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OpenSource Alternative to TheBrain?

Posted by Cliff on from the picking-your-neurons dept.

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?"

3 of 25 comments (clear)

  1. Or is the company called "TheBrainless"? by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Interesting


    Did you ever notice that one company is taking over the Internet? The company is called "Click here to get the plugin."


    Okay, okay, maybe it's because I don't like this:

    By editing the Flash header (SWF), it is possible to run any code on the computer of a visitor to a web page, according to an eEye Digital Security Alert. The vulnerability exists in all versions of Flash and in all browsers that support Flash, making it "... trivial to bypass firewalls and attack the user at his desktop." eEye reported a previous vulnerability last May.

    I've always disliked how Flash tends to be an advertisement for Flash. Visitors to a page with Flash often get upgrade notices.

    TheBrainLess could realize that a lot of people deleted the Flash plugin during one of the previous security alerts.

  2. use a Wiki... by metacosm · · Score: 4, Informative

    I personally would recommend using a Wiki. It does all the jazz about connecting resources without contaniers and natural linking information. It does it more naturally as well. I am guessing that someone could write a plugin for any wiki system todo the pointless little map of information with little lines on it -- but I am not sure what purpose it would serve. I don't see what little GUI tool adds that a hyperlink (as a wiki would do it) wouldn't?

    That is my recommendation. www.openwiki.com

  3. Re:use a Wiki... yeah! by khodsden · · Score: 4, Informative
    I agree with the wiki suggestion. They're very easy to use, encourage everyone to participate, and (usually) have revision control in case someone messes up.

    That said, they can also be very chaotic. If you aren't careful with how you organize your pages, they can become unwieldy. Of course, so can using the Brain. Fortunately, reorganizing a wiki structure is easy (if time consuming).

    That said, if IIS & ASP don't work for you, look into other flavors of wikis. For example:
    1. TWiki for a perl cgi-bin based wiki
    2. phpwiki for a php based wiki
    3. jspwiki
    4. even palmWiki!

    Lots of choices!