Start of the design paper on vim-ACME.

Also, added ancient paper on MaxThink for Emacs (then).

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+My ideas about possible MaxThink-mode
+=====================================
+
+:date: 2002-09-20T06:00:00
+:category: computer
+:tags: vim, emacs, outliner, design
+
+(This is a very old draft of a paper I have sent to RMS asking
+for his feedback on extension of the Emacs’s ``outline-mode`` to
+support what I remembered from MaxThink_ by Neil Larsen;
+org-mode_ didn’t exist yet, and not long after that I have met
+VimOutliner_ anyway).
+
+First of all, when I have contemplated about this report on
+MaxThink, I have came to conclusion, that just remodelling of
+Outline-mode probably shall not be enough (I am not a programmer,
+so I may be wrong).  For example, I guess that some special
+(certainly text-based) data format should be invented. Tree with
+around hundred levels would be very inefficiently saved when
+every level would begin with hundred of asterisks.
+
+Another substantial difference (IMHO) is that in Outline-mode
+branches are deemed to be just headlines and majority of text is
+supposed to be body text (aka leaf). On the other hand, there is
+nothing like body text in MaxThink, only leaves and each leaf can
+have a subtree (for the sake simplicity I do not make in this
+document a difference between individual leaves and subtrees --
+each leaf is possible subtree, maybe with none children). Another
+idea is that leaves tends to be *very* short for better movement
+and processing (just couple of lines, maybe paragraphs when it is
+a quotation or like).
+
+Basics
+------
+
+Fast movement
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The very idea of Mr. Larsen (author of MaxThink) is that browsing
+through any set of data should be as fast as possible given the
+intuitive memory (or what's the name) expires in some two seconds or
+so. Therefore, in order to make really intuitive knowledge base, you
+need to be able to browse it *fast*. I mean, really fast.
+
+Therefore, his MaxThink (as well as his other program, Houdini,
+for making hyperlinked knowledge networks—but, it seems to me
+to be much less useful than MaxThink) uses modal design. In
+browsing mode you need only arrow keys (no Ctrl-, Alt-, or
+anything else). When your cursor is on the proper leaf of the
+tree, just press [TAB] and you are in very simple editor for the
+particular leaf (with wrapping, but otherwise, just plain text).
+Out of this mode you get either by [ESC] or by making other leaf
+(see below for description of hotkeys F7-10).
+
+Certainly, I suppose that maxthink-mode (or whatever will be its
+name) shall follow EMACS standards of user-interface, but it is
+necessary to keep *speed* of browsing and simplicity. In the
+further text I shall describe MaxThink as it functions now.
+
+View
+~~~~
+
+There is only limited number of levels on the screen in a given moment
+(you can change it while browsing by Ctrl-[<-] amd Ctrl-[->] for
+collapsing or expansion), so when you switch to any deeper /higher
+level, whole view shifts so that parent of actual level is on the top
+of the screen and as many of its children as fits to the screen below
+(slightly intended and numbered).
+
+Every leaf in the whole tree has its address based on the decimal
+numbering of leaves (top leaf is 0; the first level leafs are
+0.1, 0.2, etc.; the second level leaves are 0.1.1, 0.1.2, 0.2.3,
+etc.). Relative addresses and addressing of group of leaves are
+both possible. Whenever possible user can select item by arrow
+keys movement, rather than by just typing address(es), which is
+also always possible.
+
+Certainly, there is unlimited depth of the tree (or very high, I
+have never seen a tree deeper than 100 levels), so that asterisks
+(as in current Outline mode) are certainly not satisfactory
+solution and some more advanced one should be found (e.g., whole
+actual address of the actual leaf may be shown on a mode-line and
+leaves on one level should be numbered by ordinary numbers or in
+Chicago-manual-of-Style-outline-numbering style; A.I.1.a. etc.).
+
+There are also some kind of bookmarks available (similar to ones
+in Netscape or any other www browser) and symlinks (where a
+leaf is just a mirror-image of another one).
+
+Inserting new leaf
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+While the cursor is on a leaf you can press couple of hotkeys to
+create new leafs (F10 for sibling below the actual leaf, F9 one
+above, F8 is for child, and F7 for brother of parent below the
+parent's leaf). The same options are available from a menu, but
+hardly used by myself.
+
+Any number of leaves can be selected and copied/moved/deleted
+etc. to make parents/siblings/children of target leaf.
+
+Advanced functions
+------------------
+
+What makes MaxThink something more than just powerful outliner
+are advanced functions for fast and mighty reorganization of
+tree. Sorting is obvious (on selected leaves or all on the given
+level of current subtree). Dividing/joining of actual leaf (or
+selected leaves) by words/lines/paragraphs is self-describing.
+Other simple option is randomizing given leafs on one level
+(sometimes, when you cannot find a solution in given order, it
+helps to mess things and start afresh).
+
+There is also computer aided binsorting (i.e., putting things in
+different bins, no relation with a type of sorting algorythm).
+Try to imagine, that you have couple of hundred leaves long list
+to be organized in separate categories. You can use cut/paste
+method but it is too slow. You can also, create couple of new
+leaves in the top of the list and mark them as bins. Than you
+start the function BINSORT and you are asked in sequence for
+position of each leaf (remember, categories as well as any leaf
+in MaxThink are numbered so one tick on keyboard is enough to say
+which category is the one, if there is only up to nine of them;
+but you can use arrow keys as well), then it is moved to so
+created category (i.e., subtree). I have binsorted five hundred
+topics in beautiful outline in a hour. Try it with plain cutting
+and pasting.
+
+Another function is simple. It's called LOCK and you just staple
+a current leaf (or subtree under current leaf) to your cursor and
+moves with it until you find the best position for it and let it
+be there (by [ESC]).
+
+There is also a function called GATHER. When you switch it on,
+you can pick leaves up while browsing in some temporary memory
+and than throw them in some new place (either with move or copy).
+
+Another function is called PRIORITIZE (isn't it beautifuly
+bureaucratic word! :-). It is based on presumption, that it is
+much more simple to find *one* most important thing in the given
+list of items, than to sort them. So, this very simple function
+asks you which of items from the list is the most important one
+(BTW, every function has usually some sensible defaults—in
+this case list of all items on the current level of current
+subtree). Then it hides your pick and asks you again, ... until
+the list is sorted. Incredibly simple and stupid, but very
+efficient (especially with huge lists, which are really difficult
+to organize).
+
+Sometimes it is usefull to mark some items on huge list (here
+MaxThink makes things simple by just inserting ten equal signs)
+and recreate an outline by one operation where all non-marked
+leaves are subtopics of makred leave directly precedent (these
+equal signs are of course deleted when non-needed). Inverse
+function is available as well.
+
+Some funny things
+-----------------
+
+There are some other things as well. Additional program makes a
+tree from any directory and its subdirectories on your harddrive,
+so you can analyze it with MaxThink. You can add by a hotkey
+date/time while editing a leaf. Program is able to divide whole
+tree while printing on more sheets of paper, so you can setup
+(e.g., in your local gym) with a tree of any size. Tree can be
+exported to some wordprocessors (MaxThinks has export to
+WordPerfect and M$-Word, but in a free world it just cries for
+export to LaTeX).
+
+
+.. _MaxThink:
+    http://maxthink.com/
+.. _org-mode:
+    http://orgmode.org/
+.. _VimOutliner:
+    http://vimoutliner.cepl.eu/