Existing users, 
[This is partially a response to Steven P. Jobs' review and its replies, not a product review]
DEVONthink Pro classification would be more useful to me with an option to always automatically replicate items instead of moving them. I'd rather leave items at the top level and organize replicates into groups (possibly utilizing Auto Classify/Group, which I don't currently use), similar to organizing tracks from an iTunes/iPhoto library into playlists/albums. Using replicates that way, as they're currently implemented in DT Pro, quickly becomes unmanageable since it's really not their intended use. That's not a criticism, just an observation.
As I've mentioned on the forum, DT's hierarchical group structure often seems too rigidly enforced and adding "virtual groups" could make DT a more effective data management tool than it already is. Using hierarchies of DT groups both for item storage and as the primary way to organize ("classify") those items has limitations similar to organizing files/folders with Finder. Being able to easily create and delete different "virtual views" of items, hierarchical or not, independent of location, would increase my productivity with DT Pro more than adding Spotlight support.
DEVONthink Pro
Intelligent info manager.
Version: 2.0pb7
DT Pro "classification"
Feedback Type: Commentary
Contributed by: sjk Wednesday, September 07 2005 @ 11:43 AM PDT
Product Platform: MacOSX
Used Product For: Over One Year
Recommend Product: YES
Comments
your "humble view" - sjk
I don't think this has been an "inappropriate place" for any of the comments here. And the second paragraph of my comment is prefaced with "As I've mentioned on the forum ...", an implied invitation for anyone interested in the topic to go there for further/deeper discussion. Plus my comments might help someone "get a sense" about what DT Pro is/isn't capable of, even if they didn't do that for you. And hopefully of a bit more value to someone than redundant or mundane "it's the best!!!" and "it sucks!" 5/1-star reviews and commentary. Nothing I wrote was inoffensive or personally slanderous.You're welcome to your opinion but, frankly, I think your reaction was unreasonably hypercritical.
Friday, September 09 2005 @ 04:05 PM PDT
DT Pro "classification" - Steven P. Jobs
"Being able to easily create and delete different "virtual views" of items, hierarchical or not, independent of location, would increase my productivity with DT Pro more than adding Spotlight support."Of course, opening up the DT entries to Spotlight would make Smart Folders possible, both inside and outside the app, which would be a way to implement "virtual views"...
Thursday, September 15 2005 @ 03:54 PM PDT
virtual views/groups - sjk
That's true to an extent, although I can imagine virtual groups in DTP (or some other app) extending the capabilities of the current Finder/Spotlight Smart Folder implementation. For example, I'd like to construct a single DTP group containing items added manually and items added automatically/dynamically from the results of a "saved search". Sort of like merging traditional and smart folders into a more powerful metagroup. It could even be possible to manually remove specific items from the dynamically added contents of such a metagroup.Speculating from an evolutionary perspective, it seems inevitable that some kind of virtual filesystem "metalayer" will eventually become as pervasive as, and a replacement for, the file/folder hierarchies most of us take for granted. DTP is an app with the potential to become one of the pioneers of that vision by expanding the organizational model of its "personal database" to include a more flexible metalayer than basic item/group hierarchies. Regardless of that, I expect DTP and its development will remain useful and interesting to me.
Saturday, September 17 2005 @ 08:21 PM PDT
DT Pro "classification" - philslade
The extra flexibility mentioned as a potential improvement to DT Pro reminds me of the capabilities of Xerox Special Information Systems' Analyst and Assistant. 'Information Centers' worked like virtual folders, as the application used several basic hyperlinks for info management including one similar to the inclusion in a folder/directory. But users could define thousands of different link types (in two directions) and write simple but powerful rules to manage masses of those hyperlinks between any number of items, in addition to managing them by hand, relying of various tools including big windows showing forests of labeled links. It was quite something...Tuesday, November 15 2005 @ 01:48 PM PST
DT Pro "classification" - ecodoc
In my humble view, version tracker is probably an inappropriate place for detailed wishlists and discussions about minute functionality of products. Perhaps this is best directed to forums on the developers website or in reply to the original comment here by Mr.Jobs!<p>Many if not Most people use version tracker to get a sense of what the products claim to do and the comments from users to broadly validate or refute these claims. <p>Without doubt DEVON is a unique and flexible product that performs a really useful service especially for the academic user. In my expereince the developers have been very interested and responsive to user comments. I am confident about its growing functionality over future versions. Obviously not all its features will be equally useful to all users.Reply to This
Thursday, September 08 2005 @ 01:11 AM PDT