I am eager to reassess my DTPO workflow to find a model that will accommodate injest/scanning on any of my four machines (Al-book, MBP, Shuttle XPC, Fujitsu Stylistic ST5112 tablet PC) as well as archive and backup to drive of the DTPO “hosting” machine (MacBookPro).
I’d love any advice anyone is willing to share for setting up a DTPO db and file management between systems for an office with four machines, two of which are PCs. DTPO lives on my main research/writing system (MBP) but I do a great deal of my research AND reading on the PCs.
Thanks!
Matt
ps I’m also adding a ScanSnap S300M to the office, so will be bringing in many more pdfs than ever before.
Obviously, as DTPO is Mac-only, you cannot directly use it for file management on your PCs.
The Server mode of DTPO 1.x, however, allows one to search and download DTPO database content from a Bonjour-aware browser, either Mac or PC. (Apple’s Support site provides a software download for Internet Explorer to make it Bonjour-compatible.)
DTPO 2 will extend Web browser access to a database, including browsing of the database and the ability to send new notes to, and upload files to, a DTPO 2 database. You will even be able to invoke the See Also AI routine from your PC browser. Web sharing of a DTPO 2 database from a PC is not as rich an environment as directly working in the database on a Mac, but may satisfy many of your needs.
Ah, I see where I could have been clearer here. I passionately love DTPO as a tool for organizing files and information on ONE system. I am looking for ways to adjust my thinking to position this tool and hosting system within an office of four separate systems (2 macs and 2.5 pcs, if you count basecamp). This is all for one user (on a crazy kvm rig): each system is dedicated to specific use – film editing station and audio recording station, writing laptop, XP/web coding system.
Projects keep pulling me from one system to another – but most of my writing/thinking/brainstorming is only addressed on my “writing laptop” MBP system. I have, let’s see, fifteen external drives attached to various systems for various purposes – and before my brain completely melts I want to migrate the useful bits (documents, notes, pdfs, etc.–NOT the media itself) over to my primary DTPO system and to archive/backup drives so that I can grab that system and run out the door with it and know I have access to most of my essential stuff.
So my challenges aren’t actually involving multiple users but multiple systems.
Your news about DTPO 2.0 sounds like what I’m looking for – might offer me the chance to make DTPO a highly sophisticated FinderReplacement that suits my writing and research work – but it ain’t here yet. I’m looking for practices I can put into practice immediately with DTPO 1 in a multiplatform office environment that sets me up for a smooth transition to DTPO 2.0 as well as working well for the time being. Ex: dumping files, links, documents created or captured by one system onto a folder on a drive on the network for the DTPO system to injest.
Anyhow, every six months or so I read through this forum and read amazing ideas for how to do things better with DTPO. I was just hoping now that 2.0 is something I can actually read specific posts about that those of you who understand it best can help me solve my DTPO multi-system issue in a way that is forward thinking for where DTPO 2.0 is going.