How many apps would it take to emulate all Tinderbox's features on the iPad? Here are the results of a month of study.
1. Hierarchy (outlining): Carbonfin Outliner ($4.99) is a good, basic tool. It exports Tinderbox-readable opml files through a web synch, and I betcha one of you clever types could write a Tinderbox export file that would make the TBX-->CO loop easy. (<--Hint)
2. Linking: Trunk Notes ($3.99) is a great app that allows you to build a wiki on your iPad using an easy markup language. It will upload plain text files, so it's easy to get data into it from Tinderbox, although I haven't figured out the other leg.
3. Spatial hypertext: Once you get over the too-kawaii look and feel (and name) of Popplet ($4.99), you'll find that it does a good job at creating moveable, linkable and partially customizable little boxes in a nice big open space. Very good for brainstorming! Problem: the only way to get data out is through a screenshot.
4. Attributes (tagging): There are several notetaking apps that allow at least basic tagging of notes, e.g. Moe's Notepad ($4.99) or ableNote ($4.99). Tags of course make the notes searchable, but although I haven't tested them out, I doubt if they automate actions. No agents!
So: 4 iPad apps sum up to a primitive version of Tinderbox. But wait! Tinderbox doesn't just do these four things--it does them all at once. To represent that degree of complexity and interaction, I propose to use a factorial in the formula:
Quote:1 Tinderbox=(iPad apps)!=4x3x2x1=24 apps
But then to take into account the power of agents, we should probably double the final result. In conclusion, 1 Tinderbox = 50 iPad apps. At $4-$5 per app, that's a bit over $200.
I note with interest that if I enlarge the "noter" screenshot on the Twig webpage, it just about fits my iPad screen.