing in an easily navigated system). Designing web sites/applications click-streams or mapping out web sites/applicatiosn click-streams. Just to name a few uses where I continue to choose to use PersonalBrain.

My main complaints with PB are: 1) it's not easy to get that data out of PB (although there are some tools out there), and 2) I cannot have a thought self link/reference itself.

It is a fine program. It is very different from the normal sort of apps out there, and most people that try it never make the connection to the true power of thought it gives them. Most people that try it out just see an overpriced bookmark organizer. Or a bookmarker and fancy quick launcher tool. I find its real power isn't in making those sorts of things (although its nice for organizing and keeping track of all those various documents and URLS you get/form when doing sizable software projects and such), but rather in its easy to use flow graphing. That's why I still use it these 12 years later.

I have also tried PB several years ago. I liked it! The reason I never purchased it is that while I found it useful where it operated the concept was "trapped" iny desktop. When I had to visit the rest of the world I had the traditional file outline format to deal with. This was true in the hard paper based world and on other devices I use like PDA's. Going back and forth actually hurt my productivity rather then enhance it.

Since implementing GTD, I also learned how to clean up my stuff. I no longer have folders lingering for years in the digital or real world. So have extensive file search or navigation isn't as necessary. Relevant stuff "worth keeping" is available the rest is tossed or archived. No black holes...

Hello, all:

I'm very glad to have found this source of PB information. I really like the program, and have called Brain Technologies several times to share thoughts, and to urge them to port PB to other platforms. Sad to see they have yet to implement that idea.

I have to say that this discussion brings to mind similar sites I have visited dedicated to another great program abandoned by it's developer...actually owner (NetManage)...ECCO Pro. Great reviews, loyal following, high customer satisfaction despite an admittedly steep learning curve, all for nought. Microsoft, among others, must have been thrilled.

I hope the similar feelings this discussion has evoked do not play out in the reality of the marketplace. But as other have reflected, it's a little disturbing that TheBrain Tech. folks don't seem real interested in further developing PB. If the don't wouldn't it be great if they sold or gave it to an enterprise that would. If only. And the fact that their CEO expressed such pleasure with this discussion, but has failed so far to answer the direct questions posed to him concerning the future of the PB, does not feel encouraging.

C'mon TBT management. Port PB to LINUX and OS/X. Don't leave it to languish and die from corporate disinterest as NetManage did to ECCO Pro...releasing increasingly infrequent "updates" until finally offering it for free and walking away from it altogether. The parallels are uncomfortable.

From all the things you touted about PB when it was your ONLY product, I expected, and still hope for, a different fate for PB. How about some words of encouragement AND a return to active PB development, Brain Technologies?

Just a note to those who complain about companies asking for personal information for trial software.

Have you really not considered entering random information instead?

As a matter of habit now I refuse to fill in ANY personal information on the web for all but a very select few sites - usually those I pay for.

Sincerely,

Professor gfdgsdf jhkhkhkj

23 fgsjdkfglds avenue

somewhere

I have just begun using PB and am excited to start using it, however I am seeing some limitations.
Import/export searchability and network access
I really need to be able to search into the brain with google desktop search or yahoo desktop search. If I cant search it I better be able to export it as xml or some "open" language I can constantly keep.
I like the idea of open-source because it seems like it will have more opportunity for support nowadays so Freemind interests me.

I also want to be able to sync my ideas to my Palm but dont seem to see any mindmapping software that does this well.

Im interested in ActiveWords/Tagging software and constantly use the search function either on my palm or google desktop to search for the nuggets of info i need. It would be great to see immediately within the search some sort of mind-mapping / tagging / searching interface that I can cross link information. I agree that mindmapping may create blackholes of information, however with a simple effective search system a user can easily get unstuck and "back to work".

Lately Ive been very impressed with GTDtiddlywiki http://shared.snapgrid.com/gtd_tiddlywiki.html
Which seems like the ultimate option, although I run into the palm syncing issue with my task lists. If only they had a mindmapping view or a way to link it with freemind.

Personal brain is very nice software. I use it since april 2003 in some small projects, whith no more than 5000 thought.
But, on my opinion, it has disadvantage: it have not err... 'timeline'. This program can't(I wrong?) work directly with time and date as sheduler, reminder or history manager. And I can't(?) drag any thought in external programs such as Outlook ets.
Some Wiki-like intellect in auto-creating link (maybe helper) for new thought also can improve its functionality.
Sorry for my English...

Being using this program for a year now, mainly to store my files, bookmarks and all reference information - as well as "operative" documents which dont change often.

I would be interested in knowing what you guys are using the software for, besides the usage described above - and more in detail - about how you are using it without it becoming unwieldy.

thanks!

I had used PB for many years and have just been given a new IBM T42 with XP Pro as part of the standard corporate offering. Problem is PB goes into overdrive after 30 seconds and uses 60% of the CPU regardless of brain size.

Have downloaded latest code and spoken to tech support but no joy.

Love the tool - especially when you do a lot of online reading but cant fix it. Guess I will have to try one of the others now.