critique 10 May 05

You know you have arrived when…

ep 10 May 05

I’m sorry but can someone please tell me in brief what’s so great about backpack? I’ve tried it out and seen the examples but I’m not getting the fuzz.

I’m doing lots of team work at my university and I’m looking for the perfect app for doing the project reports but haven’t found it yet. At the moment my team uses a mix of MS Word (Because of correction and commenting tools) and BSCW for document sharing.

matthew 10 May 05

i like backpack.

each project gets a page

Tomas 10 May 05

You get out of backpack what you put into it.

It’s as simple as that. Just like a real backpack, the pockets are there for you to use. If you don’t use them, they’re empty.

I like backpack. I like what it means. I like the freedom.

Brad 10 May 05

I think it’s mainly great if you’re a person who doesn’t have any other easy way to keep track of tasks and info related to a small project or interest area. It’s also very helpful if you’re someone who uses more than one computer (home and work, for example) and needs one central online place to store info, to-do lists, and reminders. And it’s great if you’re someone who frequently comes up with ideas while you’re on the road — you can e-mail items to your backpack from a laptop, PDA, or cybercaf�.

It’s not meant to be a full-blown project management and collaboration tool…that’s Basecamp’s job.

Rik 11 May 05

I’m a devoted basecamp and ta-da lists fan, but I was finding it hard to get overexcited about backpack as I was viewing it as a ‘personal organiser’ and didn’t think I really needed one of those that badly. But last night as I was laying in bed, devising cunning plans, it just *clicked* and I grokked it - it is just perfect for keeping track of my thoughts and of managing my more personal projects - more wikiesque than PIMish. It’s the ability to share pages with friends and collaborators which I think I will find most useful. I suspect the reason many people don’t *get* backpack is because they are asking ‘what is it for???’ when in fact it is open to a multiplicity of uses.

Paper notebooks are *great* and all (I’m a big Moleskine geek), but the ability to create my own project/ideas/knowledge/crackpot scheme repository online and access it wherever I have a wifi connection is very exciting. I spend a lot of time out and about and often have good ideas while skating around London, I jot them in my notebook and they often get lost for all eternity. Now I can just email them to my backpack account. I totally have to get a Treo now. Thanks guys, you rock, I grok!

JF 11 May 05

I suspect the reason many people don�t *get* backpack is because they are asking �what is it for???� when in fact it is open to a multiplicity of uses.

That’s why we have a wide variety of uses here:
http://backpackit.com/examples/