Review of version 7.0 by David A. Hackett, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Texas at El Paso.

October 09, 2003

The new Nota Bene version 7.0 is a tremendous improvement over previous versions, making it truly competitive with the major office suite programs. Some of the changes are visible as soon as the user starts the new program. There is an improved toolbar with a number of new icons, allowing quick access to many of the new features. The screen display is sharper, clearer, and quicker than before, as is the improved spacing between letters in standard fonts. The result is an attractive and easily readable screen, without any trace of flicker. I find the text is clearer and easier to read than it is in the latest versions of Microsoft Word or Word Perfect. (I use a zoom setting of 125% with margins on.) The newest version of Nota Bene allows the viewer to turn on markers to make footnote numbers, annotations, labels and other formatting features more easily visible. The superscripted footnote numbers have a red box drawn around them, making it easier to quickly spot the desired footnote number in the text. It is also easy to move back and forth between footnotes with a simple keyboard command.

Another important feature is an improved RTF conversion feature. Nota Bene will automatically open any Windows-type text file and convert it instantly to NB format, with 100% accuracy. It is the only program I know that will convert my hundreds of Lotus Word Pro files, a file type that the major office suites do not support. The improved RTF filter also works well in the other direction, allowing the user to copy and paste a heavily documented Nota Bene file into Microsoft Word when that is necessary. An improved Batch Converter makes it possible to import and convert hundreds of files in just a few minutes. Of course, Nota Bene retains its ability to convert DOS text files from legacy programs, including WordStar, Xywrite, Word Perfect, and others. For the first time I have been able to convert my course files-- tests, quizzes, syllabi, letters, and handouts-- originally created in half a dozen different program over many years, into one set of useful and easily accessible files. That has proved to be a real time saver!

A new hyperlinks feature makes it easy to compose email in Nota Bene, then double click the highlighted link to open your default email program (such as Outlook) and send the message. (I am using that feature now to send this message.) Other hotlinks are available to text files, pictures, and websites, offering many possibilities that I have only started to explore. Another new convenience feature is Quick Open, which allows the user to store up to 99 frequently used files. They can be quickly opened by clicking with the mouse, or using the keyboard to open them by typing a file name from the command line. I like this feature because it is quicker and faster to use the keyboard whenever possible, particularly when using a laptop. Also new is the capability of deleting, copying, moving, and renaming files using the File Open dialog box, as in older DOS programs, but unlike any other Windows program.

For scholarly writing Ibidem and Orbis are absolutely essential, and those features continue to improve significantly with each new release. Orbis works better and quicker now, allowing the user to quickly update the index when new files are added. The update screen stays on top, letting the user know when the process is complete and it is safe to proceed. Using the improved converter, I have moved all of my research notes created in other programs to Nota Bene, so I can use Orbis to find detailed information quickly from the keyboard as I am writing. Ibidem has an improved preview screen and hundreds of minor changes that make it easier to use. It still inserts footnotes accurately and automatically from the Ibidem database that can be updated frequently as you write.

The spell checker is also improved and it now allows the user to type in accented characters in words added to the personal dictionary. Since the default dictionary program is so small and efficient, it is easy to add more words and terms in the personal dictionary without worrying about memory usage or disk space. I find that the speller corrects errors more efficiently than it does in some other programs, suggesting more likely alternative word choices than a simple alphabetical list would do. It also works more reliably on footnotes and endnotes than in earlier versions of Nota Bene.

In short, Nota Bene 7.0 is so capable that I am using it about 95% of the time, for almost all the word processing I do.

David A. Hackett, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Texas at El Paso.