DEVONtechnologies News
Per Aspera ad Astra:
DEVONthink 4.0 Copernicus
In April, we released DEVONthink 4 in public beta. Our new generation offers generative AI, built-in versioning, audit-proof databases and many more improvements all across the board. Many of you already joined us for the public beta, gave the new features a test ride, and helped us fix bugs. Now the beta phase is over and we can finally send DEVONthink 4.0 Copernicus to the stars! Thank you very much for traveling with us.
In this newsletter we tell you how you can upgrade in just a few steps. Are you interested in AI but haven't worked with it much yet? If so, we have two recommended reads to help you get started. And if you want to read even more, we highly recommend Joe Kissel's new free ebook Take Control of DEVONthink 4. We also dive into what our new versioning is all about and invite you to say hello to us on Bluesky 👋
We're dedicating this version to the Copernicus lunar crater and its namesake, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), who revolutionized our understanding of the universe. Contrary to the prevailing view that the Earth was the center of everything, he proposed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. This striking crater, with its rays extending across the lunar surface, is as notable as the groundbreaking ideas of the man it honors.
New in 4.0 Final
Since the first public beta we've been working day and night to get DEVONthink 4.0 Copernius ready for the launch ramp. We replaced older AI models with their now-current counterparts and added new settings for summaries. Version 4.0 now also allows you to exclude individual documents or groups from the chat. Finally, the user interface receive some love from us, and we added a few more scripts and key commands.
Thank You!
A lot of work goes into every release — we tinker, work, and refine our applications. This is especially true for a major upgrade like DEVONthink 4. Therefore we owe you a special thank you, of course! You helped us test the beta version, discussed the new features with us, reported any remaining bugs, and made valuable suggestions. We have received so many kind words from you in our forum, on social media, and via email. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for this, as well as for the trust you have placed in us. We make software so you can put it to good use.
By the way, when you combine DEVONthink with Mistral's nicely GDPR-compliant AI, what you end up with is document management on steroids.
Take Control of DEVONthink 4
Along with the release of DEVONthink 4.0 Copernicus, Joe Kissel from Take Control Books has thoroughly revised his ebook Take Control of DEVONthink. It offers a complete introduction to DEVONthink and now also includes all the brand new features of DEVONthink 4, like generative AI, versioning, or audit-proof databases. The book is free of charge. Download it now from our website or directly from Take Control Books.
See You on Bluesky
Bluesky is a place where people come together to exchange ideas, discuss new technologies, or talk about scientific discoveries. We, too, are on Bluesky. Feel free to drop by and say hello 👋 Here we share tips and tricks, and keep you up to date on what’s going at DEVONtechnologies. And if you prefer Mastodon, feel free to join us there at our little cozy digital campfire.
My technical breakthrough in recent months: connecting Claude (or other large language models) to my database program, DEVONthink, via API.
Learn More About AI
Maybe you've already worked extensively with generative AI, or, maybe, you've had little contact with it so far. If you want to get an overview, you will find countless sources on the Internet — some better, some worse. We can recommend two options to get you started:
Anthropic, the makers of the Claude AI, has published a great course on the topic: AI Fluency. In this easy-to-follow course, you'll learn what generative AI is, how to write good prompts, and how to figure out if a task is even something AI is good at.
If you want to know how to use AI models in DEVONthink, have a look at the sections AI Explained and AI in Practice in the Getting Started chapter of the built-in help or handbook. You can also find tips and tricks on AI on our blog.
How to Use Versioning
When working with documents, have you ever created a duplicate to save a current state? This is exactly where DEVONthink's new document versioning comes in. It automatically saves a new version of the document whenever you edit it inside the app. In the settings, adjust the number of versions to keep per document and how long before DEVONthink removes older versions. Now you can easily revert to a previous version at any time.
I've been using DEVONthink for years, and it provides the utmost feature that I need in terms of digital files archive: peace of mind.
Switch to DEVONthink 4
You upgrade to the new version simply from your customer account.
- Log into your customer account and select your DEVONthink license. In the field Versions, check for which versions your license is valid.
- If your license is not valid for version 4 (3.0 – 4.x.y), purchase an extension for your license in the section Updates & Upgrades.
- Download the latest version available from the right-hand sidebar. Open it and enter your license code.
The extension gets you the upgrade to version 4 including one year of updates. Also have a look at our Upgrader's Guide that answers, e.g., many questions about the new license model, and check out the prices for new purchases, upgrades, and update extensions.