Filed under: Utilities, Ask DLS
Ask DLS: What's your favorite Diary app?
The problem with most free diary applications I've tried is that they don't do a great job of exporting your data in a standard format that you can know with confidence you'll be able to access 10 years from now.
For a while I used Journal Pro for Windows Mobile to keep track of my thoughts. But the company discontinued work on the project. And while that means the Windows Mobile and desktop versions of Journal Pro are now available as free downloads, it also means that if you want to convert your journal to a text document you need to do it with the Windows Mobile client. The desktop version doesn't have a text export feature. So if you replace your Windows Mobile device with a Palm, Symbian, Android, or Apple device you may never be able to read your journal entries again.
The other day I ran across LifeSaver, which attempts to get around this problem by allowing you to export your journal as an XML file. But the project is still in its early phases. I also tried Advanced Diary, which has an attractive interface and allows users to export entries as text files - but at least in the last freeware version of the application, Advanced Diary exports each journal entry as a separate text, HTML, or RTF file which can create a ton of individual files.
So I'm turning to the wisdom of the crowds here. Do you keep a diary? What apps or techniques do you use to keep your entries straight and to make sure your journal is future proof? Let us know in the ocmments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jash Sayani said 2:43PM on 1-17-2009
MacJournal.
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B.SkiLLs said 5:00PM on 1-19-2009
I use to write a lot in a journal just to keep my brain and self from going insane with my daily personal and business grind but, i have slowed way down on that as i am way to busy but here is a real good one i used. Can be exported in many different formats and has a lot of goodies and password protects you inputs.
It was called iDailyDiary
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radman1331 said 8:18PM on 1-17-2009
I use Onenote.
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Martin-T said 8:18PM on 1-17-2009
I remember
When I thought
What I thought
Was important
To remember
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Busty said 8:18PM on 1-17-2009
I use RedNotebook
It got multiple export options (incl. LaTeX), and is cross platform.
http://digitaldump.wordpress.com/projects/rednotebook/
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Tanya said 8:18PM on 1-17-2009
Evernote.
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Tokoloshe said 8:44PM on 1-17-2009
So what distinguishes a diary form a calendar?
I use Mozilla Sunbird and it's great.
t
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John Hritz said 8:19PM on 1-17-2009
The Journal (http://www.davidrm.com/) is by far the most comprehensive PC-based journaling software I've come across. I've been using it since 2002 and David continues to add features and refinements. Highly Hrecommended.
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blogward said 10:04AM on 1-18-2009
Thanks for that John - I've just bought The Journal - it's a little old-fashioned looking but very comprehensive and configurable and seems rock solid too.
Eddie said 9:00PM on 1-17-2009
I use Penzu.
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Zac said 11:27PM on 1-17-2009
I use My Daily Friend. It is about $15 to download and you can try it for 30 days. I have tried SO many journals and I find this one is the best. It is made by Ingeltek.
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R said 11:27PM on 1-17-2009
I've got Movable Type installed on a virtual machine. For me, I think blogging software beats the pants off of "diary" software programs. It's more flexible and very feature rich. You can you even make it portable. Just install XAMPP on a USB flash drive, and then install Movable Type or Wordpress. You're all set.
Or you can just open a Blogger.com account and set your blog to "private" so that no one can see it, except you.
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jon said 2:57PM on 1-19-2009
Nothing on the internet is private. The private setting on blogs only notifies search engines not to catalog your blog and hides from general public. But your entries are available to any good spider. And who knows what XYZ company does with your info?
But I winder if it is possible to use a blogging front end like Movable Type and keep the and read the results on your hard drive?
R R said 11:42PM on 1-17-2009
I use Google Docs with the Gears thingy installed so I can work off-line (just in case).
It allows me to write where ever I have access to a computer and I can save my work in a number of different formats.
The only thing I wish it could do is to record the date automatically.
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henry000 said 9:23AM on 1-18-2009
Why not just use blogging software, especially web-based ones such as Blogger.com or Wordpress.com? I have been using blogs as diaries for a number of years, and it works wonders.
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policho02 said 9:23AM on 1-18-2009
I honestly don't use an application, I limit myself to use Livejournal on the internet.
You can update it from your mobile if it has internet, or even by voice (of course both of this ways cost money)
You can always keep a record of your thoughts there, if you don't want it to be public then you can set filters and private stuff or even personal notes that are unable to be seen by anybody.
I found it quite simple and amusing, and I have been in it for years already.
Saludos
Policho
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blogward said 9:23AM on 1-18-2009
Windows Journal on a tablet PC. It just works.
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Mikyu said 9:23AM on 1-18-2009
i use PentaDiary. it's a japanese diary software w/c is just very simple. i have a preview of it here. and it's also downloadable here. :) but i'm more on blogging though. ;p
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rickybee said 9:24AM on 1-18-2009
You might want to take a look at 'iDailydiary' from Splinterware. I've been using this for several years and really like it. I haven't used the export function but apparently it will export the whole thing to html or rtf file(s). There are free and pro versions.
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krysjez said 9:24AM on 1-18-2009
I use a TXT logfile - the kind that starts with .LOG - which I've hotkeyed (using the Windows Ctrl+Alt shorcut hotkeys) to Ctrl+Alt+J (for journal). It's quick, it's simple, it works.
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