Hi, Swan (submitter of #20 and #48).
You ask a legitimate question; it's one that seems difficult to answer, as your comment #20 seems genuine, informative, and helpful. Personally, I liked it.

However, a conspiracy theory ran through my mind overnight, and I just had to submit it. Perhaps, just *perhaps*, the same people who orchestrated all the bogus, deceitful positive commentary and votes for this product were genuinely alarmed that you warned us all of the "auto update" feature that could be turned off, and so perhaps *they* are the ones who negatively voted on your comment. After all, imagine a user who began using this product, created a relatively large volume of personal, desirable, valuable diary entries but then suddenly lost them to an unintended upgrade. This might be so unpleasant to that user that the user would be forced to pay the registration fee!

What you've essentially done is alert all us potential users to do something obvious that might reduce the company's revenue stream, by preventing them from purposefully tricking people into the upgrades and not letting them downgrade back to the GAOTD version. Perhaps that alarmed them enough to mount a counter-strike and vote your advice down, down, down! (That *would* fit the rest of the scenario we've seen with that company!)

Heck, I dunno, but it's a (conspiracy) theory. And since you were sincere in wanting an answer, I'm offering up this perhaps pathetic explanation in hopes that it might help -- cause, yeah, that's too many negative votes on your comment.

Slim

Giovanni, great call on ReNotebook - looks much better than this pink diary. lol thanks again Giovanni. There is a video review and excellent help file for this one. Peace out

41 comments and 1800+ votes.
I was looking for something like this and wanted to try it, but the false voting has put me off. I think I'll try one of the alternates mentioned above.

GAOTD - you should look into and stop false voting.

I think there is a bug in the 'Did you find this comment useful?' On one of the comments, I clicked on yes, and it increased by 21 instead of 1.

It might be wise to check this out, considering all of today's comments from alarmed users of this site.

Hi all
I HAVE been waiting for a Journal software since the days of Win3.1.
I wish I could remember the name of it. I looked like a journal with flip pages that "acted" like paper. It also highlighted the days you had entries in.
My days of being organized ended when my last Palm Pilot died.
About todays giveaway if you can't synchronize it or back it up I don't want it.
I went to their website but couldn't find out what country they were from. Strike two.
Thanks anyway. I am glad this site exists as I always learn something.
Another thing I miss from the "good old days" are the free Computer papers that were available on every corner once a week here in Toronto.
I will try out Giovanni's suggestions when I have more time.
Thanks again.

Sorry, I meant Notepad.

@16 I would think that this list would be in any 'Diary' software. After all, these are basic editing features. A 'Diary' would need at least these features for me to try it, without these I might as well use Windows Notebook.

********************************************************************
The following features are missing in this GAOTD compared to the FULL VERSION worth 40 bucks:

* Powerful diary browser to navigate all entries
* Spell check for typing mistakes
* Thesaurus for richer vocabulary
* Word Count statistics
* Diary entry printing
* Print preview for diary entry and Event calendar
* Event calendar printing
* Export diary entry to RTF, TXT

After reading some comments above i have done a little bit research on the web before considering to download or not.

I saw those fake reviews on all products of this company of today's giveaway on CNET. All reviewers are 1 time reviewers (just watch their profiles), with nicks from an online nick-generator and partially badly translated english. So you see, they are not only faking voting statistics here. The whole company is a fake, with faked votes, fake reviews on many download sites and faked download statistics and -who knows- a likejacked facebook page of the program today.

The good thing is, i don't need to uninstall it because i would never install and certainly never download it, if there is such a "bogus" marketing strategy behind it. I heard about this company for the first time and be sure, that was the last time also.

Did not like this software. Most if not all the cons written above are true. I am happy with the diary apps and PIMs I already have anyway. The ratings for this are terribly skewed. I have learned not to I completely trust the thumbs up and down on the GAOTD offerings, but this one is the worst I have seen yet. Authors have obviously posted to the "members" on their site to come over here and falsely rate the software. Another reason I would never even attempt to get used to this software if I even liked it.

@ #14 Thank you again Giovanni. I always look forward to the freeware alternatives that you bring here.

My original comment is #20. I'm not offended by the 750 negative votes but I AM curious. Can any of the regulars see that my comment was that useless? I'd really like to know.
~ Swan

Here we go again. If I lived in the USA then I would pay $19.95 for the upgrade but as I live in the UK I'm expected to pay €19.95 which equals $26.00. That's a no from me to the upgrade, then. Why on earth should I pay so much more than my USA cousins? Huh!

Heavily skewed voting. I wouldn't download this even if its good. Unfair practices equal negative reviews. Clean up your act if you want a true feedback for your product, else get relegated to the domains of dodgy software products. I suspect its the marketers who are doing this, true developers will never dream of cheating the end users.

Could you please indicate what the version number of the program is? thank you Very Much.

I guess from all the negative responses, not even 25% have tried the program!

Here my own review

Today's free giveaway is a great software tool to enhance my productivity in many ways.

I like the MS Office adaptation of the entire program.
The feature that drew me keeping it is, it has a very clean layout for starters.

Next thing I like is the note editor, that is, if you are used to MS Word, you feel at home. In there you can add pictures, tables and more. And each note is saved in an organized fashion.

I give praise for this program, because it is unique in its concept and design. It is also extremely useful to keep organized without cluttery elements. (Take OneNote for example, OneNote is utterly cluttery and I stayed away from it.)

Next month I will upgrade to the full version.
It's too good to be missed.

again
Many Thanks for that giveaway

I will stop download and test software from here. Too many programs are crippled versions, not the full versions. It is kind of ridicilous that such software are given away when many freewares most often do a better job. Another thing is also the ridicilous high prices of the full softwares given away...many times too high in my opinion. I sometimes wonder if the creators even know how to price their software at all....

#30,

Read the Terms and Conditions:
Terms and conditions

Please note that the software you download and install during the Giveaway period comes with the following important limitations: 1) No free technical support; 2) No free upgrades to future versions; 3) Strictly personal usage.

Hello, all.
Open "notepad.exe".
Type ".LOG",
type "Enter",
type "Alt + F4",
in the 'Save as' dialog, type the name you choose, [I.E. My_Journal].

Open the "My_Journal" file,
& you'll see that you now have an entry for today's date & time.

Each time you open the "My_Journal" file,
it will auto-add the date & time.
Just write the details of *your* journal,
which you can name [or rename] whatever you choose.
For privacy, you may name it "xyz" [or any alpha-numeric code]'.log'.

Have a GREAT day, neighbors!

I've downloaded similar programs before and ended up using them only once or twice. I just don't get it: why anyone would use a "diary" program with text editing functions inferior to those of Word to keep a diary? Doesn't writing the diary in Word do the same thing much better? And with Word, you don't have to worry about uninstalling the program later and losing all your entries. You can create a folder to keep all the journal entries and even password protect it in Windows.

In addition to all the leftovers I found, there are more...........

C:\Users\Jim\Documents\My Chrysanth\Database\DIARY.CSND

C:\aSPL_PBD.LOG

The difference between this and the journal offered several months ago is this software includes an organizer and the journal does not. However, the journal includes a spell checker and more significantly an export feature. I am not sure how useful a diary that does not even allow you to export a text file may seem to some. You could copy and paste your entries into another application but then you might as well use another application altogether.

I cannot imagine paying any money for this application and not being able to print or export. It's fine for a free program but not for $20. For $20 you can get software capable of doing a lot more. All you're actually getting is a pretty interface but word processing software allows you to insert a date, format, and make the same entry minus the aesthetics. Or a note outliner can get you the same results and you can add a pretty background.

Hmm it doesn't look like we get a account to store our files in... The account shows what version you have (and possibly keeps your files?)

This diary lacks encryption and secure password and can only be read on the computer were it is installed.
Not going to install it.

Three very good reasons to come here every day
1. You might get some great software
2. If not, you will get many alternative programs and links
3. The comments, the musings on what's "really" going on here, and the banter.
I love all three.
Passing on the software, alternatives suggested look better; thanks GOTD. (Besides diaries should be handwritten!)

I have checked out the site for this program and found that the said above is an upgrade version of the free program on their site. Great Program!! :)

How about a diary backup feature?

I do not download software where (maybe the vendor itself or someone who is involved with them) obviously fakes the voting statistics. Big fail. Never try to fool us, you will lose ALWAYS. We know exactly what's going on here. NEVER FOOL US, NEVER! I will spread the word. And i will NEVER buy a CHRYSANTH SOFTWARE product and i let others know to handle it the same way.

Have a nice day.

just wondering if any of these PIMs diaries etc are able to import diary entries etc, from Lotus Organiser 7? I've stuck with it for years because I can't find anything to import into.

This one isn't for me thanks, I don't like the pink and so on!

This Dairy is simply ideal! This is a dandy offering! Sounds like a fine poduct to use in keeping up with daily tacks, just super. Keen interfase, and good solid company. Should get a great responce for this. Thank Givewayofday for todays great offer!

As others have noted, the inflated positive vote counter says "something stinks" here. I've never seen 875 positive votes for any program on GAOTD only four hours after going live. I'll stay away from this one.

Thanks a very handy tool that i have been hunting for long time thx GOTD it would be nice if it would sync with android on top as well.

Welcome fellow Chrysanth social network!
All the options one needs plus Dairy Starter makes life successful with profits. Thanks giveawayoftheday will use this daily. this is a free $20 value.

This is a fast loading, attractive and easy application, with basically no learning curve at all.

You can choose from various themes, making the software attractive to your own eye. Downloaded, installed and activated without a hitch on my Windows 7 machine.

You also have the option/addition of a "web diary" as well as a private diary, although why people would want to pour out their private lives to the public, I have no idea.

The software is very configurable, but make sure you UNCHECK the option to check for new versions, otherwise you might receive an upgrade to the version you got from GaotD, causing you to have an unregistered version of the software.

Today's software seems to do what it says on the tin - thank you to both Chrysanth and GaotD for today's offer. For me it's a keeper.
~ Swan

It also says at :
http://deardiary.my/buy-diary/#getDiaryLink
How to Get Diary [PERSONAL]

There are two ways to get your copy of Diary [Personal]:

1.You may pay for Diary [Personal] directly.
2.You may get Diary [Personal] for FREE!

I do not know how it works (maybe "TrialPay?) but apparantly one can also get The "Personal" (best) edition for "free" (?)
Please see Editions comparence at : http://deardiary.my/buy-diary/#getDiaryLink

Why all the Bogus Reviews and Favorable Votes? I am becoming more and more and much more disillusioned with each passing month will all the bogus reviews and all the positive votes for these bogus reviews! Like with today's offering, barely 3 hours into the offering, I found the first comment has +87 favorable votes! HOW AND WHY? That's a no-value, inane comment, and the 87 positive comments immediately make it clear that it's a rigged comment with rigged votes. Surely the company is involved in this, as there is simply no way there could be that many positive votes on such a useless comment. (The only other alternative is that GAOTD is involved in this vote manipulation.) I assume it must be the developers, the company, their friends, family, or investors, or some cabal interested in presenting false information designed to get us to download and install these offerings. (I guarantee that "Ruby" is directly involved somehow!") Note the broken English in the comment; this always persuades me to believe it is our "foreign" developers who are collectively voting to promote their stuff. WHY OH WHY can't GAOTD stop this practice; it would be so easy to develop scripts to peruse the server logs for bogus votes and then to delete the associated comments, if found. GAOTD should value its customers more than its suppliers. I am tempted to try this program out, but when I see clear, obvious deceit and fraud in the commentary, I immediately become skeptical and worried about what *other* deceit might be in the product itself! And yeah, I know, I'm clearly not the first person to point this out, but I just couldn't resist when I saw +87 positive votes~! REALLY, GAOTD? Give us a break and help us out here!

Slim

a long-time fan and member

This is not portable, Right? For me an organizer or diary should be bring anywhere we go, so we can update events. So if this is not portable, you can only update your database in single pc. Another thing is this app doesnt have password protection for privacy right? As we all know, we input some private details in our diary or organizer. If your unit failed and you bring it to a technician, the technician can easily access your diary. So, it would be better if this is portable and password protected.

Ah OK!!

I've just read their comparison chart among different editions...

The following features are missing in this GAOTD compared to the FULL VERSION worth 40 bucks:

* Powerful diary browser to navigate all entries
* Spell check for typing mistakes
* Thesaurus for richer vocabulary
* Word Count statistics
* Diary entry printing
* Print preview for diary entry and Event calendar
* Event calendar printing or export to PDF
* Export diary entry to RTF, TXT or HTML file


Please note that most of these missing features are instead offered for FREE by the freeware and cross-platform diary & journal app "RedNotebook" (see download link above).

So you've been warned... but of course use your own judgement!!

Normally on GotD, comments like that of #1 "Ruby"...

I was looking for such cute diary&planner a lot of time. Thanx GOTD.

...are judged by the GotD community as (quite rightly) totally useless. Yet today it and others like it are drawing many positive votes.

Also, at this early stage, over 600 "thumbs up". Not even the ever popular Ashampoo, Paragon and Wondershare products draw those numbers.

Something fishy going on here, methinks.

(Expect this comment to be similarly manipulated... in the other direction!)

Very nice PIM today with a MS Word 2010 smart interface and an extremely powerful WYSIWYG editor which makes the editing of a diary entry a breeze!!

Definitely a KEEPER...but hmmmm I was wondering the meaning of "STARTER" edition.... I smell a rat here....

Looks like not the FULL VERSION of the program...just for a change!!

Is that right, dudes??


Anyway, as BEST FREEWARE ALTERNATIVES I recommend the following GEMS:

* (PORTABLE) CintaNotes (my personal FIRST CHOICE)

This is a TERRIFIC free Personal Note Manager supporting TEXT SNAPPING, I highly recommend you using, if you are keen on keeping your daily notes and tasks organized in a very professional way.
Since it supports TEXT SNAPPING, with this magic tool you can collect and tag your own thoughts as well as any piece of information you may run into while reading docs or surfing the web (software reviews, freebies & giveaway, book and article excerpts, job postings, famous people quotes, research data, curious facts, Wikipedia definitions, blog posts, important news etc...).

And finding out your notes has never been easier with this app, as they can automatically be retrieved for you thanks to its awesome "as-you-type searching" option, which allows users to retrieve only those notes containing the text and the title they previously typed and even the URL those notes were taken from.

It can even synchronize your notes across multiple PCs via DropBox and/or LiveMesh: how cool is that, dudes?? So, forget the TREE and use this more professional FREE note manager instead:

http://cintanotes.com/


* (PORTABLE) RedNotebook

COOL cross-platform diary and journal:

http://rednotebook.sourceforge.net/

The Portable version, to carry it anywhere you go, can be downloaded here:

http://portableapps.com/apps/office/rednotebook_portable


* FamilyFile 1.0.1.3 (no longer supported but still a pretty good PIM in my view)

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Home-Education/FamilyFile.shtml

Screenshots:
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/FamilyFile-Screenshot-119329.html

And here you can download the FREE & PORTABLE version of great to-do list software like “Efficient PIM Free PORTABLE”, “Portable Efficient Sticky Notes 3.0 Build 319″, “Portable Efficient Man’s Organizer Free 3.0 Build 318″ etc…

You can take your pick...LOL!

http://www.efficientsoftware.net/


Enjoy!!

The limitations on this -- see here http://deardiary.my/buy-diary/ -- are substantial and, given the (literally dozens of) alternatives for this kind of thing that are either free or are regularly offered here which DON'T have these limitations, it's a thanks but no thanks situation for me.

I'm perfectly happy using TreePad for this (and for just about everything which involves text and its organization). If I didn't have TreePad, the Maple offering here awhile back, or the (various) Efficient Organizer offerings regularly offered here would work just fine. Otherwise, I'd go with KeynoteNF or (just about) any 2 pane tree-type organizer. They all do pretty much the same thing AND do things this can't (like transfer your writing to another program, print, etc.)

Since I made a small comment about this to Jeff (#9), looked at the main home page, etc, thought I'd download and install, which I did sucessfully on WPro7-64.

Because of reghacker's comment (#2), I took the extra precaustion of monitoring the complete installation in case what he/she says is true.

The program is registered and ready to roll, but I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces. At the very least, I would recommend that BEFORE installing this, it would be wise to create a new Restore Point (in Windows). Even better would be to use some software that can monitor all the changes made so that if you later want to remove them, you can. (Innovative Solutions' Advanced Uninstaller Free edition can do this.)

I agree with Rob (#7). There sure are a lot of votes piling up quickly. For you newbies, the rating is to whether or not a commment is helpful not whther or not it is favorable to the application. So comments that include installation issues or that identify an alternate, portable and also free version, are helpful. Where as comments such as 'I Like it!' or that are snarky to others' questions are not.
PS - since the rating seems over-inflated based on the two comments with the glowing reviews against the one comment that offers a competitor, I will pass on this one.

Something strange is going on here ...... 624 "thumbs up's" in under three hours.

Very few GAOTD offers get that many votes in 24 hours - those that do tend to be exceptionally good programs and I cannot see why todays offer should generate such a response.

@Jeff
If you look carefully at the top of this page, it says "Giveaway of the Day - Chrysanth Diary Starter". The Starter version (about 20 Euro) is NOT the same as the free version.

Hope this helps.

The download file is named, "Dairy Starter"... Hello???

@ Jeff #4
This is a step up from the free one.
Check out the comparison on their website....

Amongst a bunch of other things, the "starter" version features password protection and the ability to turn the ads off. There are other significant differences, but those two items alone would turn me off on the free one. Thank You Chrysanth
Looks like we have some visitors from their social networking - I've never seen so many votes so quick.

Welcome Diary users.

Diary and organizers are addictive, in that once one starts seriously using this, then it is hard to change to another one and lose all accumulated data.

Choosing a commercial product might be problematic once one changes computers, wipes the hard disk, or whatever. So before starting, better be sure that you want to stay with this one.

Myself, I am quite happy with the free EssentialPIM, although it is more organizer than diary.

Nice enough if you like clutter. For minimalist diary software, I recommend All My Journals.

http://www.allmyjournals.com/

Very simple to use, and fully portable via a thumb drive.

I never have used a Diary based organizer like that, not saying I'm not organized (always was using MS Outlook).

The first impression when opening the program is rather eye-candy.
A small advertising line above the day entries can be turned on or off via options dialog (however, I don't suspect privacy issues).
The only thing I don't like is the name "My Dear Diary" (It reminds me having my sister and grandma for coffee all afternoon).

In itself the program is very easy to use, and, well organized.

My Dear Diary is a keeper. If not done so already, you should give that program a try.

very nice giveaway
Thank You

+5 Stars

I had to try it, but uninstalled immediately.

The uninstaller does not remove the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Chrysanth key, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CSDPlugin or the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\CSDiary.exe key.

It also does not delete all the files under C:\your user name\Appdata\Roaming\Chyranth\NETtime\Diary folder

You also have to manually delete the CL\Program Files (x86) Chysabth Fiary folder as it leaves the firebird.log file.

I am not one to keep a diary, but for those keeping the program, rename msvcp80.dll and msvcr80.dll to something like msvcr80.dl in the E:\Program Files (x86)\Chrysanth\Diary directory. Now run the executable and verify all functions work, then you can delete the renamed files