Mind Manager and the Mac

[Will Wyatt]

I'm currently using Inspiration as my mind mapping tool and I understand that y'all don't think that much of that particular program, much prefering Mind Manager.

I'm a bi-platform kinda guy; Macs at home and PCs at the office.

I need a program in which I can make a mind map on one platform and have it transfer transparently to the other, both ways. All the Microsoft Office suite programs do this with no problem, as does Inspiration.

When I get on the MindJet forums, the comments about their support of MindManager on the Mac is NOT very encouraging, in fact the comments are not good at all.

Any suggestions from the group? No matter how good Mind Manager is on the PC platform, if I can't also use it on my Mac it's a no-go.

WW

[kewms]

The functionality of the Mac version of Mind Manager definitely lags behind that of the PC version. However, the files do appear to be portable across platforms. There is also a reader program available for both platforms.

In my experience, the basic mapping functionality works fine on both platforms.Where you're likely to run into problems is in the interfaces with programs other than Mind Manager. The Results Manager add-in from Gyronix only exists for the PC. The PC has much more complete export/import options for connecting to Microsoft Office. Stuff like that.

I'd suggest checking out the free trial on both platforms. That will give you a better idea of how the differences affect what you personally are trying to do.

Katherine

[GTDWorks]

I use a Mac and a PC and have Mindmanager on both. While the PC verson is better, I have no problem transferring mindmaps back and forth between the two platforms. Do it all the time!!

[MichaelDeutch]

Hi Will,

First a disclaimer, I work at Mindjet. I'm mostly on the PC, but I've started to dabble and get up-to-speed on Mac as well. In general, map files will function on both Mac and Windows. The PC version has over 10 years more development than the Mac version which was only introduced a few years back. So, there are a things that you can do on the PC that you cannot do with the Mac version. Since many MindManager users have recently jumped from PC to Mac, they want all the functionality that used to be in their windows version. That, unfortunately, can be heard in the forum. I'm working with our product team and providing as much feedback as I can to help drive our future Mac updates forward and create greater fidelity between the applications. That said, for most people, there should be no issue with sharing maps on both platforms. For some of the advanced users, we're listening to their needs and incorporating the feedback to make the necessary improvements in our future releases.

Hope this helps,
Michael

[pakiyabhai]

quite frankly from my personal experience , i gave up on mindmanager 'forums' when last year I struggled on the PC forum to allow them me provide the cab file so that I can embed that in a webpage and be able to view my mindmaps locally on any computer , none of my q's were answered.

No doubt it's an awesome software.

As for cross changing platforms and people who travel between pcs at home ,macs at home or office, i would suggest u to try www.mindmeister.com , it's basic ,but gets the job done stores the maps online too. there implementatino of notes key (f2) is bad otherwise it's a very very good tool

[agavebob]

If you have some time to try things out, there are a number of mind mapping apps, some of which are cross platform and free, that you might want to check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...pping_software

I just downloaded the (free) FreeMind, and it is pretty impressive, although so far, the moving of grouped objects doesn't give me as much control as Mind Manager (OS X).

Mind Manager (OS X) is pretty nice and quite intuitive, however even at the reduced price point (vs. Win), the amount of time I spend in mind mapping (not a lot) makes me consider the free apps. But I'll give them all a fair shot, and if worthwhile, would consider buying Mind Manager. It would be useful to know if MindJet has plans to get the OS X version up to par.

Bob

[Will Wyatt]

What are the new developments in Cross Platform Mind Mapping. Inspiration 9 seems to be working quite well for me on both platforms.

[Oogiem]

I've never been a fan of any mind mapping apps. BUt I finally found one that I actually use a bit.

Extremely simple the app from Literature and Latte (The same folks that make Scrivener) is in Beta now. It allows multiple base nodes and has almost no bells and whistles but works. Yes, it's beta but so far I have not had any problems with it at all.
Might give it a try for simple maps.

Expected price when it is for sale is around $10 or so.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/fo...7d83f9733ccc9d

[mcogilvie]

What are the new developments in Cross Platform Mind Mapping. Inspiration 9 seems to be working quite well for me on both platforms.

Mindjet seems to be pricing themselves out of consumer space. There are several decent options for mac/iphone/ipad use, and I find the better I am at gtd, the less I need out of a mind-mapping tool. I'd stick with Inspiration if it's still working for you.

[gtderik]

I'm currently using Inspiration as my mind mapping tool and I understand that y'all don't think that much of that particular program, much prefering Mind Manager.

I'm a bi-platform kinda guy; Macs at home and PCs at the office.

I need a program in which I can make a mind map on one platform and have it transfer transparently to the other, both ways. All the Microsoft Office suite programs do this with no problem, as does Inspiration.

When I get on the MindJet forums, the comments about their support of MindManager on the Mac is NOT very encouraging, in fact the comments are not good at all.

Any suggestions from the group? No matter how good Mind Manager is on the PC platform, if I can't also use it on my Mac it's a no-go.

WW

Will, the mind-mapping set up I use could be helpful to you. I use a mac at home and a PC at work. I use the program XMIND which is free and very useful (available for mac and PC). I keep my mind map files in a dropbox folder which syncs in the cloud. This way I have up to date maps where ever inspiration hits me.

Hope that helps. Good luck!