Posted by Calixte Pictet | 6 comments
Linux App: Semantik
I originally wanted to write an article about multiple mind-map software. Realizing that my limited access to any Windows or Mac OS -based system bound me to a very small range programs that I could evaluate on these platforms, my little project evolved to a more common approach in the linux world: an “Open Source mindmapping app roundup”. Only after testing shortly several mind-mapping apps did I realize something: most mindmapping software for Linux OS’s are garbage. Indeed, only two of the apps I tried satisfied me enough that I could call them usable, and only one of them was good. So I started using it, and while I will not say it changed my life, I can sincerely assert that it changed the way I work (somewhat). But what is “mind-mapping” anyway?
It can be infuriating to be stuck in front of a blank screen (or for those still living in the upper cretaceous, a blank piece of paper) with no idea what to write next. Often, the best solution to this sort of block is to start a brainstorming session. As you do this, you’ll map your ideas on a sheet of paper in a web or hierarchical structure that will help you develop your thoughts. That was easy to do once: we would pick up a paper and start jotting down random thoughts. However, there are a few limits to that approach. First of all, it is always more practical to have everything we do to be saved in electronic format. Also, it is impossible to reorganize ideas that have already been written or make space for new thoughts on paper without erasing what we have previously written and rewriting it somewhere else. Consequently, most of us decide to simply stare at a blank screen and curse ourselves for not having any idea of what to do next. It doesn’t have to be so.
A variety of free tools are available that can help you organize your thoughts. If you’re like me and have a very visual memory, the best thing to do is to use a mind-mapping tool. Of course, like for just about any electronic task you can do, multiple teams have worked out different ways to bring you a great tool. The downside of that is that you have to chose. I’ve tried out several mind-mapping tools on Ubuntu, and all but one have turned out to be useless. The one that was left was Kdissert/Semantik.
To make it clear, Semantik is a mind-mapping tool for KDE based on the Qt4 toolkit. Previously, the project was known as Kdissert. Both Semantik and Kdissert are availble on the Ubuntu repositories, the main difference being that Kdissert is based on Qt3 and Semantik is still considered unstable and not feature-complete yet (the current version is 0.7.3). Contrarily to most mindmapping tools, Kdissert and Semantik are primarily aimed at students who need to write organized dissertations, essays and theses, but they can be used to create mind-maps for any imaginable use. I’ll mostly talk about Semantik from now on, with only a few references to Kdissert, but most of what I say can be applied to both.
Semantik provides both surprising simplicity and relative power. Though the mindmaps created are not that beautiful (even a bit ugly in Kdissert) working on them is a pleasure. Creating a new note is as simple as “double-click” and “drag & drop”. To create a “child note”, the user just needs to double click on the “parent note”. On Kdissert, the one flaw I saw was the lack of direct editing capabilities: you could not edit a note by clicking it and typing, you had to use a panel situated under the map space. This panel is still available in Semantik though entering Return/Enter opens an in-note editor that is more usefull for quick editing. The process made creating mindmaps as easy as I can possibly imagine it to be (until the invention of mind-reading computers) without losing any features or flexibility.
The first useful feature one is drawn to is the “Smart Reorganization” capabilities. You may be carried away by your thoughts (we all have ADD), have a small screen (damn that netbook!) or be just plain messy and the program will re-organize everything for you. Semantik also features integrated search and support for pictures. However, Semantik’s greatest feature is not in Semantik itself, but rather the ability to create HTML, PDF, OASIS Document standards (.odf, generally known as OpenOffice.org text documents) among others from Sematik files (.sem). Coverting files–or “generating” them as the Semantik menues call it–transforms the mind-map into a numbered hierarchal list. Bubbles will become titles and notes added to each bubble will be inserted as plain text (whereas they appear as tooltips in Semantik). The days wher you had to orgaize your ideas first, then write your dissertation are gone! If your work is to become a presentation, this feature is available for presentations with .odp support as well (OpenOffice.org Presentation, kOffice presentation, etc.). In this cas, all the bubbles become slides and their content is the slides title (the descriptive text will be found under the slide’s title).
Semantik has transformed the way I work: not only have I become more efficient but my essays are easier to organize.
The overall user experience is more than satisfying and simplicity is not provided at the expense of control. Semantik is Kdissert done right, an automatic, user friendly tool that has nothing to envy in terms of power, flexibility of simplicity to anything out there. It fully uses the potential the KDE4 platform gives. Truly, rarely are applications as promissing. I’d recommend this app for anyone, whether they want something easy to use for a tool to create complex mind-maps. The only thing we can hope for is a stable release, but even without that, I am satisfied.
You can find Semantik in the Ubuntu Sortware Center or at KDE-Apps.org
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