Note taking in lectures.

moljac024 · 2009-10-05 20:49:43

Why do some people insist on google everything ?
If it's a google app, it's automatically better than anything else out there ?
I'm sorry but web apps will always be inferior to desktop ones in my mind, if for nothing else then for their reliance on an internet connection....so every classroom should have free wifi ?

Web apps are a waste of personal computer resources...

linkmaster03 · 2009-10-05 20:53:41

I agree with moljac. There is really no reason to use online apps. They are not nearly as versatile as desktop apps, they rely on an internet connection, and they are slow. It bothers me that people use things like Google Docs.

Barrucadu · 2009-10-05 21:29:14

madalu wrote:

You can embed LaTeX fragments and preview them on the fly in your org-mode file.

Really? org-mode is high on my list of things to learn properly…

Solid1986Snake · 2009-10-05 21:32:51

Paper + Scanner (+ otr + index service)

--> Paper to learn something and digitalized notes to find something

bernarcher · 2009-10-05 21:33:35

x0rg wrote:

I'm also wondering if it's possible to do something like that

Actually i use a simpler approach, keeping vim (+ vim-latex) and xdvi both open side by side. After compiling the latex source a simple click on the xdvi window will immediately show the exact results. It is not the same as in your reference, but it is almost WYSIWYG.

drtoki · 2009-10-05 21:35:21

linkmaster03 wrote:

I agree with moljac. There is really no reason to use online apps. They are not nearly as versatile as desktop apps, they rely on an internet connection, and they are slow. It bothers me that people use things like Google Docs.

Reliance on an internet connection would not be a problem once ISPs and networking companies put more time and effort into research in improving connectivity as a whole and providing good, fast, reliable service instead of milking money from their customers/clients. Many internet based apps would surpass local desktop apps once speed, reliability, and wireless connectivity becomes a minor issue.

x0rg · 2009-10-05 22:05:25

madalu wrote:

+1 org-mode
Best. PIM. Ever.
You can embed LaTeX fragments and preview them on the fly in your org-mode file.
Basically you can do anything with org-mode. As much as I love vim, nothing in vim-land even comes close.

That org-mode-thing sure looks interesting. Thinking about switching (partly) to emacs for that....

bernarcher · 2009-10-06 06:15:02

For vim I use the vimoutliner plugin (package vim-vimoutliner in the AUR).

Not so packed with features as org-mode for emacs, but it suits my needs. (And I need not switch editors that often ).

Last edited by bernarcher (2009-10-06 06:15:21)

toad · 2009-10-06 07:04:26

not really suited to scientific stuff but great for the humanities

freemind or a comprehensive list of mindmapping software: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mi … g_software

fuse · 2009-10-06 08:11:47

moljac024 wrote:

Why do some people insist on google everything ?
If it's a google app, it's automatically better than anything else out there ?
I'm sorry but web apps will always be inferior to desktop ones in my mind, if for nothing else then for their reliance on an internet connection....so every classroom should have free wifi ?
Web apps are a waste of personal computer resources...

It comes down to what is best for the end user. Use Google apps or don't use Google apps I could care less honestly. If you don't have a mobile broadband plan is this the fault of XYZ or yours? I work with 4 different platforms on 7+ computers daily, I always have a connection. Don't assume everyone is stuck in the stone-age.

scrawler · 2009-10-06 12:10:36

I'm going to go look at org-mode, but nobody has mentioned freemind. How come? I like freemind, and you can export maps to all kinds of different formats.
I have a script in place of a web browser in the config that opens linked nodes in the appropriate app. Once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts editing it's pretty fast.

toad · 2009-10-06 12:22:22

scrawler wrote:

I'm going to go look at org-mode, but nobody has mentioned freemind. How come? I like freemind, and you can export maps to all kinds of different formats.
I have a script in place of a web browser in the config that opens linked nodes in the appropriate app. Once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts editing it's pretty fast.

toad wrote:

freemind

bernarcher · 2009-10-06 12:48:18

I too like freemind.

But it is not very suited for simple note taking. I am used to "freemind sessions" every now and then to structure those notes I take with simpler text tools (even on paper) every now and then.

vim, or whatever editor you like, utilizing some easy structuring capabilities, is fast and does only slightly distract from the task at hand. Which is imho mandatory for note taking.

Lexion · 2009-10-06 12:48:25

I use vim and type up maths on my calculator. For drawing I use paper.

Trent · 2009-10-06 13:32:16

fuse wrote:

It comes down to what is best for the end user. Use Google apps or don't use Google apps I could care less honestly. If you don't have a mobile broadband plan is this the fault of XYZ or yours? I work with 4 different platforms on 7+ computers daily, I always have a connection. Don't assume everyone is stuck in the stone-age.

You may take it for granted, but you are very privileged to have a broadband Internet connection wherever you go. If I had to pay out of pocket for my Internet access, I would still be on dial-up (or go to the library once a day). I would be making a sound financial decision; I would not be deliberately living "in the stone age".

thetrivialstuff · 2009-10-06 15:03:12

The problem I have with web hosted apps isn't the need for an internet connection so much as *you're trusting absolutely that a third party will hold on to your data*. I just can't wrap my head around how anyone would make that assumption (and, it seems, take it completely for granted).

Yes, over the course of a day from the time you write your notes to the time you get home, it's unlikely that Google will decide to discontinue service or change it enough that your data is gone. But what about a week? Or a month, or a year? It's totally out of your control. It doesn't matter if Google is the nicest big corporation there ever was, if your data is there, it's not your data.

Now, that's not to say web-hosted apps aren't extremely useful, but you need to have a good system in place for backing up your data. You need to be able to work with all your data even if Google apps disappears tomorrow -- and under that condition, Google apps is awesome. I use it for collaberating with people on documents all the time; I just make sure to save the doc to my local hard drive at the end of the session.

scio · 2009-10-06 16:33:04

fuse wrote:

Google Notebook

Loved this, too bad its end of life.

And for all the people who have problems with needing a connection for google apps, that's what HTML5 storage and google gears are for. I write all I want in docs all day (with no internet), then go home, plug in, and sync up. Letting them keep all my data, yes, somewhat unnerving, but anything important is backed up locally.

fuse · 2009-10-06 17:11:04

Trent wrote:

fuse wrote:
It comes down to what is best for the end user. Use Google apps or don't use Google apps I could care less honestly. If you don't have a mobile broadband plan is this the fault of XYZ or yours? I work with 4 different platforms on 7+ computers daily, I always have a connection. Don't assume everyone is stuck in the stone-age.
You may take it for granted, but you are very privileged to have a broadband Internet connection wherever you go. If I had to pay out of pocket for my Internet access, I would still be on dial-up (or go to the library once a day). I would be making a sound financial decision; I would not be deliberately living "in the stone age".

It has nothing to do with taking anything for granted. I made myself perfectly clear in the first sentence. It comes down to what is best for the end user. If you don't have access to the internet don't use Google apps. This is common sense just like it should be common sense not everyone is walking around without an internet connection going into 2010.

madalu · 2009-10-06 17:25:17

fuse wrote:

It has nothing to do with taking anything for granted. I
made myself perfectly clear in the first sentence. It comes down to
what is best for the end user. If you don't have access to the
internet don't use Google apps. This is common sense just like it
should be common sense not everyone is walking around without an
internet connection going into 2010.

Point well taken.

At the same, I would like to suggest that *just because* one has a persistent and ubiquitous internet connection does not mean that one *must* therefore use web apps. I know that is not what you said -- I just want to clarify the points here even further.

IMO, web apps still lag far behind local apps in power, flexibility, and functionality. If my local machines are getting more and more powerful, I want to take full advantage of that power. This is especially true for note taking and research. If I want the convenience of the "cloud," I set one up myself.

thetrivialstuff · 2009-10-06 18:28:51

madalu wrote:

If I want the convenience of the "cloud," I set one up myself.

Exactly -- I have to keep reminding myself that the reason so many people use webmail is that they *don't* have an Arch box sitting at home that they can ssh to from anywhere

pseudonomous · 2009-10-06 20:06:32

Barrucadu wrote:

ZankerH wrote:
(inb4 someone claims to take math notes in LaTeX, on a terminal text editor, in real time)
EDIT: wow, I wasn't even in before that. Enjoy thinking about LaTex instead of focusing on the lecture, I guess.
I never claimed to do that
Maths = paper, and typed up later. Everything else = emacs.

It's generally not that hard to type math in latex in realtime (in emacs), as long as you use good user defined commands / macros, (one trick is that you type the macro before you use it, then go back and define it at the end of the lecture); well maybe it depends on what you're studying. I have good results w/ model theory, I'm no more lost using LaTex then taking paper notes.

The one thing you really can't capture well is a picture; for that you've got to either skip it or draw it and scan it and embed it into the document later.

x0rg · 2009-10-07 20:46:01

Does anybody know how to use the vim-latexsuite in plain vim (not gvim)?
In the official tutorial they don't even mention vim AFAIK

EDIT: I'm thinking about the functions in the menu in gvim like choosing templates etc. How can I access these functions in cli-vim?

Last edited by x0rg (2009-10-07 20:55:50)

bernarcher · 2009-10-07 21:17:05

@x0rg:
There are lots of shortcuts defined in vim-latexsuite.

Have a look at the documentation in vim (:help latex-suite). It takes some time to grow accustomed to the bunch, however. (I needed two or three weeks to feel at home.)

x0rg · 2009-10-07 21:46:38

yeah, now I have to learn vim (properly), latex AND vim-latexsuite...
Good thing I have vacation this week.

x0rg · 2009-10-07 21:47:26

yeah, now I have to learn vim (properly), latex AND vim-latexsuite...
Good thing have no school this week

Edit: Argh..clicked twice on submit...Could a mod delete this post, please?

Last edited by x0rg (2009-10-07 21:48:55)

Arch Linux

#26 2009-10-05 20:49:43

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#27 2009-10-05 20:53:41

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#28 2009-10-05 21:29:14

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#29 2009-10-05 21:32:51

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#30 2009-10-05 21:33:35

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#31 2009-10-05 21:35:21

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#32 2009-10-05 22:05:25

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#33 2009-10-06 06:15:02

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#34 2009-10-06 07:04:26

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#35 2009-10-06 08:11:47

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#36 2009-10-06 12:10:36

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#37 2009-10-06 12:22:22

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#38 2009-10-06 12:48:18

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#39 2009-10-06 12:48:25

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#40 2009-10-06 13:32:16

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#41 2009-10-06 15:03:12

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#42 2009-10-06 16:33:04

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#43 2009-10-06 17:11:04

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#44 2009-10-06 17:25:17

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#45 2009-10-06 18:28:51

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#46 2009-10-06 20:06:32

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#47 2009-10-07 20:46:01

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#48 2009-10-07 21:17:05

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#49 2009-10-07 21:46:38

Re: Note taking in lectures.

#50 2009-10-07 21:47:26

Re: Note taking in lectures.

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