Anyone who has used Microsoft OneNote will understand what I’m talking about here. BasKet Note Pads works in the same way OneNote does, and so fills a niche within the Linux market that OneNote doesn’t (unless you have WINE, which comes with its own pros and cons).

An easy way to visualise using BNP works like this. Imagine you’re in a class, and you’re taking notes. You have access to the internet, which you periodically use to check terms that the prof is using that you’re too embarrassed to ask about (we’ve all been there, some point or another, at least once!). Finding a good website, you haste to jot it down and – oops! – you’ve missed half of what the prof has just said. You scramble to write things down with the pen, with the keyboard, you’re confused!

In comes BNP to the rescue!

The interface of BNP works like a basket, where you can create and collect individual notes, join them together or keep them separate, place visual images and link websites, with complete basic formatting included. Intuitive and easy to use, and a single click of the mouse opens up a ‘note’ to write in. Screenshots of the lectures notes can be taken for clearer reference to notes you’re writing. See below.
 

Sibling and sub-baskets can be created and a ‘content page’ allows a sitemap preview of whatever you have.

Inevitably, people will compare. So I compared. OneNote enables automatic linking when I take screenshots of something from the web-browser, BNP doesn’t, though it does linking (but that’s an extra step, so no brownie points there).

What I like:

• Saving, is automatic, just like OneNote. No worries about losing data because it saves as you go.
• Easily used for a first time user.
• Notes can be joined to each other by clicking and dragging, and collapsed or opened for viewing purposes. Makes the interface look cleaner.
• Text documents, sound files can all be dragged into the interface and it will hold functional links. Fantastic!

What I think it should have:

• A drawing tool that we can
  enable to ‘draw’ on the interface. For example, just a simple
  mouse-drawn arrow between some notes can do wonders for comprehension.
• Viewing scale control (you know, Ctrl and +/-)
• Individual word highlighting capability (what is it with these program maestros that they omit this?)
• Automatic linking from web-browsers.

It’s interesting, I think I’ll use it if I take notes in class with a laptop. :D