Tobu is a “freeform information organizer”, a desktop-based note taking application that allows you to use multiple tags to categorize notes of all kinds. Tobu’s use of tags allows for making multiple connections between notes, which in turn makes it possible for this app to provide versatile database-like functionality for organizing, viewing, and finding your notes quickly and easily.
Tobu is a simple note taking application that allows you to assign multiple tags to a note and then view your notes across tag filters. However, it also allows you to create tags and assign values to them much as you would do with database fields. For example, you can create a tag named “priority” and for different notes you could assign different values (e.g. “priority: 9″, “priority: 7″). What this means, in effect, is that both of these would be notes have the tag “priority” in common, but when viewed in a list Tobu will display the tag as a column that you could sort by value. (See screenshot above for an illustration).
This is a program which you will have to put some effort into initially, in order to create a tag structure that works for your information and the way you want to work with your notes; however, once this is done both storage and retrieval of information will become significantly faster and easier than using a hierarchical notes application such as SEO Note or TreeDBNotes. To illustrate: the difference between a freeform organizer like Tobu and hierarchical notes organizers is similar to that between hierarchical applications launchers (such as the Windows start menu) and a text-input-based indexing launcher such as Launchy. (If you are unfamiliar with what Launchy is and what it does go ahead and try it; you will not be disappointed).
More info on this program:
- The user interface: is split into an upper pane that lists your notes in rows and allows you to apply tags as filters, and a lower pane where you enter text and work with individual notes. The lower pane is tabbed, which makes it easy to keep multiple notes handy irrespective of what you are doing in the upper pane.
- Sortable tags: tags are displayed as columns,
- Templates: you will find that you need to use certain combination of tags frequently, inwhich case you can simply save these different combinations as templates and select them when you need them from a dropdown.
- Creating a new note: the fastest way to do this is make a copy of an existing note that has the correct tags you want or otherwise use a template (mentioned above).
- The filters: you can use up to five filters, but will probably only use one or two 99% of the time. Note that the filters also function as autocomplete search boxes, where you can simply start typing text that is found in the title of your note to find it.
- Views: are simply filter combinations that you can save for easy access later on.
- Linking to file or URL: you can link any note to a file or URL, making it extremely easy to access that file or URL by simply clicking a button.
- Rich text editing: actually, not quite. A form of rich text editing is implemented, although it is somewhat limited.
Wish list: here are my 2 cent’s worth. This software is still in beta and I am hoping that many of the suggestions below are in the pipeline.
- A search box: for content inside notes. Currently the filters can access tags and words in titles, but not the text inside the note.
- Bugs: there’s a few of these that occaisionally arise, but I am certain these will be ironed out in future versions.
- Portability: please (see the point above). I don’t see why a program like this has to be installed. Would be perfect as a portable app.
- Find/replace: would be excellent, especially if you could specify whether the find/replace operation should take place inside the note text, within the titles, within tags, or any combination of.
- Buttons for templates, views: the ability to add templates to the main interface as buttons or links would be fantastic, as selecting them as dropdowns from the menu is not very user friendly.
- Management of templates, views: it would be cool if you could easily switch the order of templates or views in the menu as desired; also, when modifying a template or view, to be able to simply select an existing one to overwrite rather than having to re-type the name.
- Multiple links: i.e. the ability to connect a note to more than one URL or file shortcut (three?).
- Filtering by tag value: while currently you can easily filter any tag (e.g. “priority”), you cannot filter by tag value (e.g. “priority: 9″). Would be an excellent addition.
The verdict: what I like about this program is that it applies a really simple yet infinitely useful concept to notes management. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you start using this in earnest I doubt that you will ever want to go back to a hierarchical notes outliner. I am using it for everything: notes, to-dos, lists, etc. You could even use it to organize files (although these would have to be attached to notes).
Tobu still has a ways to go, but I’ve been using it for some time now and like it a lot. I am quite impressed with this program and so convinced that it represents a quantum leap forward for desktop note taking applications. Kudos to the developer for making such an original and innovative program.
Version Tested: 0.5.0
Compatibility: Windows, Linux.
Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 4.5 megs).
hi samer, thank you for finding another note taking application!
ive been using the evernote beta, have you tried evernote? will you choose tobu over it?
To be honest there’s no comparison in terms of features between EverNote and tobu, but if you’re travelling light then tobu may be the way to go.
hey thanks Pharrisee,
i just tried it for myself and evernote is better
I tried it quickly. Very promising! It has some advantages over EverNote:
- OS interoperability: works on both Windows and Linux
- a more basic (i.e. less destracting than the colors-everywhere and unusually shaped window of EverNote)
That said, Tobu has some way to go. What I’d like to see:
- on the fly filtering (without having to press “List”)
- autosave after every N’th typed character
- autogenerate clickable links from URLs (with/without http://) in the note text
Hi!
I was also thinking about Evernote Beta 3 while reading this good reference.
I guess that both beta applications are pointing to the same target. I wouldn’t doubt of the influence between each other in a near future. And who knows, perhaps some other similar applications that would finally round up all the concept.
I have been thinking on this idea for a long time. Through my personal (and frustrated) point of view, I am still missing a synonyms dictionary connected to the tags that would help any future (AI-like) search by sorting & giving a score to every found record with the words that I asked for. Besides, the secret would reside in the way of tagging every article.
I use Evernote beta 3 to tag on-line images that would help me in the future illustrate any site. It is similar, in a way, to the old Micro$oft image manager but without the need of downloading any image… I also use Evernote’s GTD template. They should also have a Wiki template.
Thank you all for sharing your experience!
Alberto
Nothing beats tiddlywiki. Take all the notes you want wiki style, links tags and all. Single self modifying html file which any browser worth its weight can work with. Its pretty too. http://www.tiddlywiki.com
Vote Obama ’08 graphic?
I hate to turn this comment to a political one, but I have to question why anyone would really want to see this man in office?
My biggest issue with him is that he is so pro-abortion, he believes and has stated, that a woman should have the right to terminate the life of her child up to and including birth!!!!
Explain to me please how someone who care so little for the most vulnerable of us is really going to give a rats butt about me later in life?
Hillary isn’t far behind and unfortunately McCain has some issue too – this whole race is really a big fiasco.
I remember people talking about “Slick Willy” because of how he could talk himself out of anything. He has nothing on Obama.
Please fall all over each other to hear him speak and slide/avoid issues over things he’s said, done, been a part of.
Him being in charge makes me wake up at night with the sweats.
@Bill
I understand your concerns; nonethelss I firmly believe that this man will be the best US president this country has had for a very long time.
I am an Obama supporter because I admire his ability to see all sides of an issue, e.g.: he is black but he can look at an issue from a white person’s cultural perspective; he is Harvard educated but he has also spent time canvassing the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago as a community organizer. I admire his inital reluctance to condemn his pastor, who helped introduce him to religion, even when doing so would have been politically expedient. I like his ability to excite people and get them motivated to work to make this country a better place.
Recently he said in an interview that his desire to seek an Israeli/Palestinian peace process is not just because the parties’ interest is in such a settlement, but for America’s own interest — to me this signified an understanding of world affairs that has been sorely lacking in US politics.
I also like that he — unlike Hillary — has not been financed by lobbyists and special interest groups, which bodes well for our president doing what’s in the interest of the American people rather than the interest of groups who expect something back for their money.
I like the fact that he can speak English, and speak it well. I like that he is different and I think he will do things differently.
Of course, no one is perfect. Abortion, in my view, is an issue that should be decided locally by voters in each state. But I do think that bringing an unwanted (and potentially unloved) child into the world can be in itself a crime equal to the act of abortion.
Anyway, if we let Abortion and gay marriage decide who we vote for then we will likey end up with the same kind of disastrous Republican administration that we’ve had for the past 8 years, which is unacceptable to me.
It IS portable. I used Sandboxie to install it to make sure. It doesn’t save any settings except for the external editor, and the database is automatically saved to the same folder as the app. Just install it, copy the contents of C:\Program Files\Tobu to wherever you want, and then uninstall it.
I personally think Evernote is much more user friendly and polished as an app (but their first version for Mac is horrible).
I wish operating systems we developed in the same fashion as Evernote, where there was less emphasis on filetypes and tree structured file management. I like the total freedom to tag and cross reference information, there’s no save button on anything, and search is specific to the categories you’ve selected, regardless of their “location”. timeline is much less useful but still has it’s value.
I was a bit chagrined when he dropped his church and when he showed up at aipac the day after his nomination, but the alternative to Obama seems so much worse.