(Archived) Evernote 3 runs only with Internet Access?????

[Hapotim 0]

Are you kidding? Why does that App not work without "talking home" funktions called an account? Also for the mobile version?

Sit down and rethink. This is a "no go". beta or not.

:shock:

[engberg 89]

Once you set up your account, you can run both of the desktop applications without synching as long as you want. (Just go into the settings and turn off the scheduled synchronization.)

Most people choose to synchronize with the service so that they have a backup of their data that is available from multiple computers whenever they need it, but you're welcome to use the application in "permanent offline" mode if you like.

[Jims 0]

One needs internet access to synchronize with the web and with other clients. Dave, I strongly urge again development of USB synch for local notebooks. Allowing no form of synch for local notebooks leaves those professional users who cannot export to or thru the web without a decent multi-machine option.

See again here: http://forum.evernote.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=6301

[ThreePea 0]

Once you set up your account

But I still need to register an account even if I have no plans to utilize the web synchronization? Why? Why not just let me create an account when and if I need this feature?

Sorry, but if this requirement stays this is a "no go" for me as well. What a bummer.

3P

[engberg 89]

But I still need to register an account even if I have no plans to utilize the web synchronization? Why? Why not just let me create an account when and if I need this feature?

This is correct. You need to spend 2 or 3 minutes filling out a simple form on our web site in order to get an application that you can then use for free on your desktop indefinitely (without ever synchronizing again). We don't feel that this "cost" is too high, compared to similar applications, which may retail for as much as $99.

[jim_h 0]

But I still need to register an account even if I have no plans to utilize the web synchronization? Why? Why not just let me create an account when and if I need this feature?

This is correct. You need to spend 2 or 3 minutes filling out a simple form on our web site in order to get an application that you can then use for free on your desktop indefinitely (without ever synchronizing again). We don't feel that this "cost" is too high, compared to similar applications, which may retail for as much as $99.

I have to agree with the other posters here.

The simplicity of the form to be filled is not the issue, at least for me. It's the fact that the program won't even run until an account is set up. As I would never use this software online, there is no reason why I would wish to register an account. If syncing is never needed again, why do we need to register at all? Could you explain please as I'm not clear on the reasoning?

To reflect the post by ThreePea, IF and only IF I need to sync online, I'd register. But, I don't want to feel coerced into doing so. I'd buy a commercial copy of v3 today if this "feature" were removed. In fact, I'd rather pay for the app than have to use any form of online authentication/registration.

Regards,

Jim

[Jims 0]

Why would Evernote make you have an account in exchange for using the software? Because it documents a hard user-base. Not just numbers of downloads, but real users and their contact information. What could that be useful for?

And why migrate everything to a web-app model? And why give away free software and web services in exchange for signing up for a user account? Any suggestions? What other company does that a lot? And what other company (or companies) have an intense interest in reliably searching text within images?

Any takers?

[beagley 0]

My first reaction to this was, "What do you mean? Evernote runs fine without internet access..."

The original poster's complaint is totally okay: some people hate having online accounts for things.

For me, it just feels like that's what Evernote is now built around... it also feels to me like that's the direction computing is going in, as a whole... Yes, we will always want a way to shut off access to the outside world, sometimes, but that's a feature, not core functionality. It is a cool feature, to me, that Evernote works offline... it seemed matter-of-fact to me that initial setup would require an account, like GoogleDocs, Flickr, iTunes, or any of the other applications I use. Of course they require an account, my brain said, not even blinking. I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

Anyway, interesting discussion.

-d

[salgud 12]

My first reaction to this was, "What do you mean? Evernote runs fine without internet access..."

The original poster's complaint is totally okay: some people hate having online accounts for things.

For me, it just feels like that's what Evernote is now built around... it also feels to me like that's the direction computing is going in, as a whole... Yes, we will always want a way to shut off access to the outside world, sometimes, but that's a feature, not core functionality. It is a cool feature, to me, that Evernote works offline... it seemed matter-of-fact to me that initial setup would require an account, like GoogleDocs, Flickr, iTunes, or any of the other applications I use. Of course they require an account, my brain said, not even blinking. I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

Anyway, interesting discussion.

-d

Just don't put anything on there you don't want the NSA to be reading.

[jim_h 0]

I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

It's not an old way of computing. It's simply a more secure way. I like to have full control over my data and the security. Not to mention the trust issue. Do you have any reason to trust Google with your data? To say yes would seem a little niaive in this day and age.

I don't trust Google to do nothing with any personal documents I may upload to their servers. Do you really know that your data is both safe from being compromised by a 3rd party and/or being datamined by Google? Never forget, Google et al are here to make a profit. They are not here to provide me or you with anything for nothing. There is always a cost. Their systems are not OSS and therefore their seeming operational transparency and benevolence only goes as far as the bank. I know that may sound cynical, but it also doesn't mean it's not true :-)

The same potentially goes for Evernote as a company. Why do they need me to log into their software at all? Even once? If this feature can be set to offline permanently (as per another post), then why have it at all? What is this data used for? Why not have the software off and online as per the choice of the user as opposed to refusing to run at all before logging in? I have no idea and don't know Evernote well enough to vouch for them, no matter how good previous versions of their programs have been.

As I said, I'd happily pay for a fully functioning offline program (with the option of online syncing), but as things stand, I can't.

Regards,

Jim

[shimra 14]

I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

It's not an old way of computing. It's simply a more secure way. I like to have full control over my data and the security. Not to mention the trust issue. Do you have any reason to trust Google with your data? To say yes would seem a little niaive in this day and age.

I don't trust Google to do nothing with any personal documents I may upload to their servers. Do you really know that your data is both safe from being compromised by a 3rd party and/or being datamined by Google? Never forget, Google et al are here to make a profit. They are not here to provide me or you with anything for nothing. There is always a cost. Their systems are not OSS and therefore their seeming operational transparency and benevolence only goes as far as the bank. I know that may sound cynical, but it also doesn't mean it's not true :-)

The same potentially goes for Evernote as a company. Why do they need me to log into their software at all? Even once? If this feature can be set to offline permanently (as per another post), then why have it at all? What is this data used for? Why not have the software off and online as per the choice of the user as opposed to refusing to run at all before logging in?

Because their business model seems to be based on eventually charging for online premium data storage, so presumably they want everyone to make an account to make it more tempting to upgrade later on. (I'm just guessing here)

I really don't see what the big deal is to register online an then set the program to permanent offline mode. Maybe you are afraid that the program won't respect your wishes and will upload your data, but an offline only program like Word could secretly log into the Internet and upload your data as well (which probably has personally identifying info on it, so it doesn't matter whether you registered Word or not) Making a user name and password doesn't really make you less safe per se.

If you are really paranoid, you could set the Evernote 3 password to an wrong password setting on the home client (or maybe you change the password online and leave the old one on the client, I forget if the client lets you change the password in the current beta version), so it won't be able to synch even if you accidentally tell it to. You could also block it with Firewall software from accessing the Internet.

I don't really see what the problem is.

[beagley 0]

I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

It's not an old way of computing. It's simply a more secure way. I like to have full control over my data and the security. Not to mention the trust issue. Do you have any reason to trust Google with your data? To say yes would seem a little niaive in this day and age.

I don't trust Google to do nothing with any personal documents I may upload to their servers. Do you really know that your data is both safe from being compromised by a 3rd party and/or being datamined by Google?

Yeah, we have different world views. And that's okay. Honestly: I just don't care. I write silly poetry and short stories that will never be published. I write documentation for work that is totally fine for clients (or anyone to read). I make shopping lists, I plan for home improvement projects, I day dream, I write scripts for local theater, I keep a dream journal, I write about adoption.

The only reason anything I write could be valuable to Google (or Evernote) would be so they could target advertising towards me.

So fine. They can go ahead and put ads up for paint when I discuss paint in a document about my plans for my basement. I just don't care. I expect that trend to continue. I expect Google to data-mine, and eventually I expect that every television commercial I see will be based on something that some computer mined about me somewhere. Part of me feels that I will prefer that. I hate SUV commercials and ads for drugs I would never take.

Will Health Insurers deny me coverage because I use the word "cancer" in my personal, online journal? Maybe. If they do, I'll work to fight that as best I can, as will a ton of people. But really... trying to HIDE the fact that I have cancer? Sheesh. That'd be pretty darn impossible.

Never forget, Google et al are here to make a profit. They are not here to provide me or you with anything for nothing. There is always a cost. Their systems are not OSS and therefore their seeming operational transparency and benevolence only goes as far as the bank. I know that may sound cynical, but it also doesn't mean it's not true :-)

Yeah, and I guess I'm thinking, "more power to 'em!"

Capitalism is full of suck, but it's what we've got right now, until Picard flies in to save the day. Privacy just isn't that important to me. Even the fears of identity theft... I take reasonable precautions to prevent identity theft, just like I take reasonable precautions to prevent being stabbed. If one of them happens, I will suffer a lot and have to deal with it. But I won't live in fear.

Anyway... good topic.

-d

[jim_h 0]

Because their business model seems to be based on eventually charging for online premium data storage, so presumably they want everyone to make an account to make it more tempting to upgrade later on. (I'm just guessing here)

That sounds plausible. But the business model of being pushy turns me off. Why not do the reverse? It works for other organisations.

I don't really see what the problem is.

I guess the problem for me stems from the fact that I once had my identity stolen. It turned into a major fraud investigation and the police apparently spent 18mths searching for me in order to determine the true identity behind a name they became very familiar with. In a different part of the country (England) there were a number of houses and cars and thousands of pounds of mail order goods purchased using three very simple pieces of information: my name, date of birth and national insurance number. It didn't take much!

As you can imagine, I'm more than a little aware of and concerned about privacy as a result. I've been online for over 12yrs now and have seen enough organisations who are operating with too little transparency to last a lifetime. Perhaps it takes something like my experience to make a person as rabidly defensive of their privacy as I am?

No offense to Evernote, but I don't know them. Please understand that I'm not suggesting they will do anything dishonest, but at the same time, I give my trust when it is earned. I have no idea of their integrity and what they plan to do with the information given. There's a huge distinction between willingly giving my personal details with an order and an expectation that they will not pass it to any 3rd party. It's quite another to be expected to give my details prior to even seeing the product I'm interested in.

Regards,

Jim

[salgud 12]

I may use Evernote to replace Google Docs because Google Docs has been slow to implement the offline feature... but I definitely don't desire that any application shift back to the old way of doing computing!

It's not an old way of computing. It's simply a more secure way. I like to have full control over my data and the security. Not to mention the trust issue. Do you have any reason to trust Google with your data? To say yes would seem a little niaive in this day and age.

I don't trust Google to do nothing with any personal documents I may upload to their servers. Do you really know that your data is both safe from being compromised by a 3rd party and/or being datamined by Google?

Yeah, we have different world views. And that's okay. Honestly: I just don't care. I write silly poetry and short stories that will never be published. I write documentation for work that is totally fine for clients (or anyone to read). I make shopping lists, I plan for home improvement projects, I day dream, I write scripts for local theater, I keep a dream journal, I write about adoption.

The only reason anything I write could be valuable to Google (or Evernote) would be so they could target advertising towards me.

So fine. They can go ahead and put ads up for paint when I discuss paint in a document about my plans for my basement. I just don't care. I expect that trend to continue. I expect Google to data-mine, and eventually I expect that every television commercial I see will be based on something that some computer mined about me somewhere. Part of me feels that I will prefer that. I hate SUV commercials and ads for drugs I would never take.

Will Health Insurers deny me coverage because I use the word "cancer" in my personal, online journal? Maybe. If they do, I'll work to fight that as best I can, as will a ton of people. But really... trying to HIDE the fact that I have cancer? Sheesh. That'd be pretty darn impossible.

You and I also live in different worlds. I'm now living in a world I never dreamed I see when I was a young man. I'm living in a country where people are incarcerated indefinitely without any legal recourse. I live in a country where people are tortured by the government, and nothing can be done to stop it. I live in a country where it's always been easy for government agencies to tap our communications, but at least they had to go through some pseudo-legal channels to do it, but not longer bother to do even that. I never thought I'd be living in THIS country.

You may think you're poetry is harmless. Right now, I can say I'm a Buddhist without fear of recrimination, but I'm not at all sure I'll be able to say that ten years from now, the way things are going.

I'm not an anti-progress type, who yearns for the "good old days". I like technology and embrace it. But coincident with this new technology, there has been a huge decrease in the rights of US citizens that I doubt will ever be reversed. And that does scare me, more for my children and their yet unborn children. Call me old fashioned if you will, but I don't seen putting anything out on the web that doesn't need to be out there. You never know how someone might use it against you.

As far as your cancer analogy goes, it doesn't hold up well. You might easily conceal many kinds of cancer for a long time, certainly long enough to get medical coverage. And if they find out about your cancer through your web postings, do you think they're going to tell you that? You won't get the chance to fight it because you'll never know for sure why they turned you down. They might even lie about it! :shock:

I think you're being naive, at best. I hope you and others will wake up soon enough to try to change all this, but like the proverbial frog in the pot of boiling water, I'm afraid you'll cook first.

Never forget, Google et al are here to make a profit. They are not here to provide me or you with anything for nothing. There is always a cost. Their systems are not OSS and therefore their seeming operational transparency and benevolence only goes as far as the bank. I know that may sound cynical, but it also doesn't mean it's not true :-)

Yeah, and I guess I'm thinking, "more power to 'em!"

Capitalism is full of suck, but it's what we've got right now, until Picard flies in to save the day. Privacy just isn't that important to me. Even the fears of identity theft... I take reasonable precautions to prevent identity theft, just like I take reasonable precautions to prevent being stabbed. If one of them happens, I will suffer a lot and have to deal with it. But I won't live in fear.

Anyway... good topic.

-d

As for the capitalistic aspects of this, just remember how a great brand name like Kodak handled the valuable online memories of their clients! I trust the cloud exactly as much as I'd trust a guy named "Bubba" down at the corner of Colfax and Broadway!

[beagley 0]

I have enjoyed this discussion immensely -- thank you for taking the time to share your personal experiences and views.

I like to believe I'm optimistic, not naive.

Best wishes,

d

[salgud 12]

I have enjoyed this discussion immensely -- thank you for taking the time to share your personal experiences and views.

I like to believe I'm optimistic, not naive.

Best wishes,

d

Thanks for your sharing. Optimism is indeed a good quality, one which I admire. OTOH, blind optimism is, well, blind. When I'm out in the ocean sailing, and a huge black cloud is bearing down on me, I can pretend all is well and sail on as is, or I can make sure my foul-weather gear is at the ready, that the winch handles are all in place, and that my crew is equally prepared. IOW, denial and optimism are not synonymous.

Thanks for your patience.