Not changing the flexibility of UR too much.

[Jakem mazon]

Ultra Recall
Personal Information / Knowledge / Document Management software for Windows


This is what Kinook says Ultra Recall is, so why are so many people asking for and suggesting that esoteric and theoretical functions such as “Reverse Inheritance” and “Mind mapping” functions and other similar concepts be implemented into UR. There is nothing wrong with these ideas, but these concepts might be better suited for applications such as organizers/schedulers like “MS Outlook.” These and similar applications use the “Pigeon Holing” method of data management (search, access, and modification) and storage. Mind Mapping and concept diagramming applications such as “Axon Idea Generator” by Axon Research are suited for the generation of ideas, not necessarily storage and management of data.

The way I see it, UR and all tree based information managers ( and UR is the most sophisticated and innovative so far that I’ve seen) are practical, less structured, quick data storage and retrieval applications suited for the internet and free-form data management. They allow for quick, flexible, free flowing research and expansive information gathering and management that can be quickly organized under a hierarchical model of information storage. Linking helps to take care of some of the relational database functions needed in these types of applications. This, as compared to the more limited and contracted pigeon holing of repeated patterns of information typical of applications such as Personal Organizers/Time Management applications is the difference.

Forget about instituting any kind of mind mapping capabilities into UR. The mind mapping concept is one of using keywords to generate ideas that stay stored in our mind but not necessarily processed. In fact, duplicating this concept in a computer application has not worked so well because it does not allow you to use your kinesthetic memory which is part of this concept. That is why this kind of concept is better implemented with pen and paper. Those applications that have tried to duplicate the mind mapping concept simply revert back to the pigeon-hole methodology. Information is information like a fruit is a fruit, but then there are apples and there are oranges and within each of these there are other sub-variations that can not always be mixed and matched.

A lot of the suggestions that are being made come from knowledgeable folks who have been managing repeatable patterns of information and perhaps have developed the mindset of seeing information as what can be called “Info-chunks patterns.” That is, appointments, contacts, scheduling, Tasks, etc. which are always standard recurring concepts in all Personal Organizers such as Outlook, Ecco, and Lotus Organizer (Remember Lotus Organizer?) On the other hand, and to an extreme there are relational databases that are like specialized, automated data-storage-robots aimed at massive recording, transmission, reporting, storage, and retrieval of patterned data that can be looked at from different angles. I mean, let’s face it, a scientist collecting thousands of bits of data and then trying to cross-reference that data is better off using a fully relational database. And that is the main function of such databases. The beauty of UR is that I can easily keep all that data close to my vest and interact with it.

Of course, one of the problems that contribute to this confusion is the name (Personal Information Manager.) Does that mean managing information that relates to your daily, personal life or managing general information that you have amassed and manage yourself? I think it means managing all types of information, but doing it in a fast, sure, and flexible manner.

I am using UR as a data gathering/storage/retrieval/organizing bot. I have no time for the slow pigeon holing of information when I’m doing this. For that I use an application suited to that, namely, “Microsoft Outlook.” From “Outlook,” I take the information that is of a permanent nature and let UR handle it. I am not saying that some of the things that Outlook does can not or should not be done in Ultra Recall. I am saying that an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. UR can handle all these scheduling and personal organizers functions, but don't expect it to behave the same as traditional organizers.

So, I hope that UR does not steer away from its main idea of centralizing the storage and management of data for easy retrieval, usage and safe keeping under the hierarchical model of data management. Also, please, don’t become like “Infoselect” which is a feature ladened application that is the “Jack of all trades and the master of none. “

. I am enjoing using Ultra Recall so much that I don’t worry about the minutiae that is being asked for to make this application pleasing to everybody. In another post, I will ask for my own minutia of usability. Thank you Kinook for a job very well done.