JOE: Java Outline Editor

Like anyone else who's used Mac OS X and then been forced back into the Windows world for a job, there are a bunch of programs you probably got used to that you are now without. The old saw about there being more software for Windows than for Mac doesn't account for the fact that 99.9 of Windows applications are unusable, spyware-ridden garbage.

One of my favourite OS X apps was OmniOutliner, a lovely little notetaker that let you organize notes hierarchichally, instead of my usual practice of frantically writing things down in Notepad andgoing back later and re-organizing them. OmniOutliner lets you easily add sub-notes to any note, move items and whole trees around with the mouse, and show and hide sub-trees. The first thing I used it for was for a travel chcecklist before attending a conference, and it was just about perfect.

Anyway, here I am on a Windows computer, and I finally found a program that has the same basic function. JOE - Java Outline Editor. This is an open-source, Java-based single-pane outliner that does the same thing as OmniOutliner's basic functions. Of course, it doesn't look nearly as good and the controls aren't as fluid, but it does the job so far, and it exports to OPML format so you can use its output in other applications.

Here's what JOE looks like:



Not as nice as OmniOutliner, to be sure:



But Windows users don't deserve nice software, apparently, since so few actually pay for good software. Vicious cycles will do that.