Outliners occupy a unique niche among computer users. Many people see no benefit from them while others consider them an essential piece of software. If you are among the group that loves them, then you should check out Keynote, a freeware program with a dedicated band of followers. While most software designers like to use the term user friendly, in this case it really applies. This is one of the few software programs that you can install and start using right away.

What do you do with KeyNote? Well to quote the web site “KeyNote is used by screenwriters to draft screenplays, by medical doctors to keep patient databases, by developers to store source code snippets - and to everyone it serves as a place to put all the random pieces of information that have no particular structure or relationship to other data, and do not fit easily in task-specific applications such as word-processors, databases or spreadsheets.” Unfortunately the program is no longer being developed but remains popular in its current release.

If it is a problem for you that it is no longer under development then you might want to consider NeoMem [2] as an alternative. It's not really a dedicated outliner but is rather more of a general purpose note taking program that can be used as an outliner. It's a kind of hybrid of a database and word processor that's designed to allow you to organize, store, hyperlink and search information. That bland description totally under-sells the product. It's one of those programs that you really need to use in order to understand its full potential. It works with all Windows versions so try it.

Another possibility is FreeMind [3]. It's an Open Source "mind mapping" program written in Java that can serve as an outliner as well. Functionally it's closer to Keynote than NeoMem. It's slower than Keynote but is more powerful for mapping complex relationships.

ZuluPad [4] is another program that is not really an outliner but rather a cross between a note-taking program and a wiki. Its strong card is the ease with which you can create a set of linked and cross linked documents. In its current release it is lacking in features when compared to other products but this is more than compensated by its high level of usability

[1] KeyNote
Website: http://www.tranglos.com/free/index.html
Author: Tranglos Software
Date: Last update Nov 12, 2003
Version Number: 1.6.5
Download file size: 1.7 MB
License: Mozilla Public License (Free)
Operating Systems Supported: Windows 98 and later
64 Bit Capable: No
Other languages supported: None
Additional Software Required: Windows 98 users may need to install version 4.01 of Microsoft common controls
Portable: No
Other Relevant Information: