Software: Note-It Plus, Noteworthy, and Smartnotes. (note-taking software provides way to annotate worksheets) (Software Review) (evaluation)

SOFTWARE: NOTE-IT PLUS, NOTEWORTHY, AND SMARTNOTES

Most worksheets can't answer such questions as "Are those numbers seasonally adjusted?" and "Why is the forecast so high?" In a manually created report, footnotes can supply that information, but not in a worksheet. Instead, you can use note-taking software. When you activate a note-taking program while using 1-2-3, a temporary window appears (over your worksheet) in which you can document underlying assumptions, clarify formulas, cite sources, and define relationships. The note then attaches itself to the current cell so that you can redisplay it at your whim.

We reviewed three note-taking programs: Note-It Plus, Noteworthy, and SmartNotes. They are all inexpensive, easy to use, and worth the RAM they require. Only SmartNotes won't lose track of a note after you sort the range containing the cell it's associated with, but it will do so only if you restrict your use of the program to a limited mode. If you want to create pop-up notes for all of your applications and DOS files, SmartNotes is the right program. SmartNotes is a terminate-and-stay-resident program, whereas Note-It Plus and Noteworthy are add-ins for 1-2-3, so installation, deinstallation, note storage, and note retrieval are in some ways better integrated with the worksheet. Between the two add-ins, Noteworthy's ability to import text and its greater text-storage capacity give it the edge if you write longer notes. Note-It Plus is less sophisticated, but because it has fewer options, it's easier to learn.

NOTE-IT PLUS

Note-It Plus is so easy to use that you probably won't read most of the manual. The program is perfect for short notes, but if you create lengthier notes, you may feel constrained by the program's note-size limitations, awkward editor, and inability to resize or move the window containing the note. …