Mind Map with FreeMind - a Free Mind Mapping Software for Ubuntu Feisty Fawn

Installation
Edit /etc/apt/sources.list with your favorite editor, and add the following lines at the bottom :

##Freemind Repository
deb http://eric.lavar.de/comp/linux/debian/ experimental/
deb-src http://eric.lavar.de/comp/linux/debian/ experimental/

Save the file, and now you have freemind inside the synaptic and can install it from there...

Freemind application will be listed under Applications - Office - Freemind.

What is Freemind and How to Use It ?
You will find more complete description on the wiki...

In my opinion : freemind is a simple java based program to assist you to do certain things, such as :

• extract wild thought from your brain
• list any idea taken from any source

then have them ordered, and connected one to another, yielding a complete understanding of the center subject in graphical map ! This graphical map, also called MIND MAP, is a very powerful map that allow you to explain every single thing that you have found before, or even find new thing that you haven't thought before (it's the way our brain works).

Mind Map on a Paper
Below is an example of a manually created mind map on a paper that is explaining Mind Map usages :


Mind Map with Computer
FreeMind will not generate a beautiful Mind Map, but FreeMind is very fast and usable for my daily usage... Speed is the number one factor when we are trying to extract information from our brain. Number two (when our brain stuck) is creativity -- well, FreeMind lack of this, but this is normal, I have tried many Mind Mapping software, and none of them was good for digging our creativity... The best way so far (in my experience) is still a large sheet of paper with colorful pen/marker....

The picture below was captured from FreeMind screen :


Now you know what I mean :D