Natara Blog

Bonsai Desktop v5.0.1 has been released

A new major update of Bonsai Desktop v5.0.1 has been released. This is a paid upgrade for Bonsai for Palm OS Desktop Edition and Bonsai Desktop Edition users. The new version targets the desktop application; no changes have been made to the Bonsai for Palm OS application.

Download the 30 day trial version or purchase a license. Existing users can obtain an upgrade from the Natara customer portal. The upgrade is free if you purchased a full license on or after April 1st, 2009 or $12 for Bonsai 4 Desktop Edition users.

Changes in this update include:

  • Bonsai Desktop support of outline to outline file synchronization. Can be used by Bonsai USB users wishing to keep their outlines in sync between their local desktop and corresponding outlines on their USB drive. This feature can also be used to share an outline among multiple users.
  • Support for syncing outlines to Palm Pre devices for use with Bonsai for Palm OS software ***VIA*** the Classic emulator by MotionApps. Bonsai for Palm is certified for the Classic emulator and Bonsai Desktop can sync your desktop outlines with the Pre when it is connected as a USB mass storage device.
  • Improvements to the Find/Replace operations.
  • New Quick Filter feature.
  • Ability to duplicate outline filters and views.
  • Optimized Bonsai background processing, particularly improving CPU usage when the Bonsai application is placed into the background.
  • Support for importing and exporting of Bonsai outlines files in a Bonsai Palm (.pdb) format.
  • Added Alt+’0’ desktop shortcut to mirror the Shift+ Keypad ‘+’ shortcut for expanding the entire outline. This complements the Alt+’1′ … Alt+’4′ shortcuts for expanding the outline to level ‘n’.
  • The “Edit/Insert File Link” menu now allows multiple file links to be inserted.

See the readme file for a complete list of changes in this version.

While Bonsai v5 is compatible with the current release of the Bonsai Palm product, this is probably the last major release that we will try to maintain compatibility with Palm OS. Future releases (Bonsai v6 and beyond) may have data formatting changes that will no longer support Bonsai for Palm OS.

Richard Murphy

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32 responses to “Bonsai Desktop v5.0.1 has been released”

  1. Hi,

    Since you’re moving away from Palm OS, will Bonsai v6 support Palm’s Web OS?

    thx

  2. We have not decided on if or when we are supporting WebOS at this point, so that is not something we can comment on. Although WebOS is not the next platform we intend to support, it is something we are keeping an eye on with interest.

  4. Will the USB to desktop synchronization provide for Outlook Task synchronication, or does that still require the Palm Desktop?

  5. We really need you to upgrade both Bonsai and Daynotez so that we can easily use Ctrl+mouse wheel to the enlarge screen font. Just like the way we can on this blog. As it stands now the font is way too small for your software. Hey, we baby boomers are still the largest group of buyers. You will soon lose us if you don’t keep up with our eye sight. Let’s us know your plan so that we don’t have to start shopping for baby boomer friendly software.

    Thanks!

  6. I only use my Palm for Bonsai and work calendar, so I second having some type of Web interface or hopefully in the future an iPhone application (which often have either a client or web component).

    I have OmniFocus and Things on my iPhone but neither meet the needs met by Bonsai, so please, please consider an iPhone version.

  7. I loved all your apps but long ago gave up the Palm. To me the future is in the iPhone and would love it if you built an app for it. I still use the PC occasionally but am also switching to a Mac so not even your Desktop Applications will be useful to me. It’s a pity as I always found your apps and support first rate.
    Best,
    Dan

  8. In terms of major features, synchronization to USB keys, improved search and improved filters does not feel like a major version release. Perhaps a minor one.

    I’ve read the readme and I’m disappointed in the scope and vision of this release. Has there been a lot of back-end changes that warrants the major increment?

    It’s just that the additional features don’t seem to justify additional cost. Sorry if I sound so negative…

    Thank you,
    Colin

  10. Your product is fantastic. Unfortunately the Palm platform is going away and the Blackberry is not so useful. Android and Windows Mobile seem poised to be the next great operating systems. The iPhone has many lousy applications that Bonsai would easily blow away in terms of functionality and ease of usage. I just hope it could be preserved on the iPhone, which unfortunately has a pathetically bad interface for quickly putting in data, requiring you to go back and forth between screens instead of just hovering on top of an item to input data quickly. Whichever you choose, look forward. It’s a fantastic application.

  11. I no longer use the palm treo with bonsai but increasingly use bonsai with my home computer. Reading these entries causes me to wonder whether the EULA allows for download of bonsai to both home and work computer and whether a portable USB could be used to sync between the two computers. Is this possible?

  12. I hope you will consider porting Bonsai and DayNotez to Linux, and enabling synchronization with a server store.

  13. I love Bonsai and hope you’ll keep Palm OS compatibility a bit longer. It’ll take a while for the last of the Palm Treos to die and Styletap Platform http://www.styletap.com/
    supports Palm OS apps on Windows Mobile and Symbian devices, currently. They may support other phone OSs in future too.

    I plan on going from my Treo to a Symbian OS phone (Nokia N97), on which I’ll run Styletap.

    I know backwards compatibility can’t be supported forever, but I’m not sure Palm OS is quite dead yet.

    Kid regards…JW

  14. I’m still using Bonsai on my desktop and Treo, and consider it one of my most important apps. However, the Treo is about to die and I’ll be moving on.

    I see many commens about iPhone compatability. What about Blackberry? Is that being considered? Future Bonsai compatability is one of the factors that will decide whether I go Blackberry or iPhone.

  15. I second the request to run Bonsai on the Palm Pre. The only app I still use on my old Palm is Bonsai, but I’m about ready to put it in a nice grave with flowers…

    The Palm Pre has replaced it and works great. Unfortunately, when I upgraded the Palm desktop software it crashed my ability to sync to both my old palm and the Palm Pre.

    I’m hoping the conduit to your “classic” interface doesn’t require the Palm Desktop…

    I still recommend Bonsai to friends all the time, but unless I can get it working on the Pre, I’ll have to start googling for a replacement.

    I’ve got my fingers crossed.

  16. I’ve used Bonsai for a long time but have moved away from Palm to an itouch. Sure would be helpful if you would support that platform.

  17. I long ago replaced my palm with a blackberry but still use the desktop version. We use IBM lotus notes and would like to sync the todo with notes and thus the todos would then get to my blackberry which is the most important aspect as far as I am concerned. I know you will not develop a blackberry version as you have been considering this for a number of years with no resolution but if you have a sync option to notes this will go a long way towards getting back your corporate customers

  18. In the past year I have been investigating how to keep 2 laptops and a Windows Mobile phone in sync for DayNotez and Bonsai, and for Outlook tasks, calendar, contacts and notes.

    I have investigated all kinds of alternatives. Sadly nothing does the whole biz. I have even written my own diary program, and using Dropbox I am able to sync it between my laptops, but Windows Mobile is a no-hoper as I have no time to write for that.

    I use Plaxo to sync my Outlook PIM data between my laptops. This sort of works bearably. There is a client for Windows Mobile that lets me sync my contacts and calendar, but not tasks or notes.

    The reason I am explaining all this is that I have come to the following conclusions:

    1. All data should be mastered in web vault(s) with local caches on PCs and mobiles.

    2. All sync should be via the internet to/from the relevant web vault(s).

    This simplifies things because there is no need to write endless sync utilities for combinations of devices and applications. Solve it for the web and you are done.

    What I would like to see, therefore, from Natara, is the migration of Bonsai and Daynotez to use a web vault for the master data, with conduits operating via the internet to sync to (a) PC clients and (b) whichever mobiles you decide to support.

    It would also be a good idea to publish and standardise the data models for the various item types (Daynotez note entries, tasks, notes, whatever). You have already got an implicit XML standard for Daynotez but you aren’t doing much with it.

    What you need to do is become the hub for all this kind of data on the web. As you add more conduits, the number of users will grow, especially as there are people (like me) horribly stymied right now for the means to move data between different devices.

    Break the dam for us. Let us do what we want. Plaxo and Yahoo and endless others are self-serving and too blinkered to see or care about the big picture. They have no vision. At Natara I think you can glimpse the way things are going, and this is possibly your main chance.

  19. The Carbonfin Outliner does work with OPML exporting for iPhone solutions. The extra step of having to export OPML to import on their website is cumbersome, but does allow me the ability to work in Bonsai on my desktop, and move it to my iPhone for portability. I look forward to the day to see a Bonsai app on my screen.

  20. Like some of the others above I now only use the Palm for Bonsai (and in fact only use Windows for Bonsai Desktop). Windows Mobile seems like a daft direction for you to go in. Again like some of the others listed above I would like to see you developing an iPhone app with accompanying Mac desktop software. Bonsai is far superior to anything available for Mac or PC so you have a *massive* untapped market here. God speed and good luck

  21. Just seen your comment that “we are focused on finishing the Windows Mobile version before we take on other platforms”. That’s a real shame. Looks like I might be waving farewell to Bonsai then.

  23. I have been using Bonsai with Agendus on a Palm T3 for however many years. (Even bought 2 extras when the original died – it never has!) The reason? I still cannot find an app in either Android or iOS that does what Bonsai does – not even close.

    I continually come across so much support for a Bonsai app on a smartphone platform with sync via a cloud service or webapp. Why isn’t it so? This has to be a little goldmine for a developer surely?