Getting to one OneNote on Windows

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ONENOTE By Mary Branscombe It’s finally becoming less confusing to pick the right Windows OneNote app, but you still have some decisions to make. Afte
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lmacri, Norio

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Mary,  I am confidant that you spent time trying to make the explanation clear, however I still have no idea what the different Onenote versions are.  eg: just taking from the last paragraph; is the onenote in office (2016 in my case), since i am using it in windows 10, the same as onenote for windows 10? and then there is the desktop onenote app, which different or the same as the office windows app which I am using on my desktop. and save my notebooks into onenote or onenote for business (they are different?): where else would they be saved but in onenote.

I don’t know. Maybe a chart,  showing the different names, their ‘sources’, and features, would help.

as for which version, assuming I could keep them straight will get which new features, I am not going to try to think about that.

Boils down to “If its Microsoft, its a mess”.  As far as I am concerned the great development of onenote stopped when it got eaten by office.

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Given that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps are on their way out:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/398717/microsoft-shovels-more-dirt-on-uwp-apps-leaving-win32-apps-as-the-future-once-again.html
https://www.thurrott.com/dev/258377/microsoft-officially-deprecates-uwp

…and OneNote for Windows 10 is a UWP App, not a Win32 or Win64 desktop App:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/5/22611531/microsoft-new-onenote-app-visual-refresh-single-app

I suspect the OneNote development team got whipsawed by changes to Microsoft’s strategic direction. First UWP Apps were the great new UI thing around Windows 8, the mobile push, and now they are on their way out.

So how does this affect end-users? Prefer Windows desktop programs over UWP apps, if possible? In that case, it would be the Office desktop version of OneNote, now being renamed to the OneNote app, going forward.

What might be useful is a lineage graph and a differences chart. Additional dimensions are 32-bit verses 64-bit, name changes, how updates are delivered, and subscriptions verses one-time purchases that age out because security updates stop.

OneNote is still being twisted by Microsoft’s strategic direction. Microsoft wants all users on their cloud. If you are unwilling to use the Microsoft cloud, you have to pay more for OneNote and forgo the timely release of the latest features. But at least you can have local Notebooks.

Very much a mess, but you have to understand Microsoft’s motivations to begin to understand what is going on.

Windows 10 22H2 desktops & laptops on Dell, HP, ASUS; No servers, no domain.

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George Costigan

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I think it is clear: Use a third party package. I have seen Evernote recommended. I am beginning to think I want such an app and I am now thinking Onenote is not in contention. Too many MS schisms involved.

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Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Evernote is the only other app i’ve heard recommended as replacement for onenote. I had used evernote in the past.  but drifted away from it because of it being online (they may have an option to store a copy of notes locally, now) but also their periodic shift in features and services.  and it’s rental model for the paid version (do they still have a free version?).   when i used it, it was possible to send a note to an evernote folder via email in the free account.  it was dropped for free accounts.  I started losing confidence in its future for me.

the upshot being, if something happens to an online service that makes it unpleasant its a problem.  at least with onenote on my computer (whatever the name is)  i can keep using it as is.

I have toyed with creating my own notes system using wikinotes.  there would be a learning and design curve, in addition to choosing a particular wikinotes system.  So far,  I haven’t put the time in to figuring it out.

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Paid ver

Get offline access on mobile and desktop

astro46 wrote:

(do they still have a free version?).

yeah but no ‘offline’ access it seems and way too much for the non free for a home user. 🙁

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Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I suppose that one could also use a mind mapping program to hold data.

I haven’t tried it for that purpose, but some of the times i have used them, came close.

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