XMIND - 3.1.1

Emac, OS 10.4.9, 512mb ram - I downloaded this from VT using the download now link, it appeared to download successfully, but won't open from the desktop icon. Went to the developers site and went through all the registering hoops there, downloaded again with the same result. Is it 10.4 compatible like it says?

I am a professional writer and I develop marketing concepts for a major international company and websites. I have been looking for a mind mapping tool that I like and I've demoed many of them. Most are very awkward to use or overly complex. This is the first one that I keep coming back to. It is simple, elegant and intuitive. I think you'll be successful with this product and I'd like to contribute some constructive feedback. But for the potential user/buyer reading this, I'd say you won't be disappointed. To my mind this is the best in category.

My first comment is similar to that of another reviewer. I struggle to do what I want because the program is a bit too limited about where it lets me place things. For example, one of the things that I need to use this kind of program for is to design workflows. The relationships of one "topic" to another may involve arrows going all over the place.

So, putting everything in the corners of the main topic or in a line from left to right just isn't "real world" enough for me. I need the flexibility to move things around without the program deciding where topics should go or being overly helpful by putting lines that associate topics when I move one topic near another. Frankly, I need to make those decisions and I don't have the time to undo what your program wants. Is there a way to turn off the "helpful" features and let me really make the design decisions on my own?

This next comment is a bit of cultural feedback. I think the "Fishbone Chart" option is a very useful way to look at information, but can you get rid of the fish head and the fish tail? That is a bit too literal for the corporate environments I work in and I can just imagine the laughter I'd hear if I showed up with a PowerPoint slide with literal fish parts in it. Please don't be offended, but some Western cultures, a fish head is not an appealing thing. Sorry.

Lastly, I am not an expert on pricing software, but I'm a little concerned about your two-tiered price structure and the fact that not all of the cool features are available on the lower end of the price scale. I know that you've invested a lot in developing this wonderful tool, and you deserve to get your reward, but my intuition is that you would be better off underselling the market a bit and generate adoring, loyal customers like I will potentially be. To put it bluntly, if I could have all the features at the lower tier price, I'd have bought the program already.

I, like many Mac users, tend to be very loyal to the tools that honor how we like to work. I think this program can easily become the preferred standard for mind mapping and I hope you will have a long, prosperous run with this program.

I started using this app about a week ago and find it to be the best brainstorming app I've used. It is pricey, but it does work well. I used another app for numerous years and find XMind to be easier to use. It is quick and easy to brainstorm and it creates nice looking mind maps.

The one drawback is that the version of RTF that this app exports to is not compatible with iWork 08. It can be opened by NeoOffice though. This needs to be a priority for resolution, especially for the regular price. The developer is quick to respond and seems to really want to make this the best brainstorming/mind mapping app for the Mac.