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Microsoft Releases Free Edition of OneNote
yakatz writes "Microsoft announced that OneNote, including the full desktop program, will be free for anyone who wants to use the program. A version of the program for Mac also appeared in the app store yesterday. This means that a native edition of OneNote is available for most platforms (including iPad, iPhone and Android, but not Linux or Blackberry). Microsoft will continue to offer a paid version of OneNote with 'business-oriented' features (including SharePoint support, version history and Outlook integration). The partial rebranding of OneNote also includes some new tools like a program specifically designed to make it easier to take a picture of a whiteboard.
Is this a signal that Microsoft decided that they need to compete with Apple by making their productivity applications free?" (Over at WineHQ, they're looking for a maintainer for their page on OneNote. Anyone running it on a Free operating system? What are your favorite alternatives that are "libre" free, rather than only gratis?)
Is this a signal that Microsoft decided that they need to compete with Apple by making their productivity applications free?" (Over at WineHQ, they're looking for a maintainer for their page on OneNote. Anyone running it on a Free operating system? What are your favorite alternatives that are "libre" free, rather than only gratis?)
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OneNote is kind of like a heavy-duty yellow sticky program, where you can link everything together incredibly easily. It's one of the best organizational programs out there, for people like writers, etc. I honestly think it's one of the best products MS owns.
It has the ability for both. You don't have to use the cloud support if you do not want to, it can save your notebooks where ever you want. It has built in support for Microsoft OneDrive, or you can just have it save your notebooks in your copy.com drobox etc folder.
Actually MS adds a lot of apps to its OS. It is sued to favor their version and discourage users to use competitor's versions.
Yeah, if they're going after anyone, it's Evernote. And I'm thankful as can be about that; maybe it'll get the Evernote folks to actually focus on FUNCTIONALITY rather than just completely re-designing the app's interface once a year (in ever more convoluted ways). I stuck with Evernote through two or three obnoxious interface changes and I still have trouble getting text (particularly lists) to format sensibly.
The Windows version of OneNote is the most powerful note taking program ever produced. It was also one of the first programs of its type, and offers excellent integration with other Office applications.
If you are using a Windows computer with stylus input and the MS Office suite, using OneNote is a no brainer. The handwriting recognition is pretty good. The Math equation recognition needs some work but is passable if you are a very neat writer.
If Evernote is already fulfilling your needs and you are not using a Windows tablet with a stylus, you might want to give it a look, but there is probably no reason to switch. If you do have a Windows tablet though, I think it is a no brainer. It was one of the first programs of its type and it is hands-down the most full featured.
It's easily one of the most flexible and IMO best products MS has ever produced. The problem is with the amount the charged for it it becomes almost worthless and it received almost no traction because MS didn't give a rats ass about it. Think evernote without the ever portion but far more flexible and with an office type interface. It's been around for more than a decade, had MS been innovative they would have been evernote, except probably far larger more widespread and in nearly every single enterprise. Instead the product was a redheaded stepchild inside MS.
But it's always been handicapped by MS's policies of not supporting non-windows and all the typical lockout and other games they've played their entire existence. It's because of this, onenote outside small niche's has seen very little uptake and almost no one knows about it.
Apple, in constrast, makes sure any competitive app never sees the light of day:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1384...
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
Maybe they're making it free, to get some recognition?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
I liked what I saw co-workers able to do with it and saw potential once I got it figured out so I kept at it. It took me a few weeks to get used to it but once I did, I loved it.
I was part of dozens (20-40) of projects at a time and it was great for keeping all of my notes about each project organized as I went from meeting to meeting. After I left that job (too many meetings) I didn't have a paid version of office. I've been more than happy with substitutes for everything else but have missed OneNote.
No, the free version is cloud-only.
Go on, try creating a local notebook -- you can't do it with the free version.
I uninstalled it after I discovered that.
No, if you try creating a local notebook with the free version, you're greeted with a friendly message that says that you can only create the notebook in onedrive.
Lol, you guys in your little bubbles crack me up... You remind me of "No TV" guy, always butting in to any conversation involving someone famous with "Kim Kardashian, who's that, I don't have a TV!".
The key word was "basic" in "basic application". Most Linux distros don't come with much more than Tomboy which is essentially nothing more than notepad opened up for each new "sticky note" and sized appropriately. OneNote doesn't have any real competitors that offer the full range of features and believe me, I've looked. To suggest that this is a "basic" program ignores the fact that none of the other platforms offer software with the same features and capabilities with their standard base installs.
Whether OneNote is wonderfully organized or a big disorganized mess is not a property of OneNote. :)
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
The problem isn't needing a microsoft account (i.e live account to sync settings), the problem is that the program won't install if you are using a non-microsoft account in windows 8, which practically means you can't use this on business machines.
Yes it will - I've done so (on Windows 8.1, anyway). You don't need a Microsoft account to use it at all, only if you want a "cloud-stored" notebook. You can store notebooks on local storage or network shares, too.
"Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
--- Jerry Garcia