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DavidRM Software All Deals Business & Finance Software Word Processing Software

The Journal

Write, Organize, Remember, Find.

31% Off

$44.99 $64.95

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Platforms: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista & XP

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Trust us folks, this ain't your boy crazy thirteen-year-old daughter's diary!

Not that you couldn't use it as such, but The Journal is much, much more.

It's a powerful journaling and writing tool that can help you take control of your life with unmatched convenience, flexibility, and security.

Here are a few things that the The Journal lets you do:

Create a digital scrapbook.
Organize notes about your family, your work, a hobby... anything.
Write a short story, a magazine article, or even a novel.
Remember your appointments, events, tasks, and special days.
Find whatever you're looking for with a powerful search tool.

The Journal is always available whenever you need it, and lets you create entries with text, images, and just about anything else you can think of.

Best of all, just like the little aluminum lock on your daughter's Hello Kitty diary, The Journal's password-protection and encryption ensure that all of your private thoughts and information remain safe and secret.

Prices are subject to vendor's pricing and may change

The Conversation

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The Fine Print

Testimonials

Expand All Email Updates Load 114 Older Comments

Metta Zetty Hands down, this is the best journal software available -- and it gets better with each update. Load the older comments (above) to see the feedback that I and other loyal journal users have shared. Highly recommended! :-D

Dec 22 2013 at 2:54pm Copy Link

Kit Kagaya Excellent journal software! I used it until the upgrade to version 6. I was willing to pay the upgrade cost, but balked when the author said I would also need to pay for the extra security option again.

Feb 13 2014 at 5:30am Copy Link

Dierk Any plans for a mobile version - specifically Android - ?

Mar 24 2014 at 7:18am Copy Link

Chris Roy Jackson @Kit Kagaya
What's an "Extra Security Option" ???

Mar 27 2014 at 11:43pm Copy Link

Gina Anderson If there was a mobile version that would sync, I'd buy.

Apr 2 2014 at 6:47am Copy Link

Roz Fruchtman This is probably one of the ONLY softwares, where you can be in constant contact with the publisher via the support group. It's the REAL DEAL!!!

It's a powerful software and continually being upgraded! ~Roz Fruchtman

Apr 5 2014 at 2:14am Copy Link

Chris Roy Jackson No one has addressed the issue that I asked a question about regarding @Kit Kagaya's reference to an "Extra Security Option"
What is it, PLEASE ???
Sincerely,
Chris Roy Jackson

Apr 5 2014 at 5:34am Copy Link

George H. Speece To answer what is "extra security" you can refer to the owner's website below
http://www.davidrm.com/th...secure.php
and this will give the details. CAREFUL, don't forget your password!!!

Jun 8 2014 at 3:50am Copy Link

Susanne Hi guys -- quick question for those of you who already use The Journal. I've been looking at it for years but never bought it because I could not customize the keyboard shortcuts (a deal-ender for me with any software). Has this changed? Sorry for asking here on BitsduJour but I really don't want to install it, even as a free trial, find I can't define my own shortcuts and have to uninstall it *again*. Thanks a lot.

Oct 23 2014 at 4:32pm Copy Link

David Michael No, assigning hot-keys is still not an option.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

-David

DavidRM Software - Oct 23 2014 at 5:08pm Copy Link

Susanne Thanks for your quick response, David. The reason I want to be able to assign my own hot keys is that, as a writer, I like both hands on the keyboard and so use hot keys routinely, But I want all my programs to have the *same* hot keys (or as much as that's feasible) so I'm not constantly having to remember what key combination does what in which program. That said, The Journal has always impressed me as a formidable piece of software and I may wind up purchasing it anyway. Again, thanks.

Oct 23 2014 at 8:44pm Copy Link

Klaus @Susanne:
"but I really don't want to install it"
You can test it as portable Version !
I think you will like it.
Greatings full of sun from Hannover, Germany ( http://bios.li )

Dec 10 2014 at 1:04am Copy Link

charles basner @Susanne
As important as hot keys are to you, you should look into something like AutoHotKey. There might be a short learning curve, but considering it allows you to make any key a hotkey to any perform any functionality in any program, it could help a lot. And it's free!

Dec 10 2014 at 6:43am Copy Link

Mister User To Developer, (David Michael), I am in agreement with "Susanne" re: assigning ones own hotkeys. This is such a crucial, must have, feature for frequently accessed programs. For 10 plus years, 'my go-to app' for recording pretty much everything, is a program called TexNotes Pro. Many, many years ago I requested this feature be added and the developers immediately agreed and implemented it. Thank goodness!! This one seemingly trivial feature literally doubled the value of this program to me. I access this program dozens and dozens of times each day and it makes for a very efficient way of minimizing and showing the screen. It is also important that the same key does both—NOT one to show and one to minimize. Surely it can't be that difficult to add this feature to an otherwise powerful, useful program. It would add value and I'm sure make many of your customers happy! What possible down side could there be? --- I would appreciate hearing your thoughts Mr. Michael.

Jan 11 2015 at 9:03am Copy Link

David Michael The Journal will eventually have the ability to assign shortcuts to all menu/toolbar commands.

However, The Journal already has an assignable hot-key for minimizing/restoring the program. The default is Ctrl+Alt+J, but you can set it to whatever you want in User Preferences, on the General tab.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

-David

DavidRM Software - Jan 12 2015 at 11:25am Copy Link

Scot Gerardi I purchased The Journal 5 at Bitsdujour. I read many users comnments and they were all favorable. I started to use the Journal and liked all of the features provided. I liked it so much I upgraded it to version 6. I decided to use it for a front end to my computer support business. I have been emailing David and asked him to make some minor changes I wanted to be beneficial to me and my business. David has been fantastic. He listened to my suggestions and supplied the changes. David has been extremeley helpful. He answered every one of my emails so the support has been superb. You are not going to find better support anywhere. I have delt with other programmers and most don't listen or don't provide this kind of service. The Journal is a great program because it can be used for more than just a journal. I highly recommend the journal and especially David for his outstanding support. You can't beat that these days period!

Jan 28 2015 at 6:39pm Copy Link

Bill Sech I did test it and then did buy it thru bitsdujour earlier in 2015. I find it very useful and user friendly. A really good free form database.

Apr 12 2015 at 12:49am Copy Link

Steven Aves BTW folks, this deal is valid for version 6, not version 7 that was just released.

Jun 2 2015 at 8:21am Copy Link

David Michael I need to update this sale so it points to The Journal 7. Thank you for the reminder.

If you have purchased THe Journal 6 through this promotion since 27 April 2015, please email me. I will upgrade your to The Journal 7 for free.

-David

DavidRM Software - Jun 2 2015 at 11:00am Copy Link

Constantin Florea @David Michael, I have just sent you an email.

BitsDuJour Admin - Jun 2 2015 at 11:37am Copy Link

Shane Deadman I have been using The Journal for several years now and I am an exceptionally satisfied user. I purchased The Journal 5 shortly before version 6 came out and found it a very handy tool. When version 6 arrived, I contacted David and he was very welcoming with providing a free upgrade to version 6.

This program more than meets my daily journaling needs and also allows me to store a full variety of notes such as Password reminders, Recipe clippings, photos, address books, tech tutorials, and so more.

While The Journal might be a little less than intuitive, I can say that the learning curve is minimal and non tech savvy people should have very little trouble learning the basics. Especially with the included, easy to follow tutorials.

I found the Charms to be fun and used Photoshop to make a group of my own from free images obtained from around the web. (http://imgur.com/SfYtN6k)

By far this is one of my favorite purchases and has made me exceptionally happy.

Aug 1 2015 at 9:22pm Copy Link

Eric User Hi David, I'm liking The Journal well.
Wishlist item: I also use a Reference Manager which needs the abstract pasted in in one unbroken block; no white space, no carriage returns, no empty paragraphs. I need this a lot. I use the Journal reformatting feature to achieve this. Alas I have to take several bites at the cherry, having to highlight the whole text each time. It is possible that such a reformat can be done with a single click and that there's an icon available on the task bar to do this. Thanks. Eric

Dec 2 2015 at 1:02am Copy Link

David Michael Eric, Currently, no, there's no way to do that. I see what you're saying, though. I'll add this to my list of requested features and give it a look. -David

DavidRM Software - Dec 2 2015 at 4:47pm Copy Link

Rick Macaulay How long is this special on for?

Apr 14 2016 at 4:46am Copy Link

David Michael Rick Macaulay: The deal is ongoing. There is currently no expiration.
-David

DavidRM Software - Apr 14 2016 at 6:00pm Copy Link

K. Christoph A wonderful software, a software with heart !

Aug 19 2016 at 1:38am Copy Link

John H Will this run under WINE or Crossover on a Linux system?

Oct 4 2016 at 10:46am Copy Link

Greg I have been using The Journal since 2009 and can atest to it being a fabulous tool with primo+ support from David Michael. Author is approachable and goes out of his way to support the SW based on its official feature set. Cannot ask for more on that front really. Fast search and having a way to sync with Evernote is super terrific featrure - Bravo!

Being able to use The Journal within a tight well integrated work flow interface with a proper citation manager (Zotero) and an export function that works with Scrivener (clearnly bringing citation refs) to help organize and streamline cited paper and book writing & publishing would be *extremely* welcome additions that would bring me back to full time use of The Journal, but as is it stands - The Journal remains absolutely one of the great apps out there for personal journalling.

Oct 25 2016 at 9:27am Copy Link

Slartibartfarst I habitually "prompt" myself, by making notes throughout the day - variously in a notebook, or on sticky notes, or (more usually) on a laptop, With the latter, I use various data types/methods - text, image, OCR, HTML, Rich Text, audio, video, hyperlinking, etc. - and I then later delete or cross out those notes which I do NOT wish to keep. I record what's left in date/time order (i.e., as in a daily journal) with the view that they are all initially kept in a computerised journalised form, each prefixed with a standard date-time label format - e.g., [b]2017-06-26 0150hrs[/b] (and there is a good reason for this format - it is similar to a Zettelkasten number).
I may later organise those journal entries into other logical groups, as required, but it is not essential to do that if one has a good search/filter and tagging functionality in the journal.

As regards "The Journal" from davidrm(DOT)com
Some time back, I took a fairly thorough look at The Journal and found it to be quite good at what it does, but not meeting my peculiar PIM requirements (a PIM being something that would also encompass journal functionality) - including not being able to handle all the data types required above. So this software went onto my list of "also-rans" as a trialled PIM.
General conclusion: As an example of a good use of modern technology to provide comprehensive journal functionality, it is somewhat archaic and does not meet my requirements for journal functionality.

Despite having looked far and wide (and still seeking), I have so far been unable to identify anything better than OneNote as a "journal" - refer: [donationcoder(DOT)com/forum/index(DOT)php?topic=31755.msg404450#msg404450] which discusses the use of OneNote as a daily journal. That, at least, meets my peculiar (and admittedly fairly tough) data type requirements. If I just required text information, then I would probably plump for [b]Connected Text[/b] as a PIM (again, a PIM being something that would also encompass journal functionality).

But is The Journal, or OneNote, or some other software any good as a journal?
Well, to appreciate how each one works, one has to "suck it and see" - try it out for oneself. Before doing that though, it is usually a good idea to jot down in detail what one initially considers one's requirements to be. Trialling the PIM/Journal tool may lead to the discovery of new (previously implicit or not fully appreciated/understood) requirements. This is a good thing, as it usefully helps to expand one's awareness of the gap between what one thought one's requirements were and what one had not previously understood would also be needed. This makes for a learning experience from which there is no turning back (you cannot unsee what you have seen) and it will probably make one more demanding and critical of journal/PIM functionality and technology in the future.

Jun 22 2018 at 4:55am Copy Link

Mike Shanahan Rarely do I sign-in to Bits to praise software, but I am making an exception (as I probably have before with this incredible software). The Journal is - by far, in my opinion - the best journaling program. The developer is attentive, treats you like a human being and not just a license number and email address. In truth, this software could be used for much more than journaling - makes a perfect digital organizer, outliner, you name it. Just wanted to weigh in with a solid 5 Stars! Thank you David for your commitment to The Journal!

Jul 22 2018 at 11:51am Copy Link

Raja Sen Any ongoing discount on the Journal 8 Complete?

Feb 10 2019 at 2:53am Copy Link

David Michael Raja Sen: Yes, you can use the discount on TJ8 Complete. Just enter the coupon code: TJBDJDAILY

And, yes, The Journal has a backup & restore functionality.

-David

DavidRM Software - Feb 10 2019 at 10:02am Copy Link

Raja Sen So, the discount of TJ8 Complete is $20 (20%, not 31%)?

Feb 12 2019 at 8:33am Copy Link

David Michael That is correct. -David

DavidRM Software - Feb 12 2019 at 10:03am Copy Link

Brent Price I use The Journal almost every day! I had bought it years ago and with a new computer decided to download it again.. after trying the demo for the latest version I decided to go for it and haven't regretted it! I keep up with so much stuff using the Journal.. I love the calendar function.. and has a 1000 things I have yet to use.. so asking me its a easy decision.. I think you should get it.. at least try the demo.. I was going for another program but it was way expensive and doesn't in my opinion have all the Journal officers..

Jul 15 2022 at 3:35am Copy Link

Liam S Thnx for the prog

Sep 21 2022 at 4:30am Copy Link

Metta (2) Will TheJournal 8 run without any problems on Windows 11?

Also, please note that the website link (above) is not currently working.

Oct 31 2022 at 9:10am Copy Link

Jean-Pierre User I would buy it if a french release exist. Armenien, russian, spanish etc. but no french release.

Jan 13 2023 at 1:12am Copy Link

Michael User Some aspects of this look nice, and the ui looks clean and tidy. But having similar software already, I feel probably not £44 nice in my particular case.

Does anyone know if this ever goes on further discount?

Jul 24 2023 at 5:24am Copy Link

Peter Gabriel Is this program still being developed? There doesn't seem to have any updates since July 2021.

Sep 25 2023 at 5:17am Copy Link

Chuck Last update November 2, 2023. Reference: https://www.davidrm.com/t...n-history/

Nov 16 2023 at 7:15pm Copy Link

marc User I've used this app for years, not so much for journaling, but as a "digital notebook". It's got a great editor for writing/storing just about anything -- web clips, random thoughts and ideas, do do lists, project notes, research. Sure there are other tools that do these things as well, but this one works for me. Search function is pretty good too, so my falible brain can easily find what it needs to recall later. I do recommend you try it for a month (the author has a 45 day money back guarantee). Also, for what little support I needed the programs author was prompt and effective.

Dec 2 2023 at 4:12pm Copy Link

Sandra User Has anybody used The Journal on a Mac or Android laptop? Obviously it's, designed for Windows software and I've used it on a PC for years, but once I retire I hope to retire the pc also. Windows laptops (eg surface pro) don't seem to do what I want to do recreationally (mostly apps) so I would hope to move to an IoS or android.

Will it be possible to use software to transfer what I currently have, and to use The Journal going forward? Does anybody have experience of this?

Jan 4 at 8:43am Copy Link

Chuck Potentially on Mac using Parallels

Jan 4 at 8:50am Copy Link