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OpenSource Alternative to TheBrain?
m1cajah asks: "Been scouring the Net for an open-source alternative to The Brain. Specifically, I'm interested in a web version to use for creating a small intranet/portal site at my company. Does one exist out there? I've looked at some of the mind-mapping stuff out there and what's available just isn't as elegant, easy to use, or intuitive as TheBrain. TheBrain has a web-version called "SiteBrain" but it's cost is WAY too high for our little company (only 15 of us) and requires far too much "consultation" to make it work. Does anyone know of a nice alternative?"
I've dealt with this concept a few times (both as a full-time employee and, more frequently, since I became a consultant), and every time someone comes to me with a Mind Map, it takes an absurd amount of time to straighten out what they actually want, and how to implement it. I'm sure that the method is great for brain storming, or getting stoned and coming up with ideas, or whatever, but it simply sucks as a substitute for coming up with a plan of action.
Every time I've encountered this sort of behaviour out of people, I end up first sitting in endless meetings determining what people actually care about, then turning it into a prioritised outline, and finally coming up with a plan that roughly fits what they started with. All at a rather serious cost to clients, now that I'm working for myself. (I'd like to say that that's fine because I'm making money doing it, but I hate the process of reverse engineering a client's crappy notes. If they'd just plan correctly in the first place, they'd be richer, and I'd have more hair.)
Do yourself a favor. Instead of a Mind Map, start thinking about what you want to say/do, what is most important, and if you have to draw, use a real graphical business system modeller, like Visio or Kivio. (I must say I hate Kivio. Visio sort of sucks, but Kivio sucks more. Sure, flame me.) If you're more technical than I'm giving you credit for, forgive me first, and then whip out a note book, and start combining scribbles with words. That's my personal dirty secret - I have a business diary (coming on, I think 18 volumes shortly) that I take endless notes in and - yes! - draw in. I use that to model proposals that I send to clients. Those proposals are almost always in words, but occasionally I do draw a diagram, but only after I have the full gameplan and the processes to support it in my head.*
That's the difference, I think. One doesn't submit one's class notes to a professor, and one doesn't submit Mind Maps to people who actually have to implement things.Sure, I'm sure this software can turn your mental process into a web page. Please point me to a site developed that way (besides the parent corp.) which is relevant on a frequent basis to others.
Don't mean to be harsh, but I've hard learned lessons that this is not a model to push for efficient business practice.
-j
* For the zealots out there, I've been using almost nothing but Open Source software in my personal business for over a year. I frequently have to do something for clients with software like Oracle and a host of small providers of commercial software, but aside from the W2K box to test web interfaces with (and that's a dual boot server that also has my ripped CD collection on it), there is no commercial software in our office. I still miss Mathematica, and might end up making an exception for it. I haven't given up yet, though.And at least Mathematica runs on Linux.
I forget what 8 was for.