Knowledge NoteBook 6.00

Overview

Knowledge NoteBook is a software that helps students study better and more efficiently. It has features that allow the student to add his lecture/class notes in an organized manner and then retrieve them easily. Students can also embed any type of files into the program for quick access of external content such as images, PDF or Excel files. Other kinds of features include Flash Card creation, integration with Wikipedia, notes association and exams preparations.

Installation

As stated in the window the opens when you run the installer, the installation process consists of three steps: the extraction and installation step, the configuration step and lastly the step where you open Firefox or Internet Explorer to launch Knowledge NoteBook. However, there is nothing for you to configure in any of the steps as everything happens automatically. A few minutes after the installation window closes, the program will open in Firefox or Chrome. It won't work in Internet Explorer.

This software is available for Windows (XP, Vista, 7) and Mac OS X. Although it's browser based, it's worth mentioning that we'll continue the review in Chrome under Windows.

Interface

To use the program, open your browser and type this link in the address bar: http://127.0.0.1:8600/knb2/. As you might have guessed, there is no main interface but everything is viewed and edited from within your browser.

By clicking on the Settings link on the top right corner you can access the configuration page. From there you can enable more features that are not enabled by default, or disable the currently enabled ones. In addition, you will find detailed information about each one of the features.

The GUI in version 5.0 is a bit more simpler than the previous versions, while the loading speed is improved as well.

Pros

Viewing the content that you have added couldn’t be easier. There’s the quick view screen, which includes any subject with 5 or more notes, and there’s the search function for finding easily the rest of the added notes. Listing those notes by subject or tag is supported too.

In addition, you can embed your files in the program and access them whenever you want to. You can upload any type of file you want: Text files, Images, PDFs, MS Word/Excel/Powerpoint files etc.

Creating Flash Cards is possible as well. This feature gives you the ability to put your memory to test by creating flash cards with the most important parts of the studying materials.

The best way to enhance your knowledge regarding your notes’ contents is to integrate Wikipedia articles in them. With a single click on a word or phrase, the corresponding Wiki article will open up in a new tab (or window) with additional information on the item.

You can link different notes with similar content together in order to better understand them and create relationships between them.

You can share notes via email with other persons.

Cons

No bugs came up during our tests so there is nothing to complain about.

Alternatives

Haiku LMS (Learning Management System) and Moodle are two similar software for learning purposes, although they are mainly targeted to teachers and not students. Both of them are free but Haiku has a paid School & District Edition which contains more features than its free edition. They both have a web interface like Knowledge NoteBook and they all have many functions in common.

Conclusion

Having all your notes organized in just one place is a really big advantage to your learning. This great software has so many useful features that you will see significant improvement in your studying.