CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Purpose Explain Benefits of SDS from Experience Using SDS
PIM Improved by SDS Integrating Personal and Organizational Managemen
Organic Subject Structure Assembles Chronologies Cause and Effect for
POIMS Integrates Personal Organizational Management

1306 -
1306 -    ..
1307 - Summary/Objective
1308 -
130801 - Follow up
130802 -
130803 - x0001 Product Classification
130805 -  ..
130806 - Review in Personal Computing, July 1988 issue page 123.
130807 - By Christopher O'Malley
130808 -
130809 -   Personal Information Managers (PIM)
130810 -
130811 -   This seems to be the industry way of describing SDS type products.
130812 -
130813 -       SDS strives to integrate personal with organizational
130814 -       management, more like a POIM than a PIM.
130815 -
130817 -  ..
130818 - The author explains.....
130819 -
130820 -   The differences between how the human mind works and how a computer
130821 -   works, if they could be distilled into a single quality, might be
130822 -   expressed as perception.
130823 -
130824 -   The mind evaluates, sets priorities, and establishes relationships.
130825 -   Computers merely record and retrieve information.
130826 -
130827 -       [On 900303 Jeremy Campbell's book on AI says thinking is a
130828 -       process of the mind telling itself stories and tracking history
130829 -       showing chronology of cause and effect. ref SDS 4 3002 and also
130830 -       ref SDS 4 3016
130832 -    ..
130833 -   Computer objective for Paperless Office Improve Productivity
130834 -
130835 -   Manage loose information that swirls about us every business day --
130836 -   thoughts, plans, brainstorms, projects, goals, appointments, calls,
130837 -   to-do lists.  PIM's let you write notes, make lists, track
130838 -   appointments, store names and phone numbers, and file virtually
130839 -   anything else a few words or sentences can convey.
130840 -
130841 -        [On 000327 Doug Engelbart's explanation of "knowledge" work
130842 -        from a paper in 1972 presents similar scope. ref SDS 9 3971
130844 -    ..
130845 -   People want computers to "think" naturally by spotting similiarties,
130846 -   recognize patterns, descern relationships, and assign priorities.
130847 -
130848 -     Computers cannot do this because "intelligence" that converts
130849 -     information into the kind of useful "knowledge" described in this
130850 -     article, must manage a continuum from the "big picture" that
130851 -     people are aware of at any given moment, down to smaller details
130852 -     that escape notice.
130853 -
130854 -         [On 910418 Intel trying to accomplish PIM capability.
130855 -         ref SDS 5 2744
130857 -          ..
130858 -         [On 910611 applied these ideas to paper for publication that
130859 -         became POIMS. ref SDS 6 0001
130861 -          ..
130862 -         [On 950710 Landauer's book "Trouble with Computers" reports
130863 -         people want computers to help them think and make decisions,
130864 -         but this cannot be done. ref SDS 7 3387
130866 -          ..
130867 -         [On 950927 Intel gave up trying to use computers for
130868 -         management. ref SDS 8 7732
130870 -      ..
130871 -     SDS provide a natural flowing method for people to capture,
130872 -     connect, organize, summarize and analyse information, as it is
130873 -     encountered.  Experience the past few years indicates this
130874 -     improves understanding, and helps people remember.  SDS organic
130875 -     subject structure enables finding relevant information quickly,
130876 -     and assembling chronologie of cause and effect that improves
130877 -     understanding particular subjects, per recent work on SDS Help,
130878 -     880628. ref SDS 2 OL6H  This is a big improvement, but it is not
130879 -     using a computer to "think" for people.  It helps people think for
130880 -     themselves.
130881 -
130882 -        [On 890523 explained organic subject structure in detail.
130883 -        ref SDS 3 P13O
130885 -    ..
130886 -   PIM's draw on some familiar concepts, they also represent a fresh
130887 -   approach to organizing daily data.  They can customize, automate
130888 -   and associate as desktop organizers or textbases cannot.
130890 -    ..
130891 -   Products can be many things to many people: notepad, outliner,
130892 -   address/phone book, list maker, idea processor, schedulier, people
130893 -   and project manager -- even for some applications, a conventional
130894 -   database or wordprocessor.
130895 -
130897 -  ..
130898 - Product objectives
130899 -
130900 -   PIM's elevate the organizer genre to a new level of sophistication.
130901 -
130902 -   PIM's are an extension of freeform databases (or "textbases") such
130903 -   as Dayflo from Dayflo Corp (Irvine, CA), askSam from askSam
130904 -   Systems (Perry, FL), and IZE, from Persoft (Madison, WI).
130905 -
130906 -
130908 -  ..
1310 -
1311 - Software elements
1312 -
131201 - PIM's combine features of "organizers," wordprocessing  and data
131202 - bases.
131203 -
131204 - PIM's have no fields or records as conventional databases do  but
131205 - they do provide some structure.
131207 -  ..
131208 - Text-oriented databases eschew the rigid field-and-record format of
131209 - regular databases and work instead with random text entries.  In
131210 - place of fields and records, PIM's use more flexible building
131211 - blocks.  Individual entries are called "items" and "headlines" that
131212 - can then be assigned to "catagories."
131213 -
131214 -         [On 950927 Intel gave up trying to use computers for
131215 -         management. ref SDS 8 7732
131217 -     ..
131218 -    This reflects SDS organic subject structures that break things
131219 -    down into lower levels, as needed.
131220 -
131221 -        [On 890523 explained this in detail. ref SDS 3 P13O
131223 -     ..
131224 -    It would be interesting to see the person who wrote this article,
131225 -    and the person who created whatever program the author has in mind,
131226 -    use that program for more than a day to implement what is being
131227 -    described.
131229 -  ..
131230 - You can tune the adaptable PIM engine to act upon the information
131231 - tidbits you enter.
131232 -
131233 -   Items containing a specific company name might automatically be
131234 -   given the highest priority and assigned to the person or
131235 -   department responsible for that account.
131237 -    ..
131238 -   These relationships form between entries that might otherwise be
131239 -   treated as separate unrelated items.
131241 -    ..
131242 -   Primary feature
131243 -
131244 -   PIM's can be "taught" to evaluate and connect the random entries
131245 -   they record.
131246 -
131247 -     This is not really true.  If a computer is used in this way  it
131248 -     will cause many mistakes because the rules the mind uses to decide
131249 -     how to relate data cannot be easily programmed into a computer.
131251 -      ..
131252 -     The computer can be organized in a way to easily capture the
131253 -     structure the mind decides to give it.
131254 -
131255 -
131257 -    ..
131258 -   Is this artificial intellegence?
131260 -    ..
131261 -   PIM's closer than anything else to fulfilling the role Apple
131262 -   co-founder Steve Jobs described as "personal computer as personal
131263 -   agent."
131264 -
131265 -
131266 -
131267 -
1313 -

SUBJECTS
SDS business development
Marketing, competitive
Agenda

1405 -
1406 - Database structure
140701 -  ..
140702 - Frames entries in bulleted "sections" and columns.
140704 -  ..
140705 - Free form text can be entered.
140707 -  ..
140708 - Agenda imposes structure on entreis after the fact rather than
140709 - before, but it works with the same sort of information and, like
140710 - Sidekick Plus and other desktop organizers, it attempts to segregate
140711 - out day-to-day minutiae into tidy, meaningful chunks.
140712 -
1408 -

SUBJECTS
Agenda
Keywords ("Catagories")

1504 -
150501 -  ..
150502 - Called "catagories" used to find and retrieve text entries.
150504 -  ..
150505 - Keywords form relationships between items.  You assign items to one
150506 - or more categories so you can pool entries that meet a specific
150507 - criteria -- every item that pertains to Dick, ofr instance, or that
150508 - must be acted upon tomorrow.  An Item might be assigned to Marketing
150509 - or Sales category to indicate the department it referes to.
150511 -  ..
150512 - If an entry contains the word "sales" or "marketing" or another
150513 - keyword, you can even instruct Agenda or GrandView to assign that
150514 - item to the proper category or catagories automatically.
150516 -  ..
150517 - Once you've assigned items to categories, you can create "views"
150518 - showing everything you've entered pertaining to a category,
150519 - regardless of how or when you made the entries.
150521 -  ..
150522 - "Views"
150523 - -------
150524 - Views are different ways you can look at information you have
150525 - entered.  The main view is the one in which you entered the items.
150526 - You can focus on notes in GrandView's "Document View" and Agenda's
150527 - "Notes" screen.  "Catagory Views" in both programs let you filter
150528 - items in your database according to their category assignments.
150530 -  ..
150531 - You can create at least as many different category views as you have
150532 - category assignments.
150534 -  ..
150535 - Filtering
150536 -
150537 - Filtering is comparable to querying a traditional database to create
150538 - a report, but unlike database reports, views let you freely enter and
150539 - edit information.  You might, for example, add to or subtract from
150540 - the "view" of high priority items.
150541 -
1506 -

SUBJECTS
Agenda
Relationships

1704 -
170501 -  ..
170502 - Agenda tries to make the entry and association of items as atuomatic
170503 - as possible.
170505 -  ..
170506 - It assigns itmes to categoreis not only by following your direct
170507 - orders but also by looking at what you type and where you type it.
170509 -  ..
170510 - The item "lunch with Dan tomorrow" for example, might automatically
170511 - generate several assignments:
170512 -
170513 -   "Dan" to the person category
170514 -
170515 -   Tomorrow's date to the When category,
170517 -    ..
170518 -   Reminder to the Meetings category
170519 -
170521 -  ..
170522 - Agenda weaves a complex network of associations even without a
170523 - conscious effort on our part to achieve that end (and there are
170524 - plenty of tools for creating more deliberate associations).
170525 -
170527 -  ..
170528 - Data entry
170529 - Outlining
170530 - Network of Associations
170531 -
170532 -   Associations are created from the brief, random text entries or
170533 -   "items" that you type into the program.
170535 -    ..
170536 -   A new Agenda data base, starts as virtually a blank screen.
170538 -    ..
170539 -   From the this "Initial View" you can begin to enter ideas,
170540 -   statemtns, questions, even company shorthand or jargon.  These
170541 -   items are entered in a modest outline format, Agenda calls
170542 -   "Sections."
170544 -    ..
170545 -   You type in a section head ("Projects" for instance).
170546 -
170547 -     Thus, section heads or the "catagories"
170548 -
170550 -    ..
170551 -   Then enter text items, can be up to 350 characters long.
170552 -
170553 -     Agenda automatically "bullets" and indents beneath the section
170554 -     head.
170555 -
170557 -    ..
170558 -   Narrative
170559 -
170560 -     Notes up to 10 KB can be attached to an item head.
170561 -
170562 -
170564 -    ..
170565 -   You can switch between the "Initial View" the first level outline,
170566 -   and the narrative notes associated with an Item using a function
170567 -   key.
170568 -
170569 -
1706 -

SUBJECTS
Agenda
Learning/Training

1804 -
180501 -  ..
180502 - Agenda's complexity and depth make it harder to learn and fully
180503 - exploit than GrandVeiw, but the payoff is power.  You can mold Agenda
180504 - into a highly automated personal assistant.
180505 -
1806 -

SUBJECTS
Agenda
Wordprocessing

1904 -
190501 -  ..
190502 - Agenda is a poor substitute for your word processor.
190503 -
190504 -
1906 -

SUBJECTS
SDS business development
Marketing, competitive
GrandView

2005 -
2006 - Complete review of GrandView & PMI June 88, page 13.
200701 -  ..
200702 - List price:            $295.00
200703 -
200705 -  ..
200706 - Publisher:             Symantec
200707 -                        Living Videotext Division
200708 -                        Mountain View, CA
200710 -  ..
200711 - Requires:              ????
200713 -  ..
2008 -
2009 - Comments
2010 -
201001 - Data base structure
201002 -
201003 - Uses traditional outline format.
201004 -
2011 -

SUBJECTS
Grandview
Keywords

2104 -
210501 -  ..
210502 - See also line 0509 for "Agenda" under "Keywords."
210503 -
2106 -

SUBJECTS
Grandview
Relationships

2204 -
220501 -  ..
220502 - GrandView is less automatic than Agenda, but simpler to grasp,
220503 - especially if you're used to working with Outliners.
220505 -  ..
220506 - Outline hierarchy is employed strictly for orderly entry.
220508 -  ..
220509 - GrandView makes no assumptions about how or whether entries should
220510 - be assigned to categories.
220512 -  ..
220513 - You assign categoreis as you go along or define simple "if/then"
220514 - rules to help automate the process.
220515 -
2206 -

SUBJECTS
Grandview
Wordprocessing

2304 -
230501 -  ..
230502 - GrandView is also much more document oriented than is Agenda.
230504 -  ..
230505 - Its very flexible outliner is accompanied by enough basic
230506 - wordprocessing features (including spelling checker) to create
230507 - memos, letters, and other short documents.
230509 -  ..
230510 - Provides extensive support for Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer.  It
230511 - does not support PostScript.
2306 -