Nonprofit News » Reviews: Software

Flash FreeMind Browser

Michael Gilbert — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 19:45:13 +0000

If you like concept mapping as much as I do, you’ll be pleased with the progress that’s been made on the Flash FreeMind Browser. This allows very smart and snappy web-based interaction with mind-maps created by the open-source Freemind tool. Of course, it’s essential to use this for it’s intended purpose — conceptual mapping and [...]

Videocue

Michael Gilbert — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:48:42 +0000

Vara Software is the developer of the remarkable and powerful Wirecast webcasting application that has found its way into my regular workflow and has been the subject of several reviews, including the centerpiece of my Everyday Software article on how we webcast our online workshops. Unlike Wirecast, Videocue (Mac only) is not an every day [...]

The R Project for Statistical Computing

Michael Gilbert — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:01:25 +0000

Every now and then, I need to do some serious statistical analysis or some complex modeling prior to development of a new tool. In those cases, I often turn to The R Project for Statistical Computing (cross platform). This is by no means a point and click application. Rather, it is a sophisticated environment for [...]

Webstractor

Michael Gilbert — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 21:03:30 +0000

In one of my larger research projects this last year, I had the chance to put a tool called Webstractor (Mac only) to the test. Webstractor is an elegant assistant to web based research. It collects web clippings which you can then edit, keeping the reference URL, but removing all the extraneous navigation, branding, and [...]

TAMS Analyzer

Michael Gilbert — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:51:29 +0000

I lot of the research work that I do involves text, sometimes very large quantities of text. Sometimes, it’s critical to be able to mark up that text in ways that reflect my research questions. That’s when I need a tool like TAMS Analyzer (Mac and GNUstep). TAMS (Text Analysis Mark-up System) is an open [...]

DevonThink

Michael Gilbert — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:33:28 +0000

If you do research or writing, or you are just an information hound, you may want to consider a remarkable piece of software that I have spent more than a year trying to incorporate into my workflow. It’s called DevonThink (Mac only) and it’s a desktop file management and information discovery tool. It blends classic [...]

On the Varieties of Software Reviews

Michael Gilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:56:54 +0000

Ever since getting out of the nonprofit communication software business, I have taken a deep interest in other developers and their offerings. Because of my commitment to a systems perspective, I have so far confined my reviews to our Everyday Software series, which presents tools within the context of the communication ecosystem to which [...]

Ecto: Full-Featured, Desktop Blogging Software

Michael Gilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:56:38 +0000

In my article on the content management workflow for Nonprofit News, I mentioned Ecto, a desktop blogging application that I admire, but don’t use. Ecto is available for Windows and Mac OS, although not for Linux. It plays well with all the major blogging platforms. It supports per-post control of trackback, comments, post time, categories, [...]

Curio: A Rich Environment for Ideas and Content

Michael Gilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:56:28 +0000

My colleagues and students know how much I like effective visual thinking. I use outliners, conceptual mapping software, ecosystem modeling, and network exploration tools. I draw circles and arrows of ideas when I talk on the phone. And I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to make sense of ideas and manage [...]