Mn\u00e9mosyne and DEVONthink are two apps designed for Mac, but they don't address the same problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DEVONthink is a document and information manager. It allows you to build document databases, organize files, search for them, annotate them, link them, and automate some of their processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mnemosyne takes a different approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its purpose is to maintain the continuity of a professional case file: the client, the assignment, the documents, the notes, the decisions, the reasoning, and the timeline\u2014all of which will help in understanding the case as time goes by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the difference isn't primarily a matter of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's a matter of working model<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In DEVONthink, documents are at the heart of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They can be organized into databases and groups, tagged or assigned metadata, linked to one another, and retrieved using advanced search functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For someone who manages a large number of PDFs, archives, emails, notes, scanned documents, or reference files, this approach makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also set up an organization by client:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Client A<\/strong> Or organize the data by project, time period, or topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DEVONthink offers a great deal of flexibility in building this structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this freedom also means that The professional context of the file is largely defined by the user<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mnemosyne does not view the file as merely a collection of documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The system recognizes elements such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Client \u2192 File \u2192 Assignment \u2192 Documents \u2192 Notes \u2192 Decisions \u2192 Timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This changes the role of the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A PDF is no longer just a file stored in a database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may be a source related to a mission, a decision, or a line of reasoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A note can be assigned to a specific folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A decision may include its context, the options considered, and the reasons for the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal, therefore, is not to build the best possible reference library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose is to make it possible, several months later, to answer a different question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What really happened in this case?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This is probably the most important difference between the two approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine a case that is reopened after six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You're looking for a specific contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DEVONthink is perfectly suited for this type of literature search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if the question becomes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why did we ultimately choose this solution when two others had been considered?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The problem changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is no longer necessarily enough to simply find a file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to reconstruct the context, the discussions, the reasoning, the decision, and the factors that led to that decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This information could very well be stored in a document database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we still need to understand their relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mn\u00e9mosyne specifically aims to maintain this connection with the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A document may contain important information without explaining its full context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quote can show what was proposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A contract shows what was ultimately signed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minutes show what was discussed on a specific date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But none of these documents, on its own, guarantees that, eight months later, we will be able to reconstruct the line of reasoning that connects these elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That's where Mnemosyne adds another layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A decision may retain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document preserves the evidence or information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The file's memory retains Why this information mattered<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In part, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DEVONthink is flexible enough to create groups, tags, custom metadata, links between documents, and various filing structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An experienced user can therefore create a very sophisticated organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, he could build:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, a lot of things are possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this system must be designed, configured, and then maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mnemosyne approaches the problem from the opposite angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The model for clients, cases, assignments, decisions, reasoning, and timelines is already part of the product.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Users should not have to turn a document management system into a professional memory system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Above all, this table shows that the two software programs are not designed to optimize the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are situations where choosing Mn\u00e9mosyne instead of DEVONthink would make little sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your main challenge is managing a large volume of documents, archives, scanned PDFs, letters, emails, or reference materials, DEVONthink offers superior functionality in this area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In particular, it offers advanced OCR, version control, search, metadata, and document automation features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mn\u00e9mosyne does not seek to replace this type of reference library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is important because trying to cover that ground would cause the product to lose its purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem that Mn\u00e9mosyne addresses arises when documents already exist but are no longer sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The consultant finds the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He restores the layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He finds his notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But he still needs to understand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why this direction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why was this option abandoned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What risk had been accepted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What had changed between the two meetings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What decision was ultimately made?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What's missing is the intellectual continuity of the dossier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mnemosyne seeks to preserve this continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This line of reasoning ties directly into the way maintain a record of decisions made for a client project<\/strong> and recall the context of a case several months later<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DEVONthink offers particularly advanced search features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would therefore be absurd to present Mnemosyne as a better documentary search engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That's not the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A search can turn up twenty highly relevant documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if the question concerns a past decision, it is sometimes still necessary to determine which of these documents played a role in that decision and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mnemosyne is trying to prevent this reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference can be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\nDEVONthink starts with the document<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2192 Contracts
\u2192 Connections
\u2192 Education
\u2192 Technical Documents
\u2192 Invoices<\/p>\n\n\n\nMn\u00e9mosyne starts from the client file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Finding a document is not the same as finding a file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The document as a source, not as a complete thesis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Can we build this in DEVONthink?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Two Ways to Approach the Same Case<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Need<\/th> Mnemosyne<\/th> DEVONthink<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Client and Case<\/td> Native structure<\/td> Structure to be built<\/td><\/tr> Missions<\/td> Natives<\/td> To be represented within the organization<\/td><\/tr> Documents<\/td> Attached to the file<\/td> Core of the Product<\/td><\/tr> Literature Review<\/td> Tailored to the case<\/td> Very in-depth<\/td><\/tr> OCR and Scanned Documents<\/td> Targeted Information Function<\/td> Product History<\/td><\/tr> Document Metadata<\/td> Targeted<\/td> Highly customizable<\/td><\/tr> Document Automation<\/td> High School<\/td> Highly developed<\/td><\/tr> Career Decision<\/td> Structured object<\/td> To be modeled<\/td><\/tr> Reasoning Behind a Decision<\/td> Dedicated facility<\/td> To be documented<\/td><\/tr> Accepted\/Rejected Options<\/td> Structured<\/td> To be organized<\/td><\/tr> Timeline of the Case<\/td> Native<\/td> To be built<\/td><\/tr> Overview of the Case File<\/td> Native<\/td> Depends on the organization created<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n DEVONthink makes the most sense when you have a large volume of documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mnemosyne becomes more relevant when context takes precedence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Research isn't the only issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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