THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
"WHAT AN ACADEMIC LIFE REQUIRES..."
Nota Bene began in 1982 when a philosophy graduate student decided that he needed more than just a generic word processor to facilitate the kind of research and writing involved in working on his doctoral dissertation.
What an academic life requires, he thought, was a set of seamlessly integrated tools that would handle all aspects of the scholarly endeavor — not just writing (but of course with a program that could fluidly handle footnotes and cross references), but also a way to simplify citations, and, most of all, to give access to notes and previous work so he could revisit texts and arguments.
What he dreamed of was an ever-expanding knowledge production system that he could draw on over the course of his entire scholarly career.
"THE BEST WORD PROCESSOR IN THE WORLD"
That academic work required specialized tools designed with academic needs front and center was a novel idea, and people took notice of the program that embodied that vision, Nota Bene.
It was endorsed upon its release by the Modern Language Association, distributed in Europe by Oxford University Press, and ranked — despite remaining resolutely focused on academic needs — as the best word processor in the world by PC Magazine.
"TRANSFORMATIVE INNOVATIONS"
Among Nota Bene’s transformative innovations are:
- Query-based full text retrieval years before Google even existed.
- Operational use of both “@” and “#” well before Twitter was imagined.
- First to implement non-Western and phonetic characters.
- First — and only — built-in integrated bibliographic database and reference system.
- First — and only — comprehensive built-in academic styles.
"YOUR NEEDS DESERVE UNDIVIDED ATTENTION"
But the genius behind Nota Bene — what makes it unique even today — was the incorporation of all these tools within a single, seamlessly integrated system, with a uniform interface and a relentless focus on the needs of graduate students and professors.
Others sought to monetize their efforts by appealing to broad audiences; we followed you so your work could flourish.
To this day, no other company has been bold or innovative enough to imagine that your needs deserve undivided attention.
We’re constantly working to improve this unique tool.
Nota Bene 15 – June 2026
Radius — September 2024
Nota Bene 14 — May 2023
Nota Bene 13 — August 2021
Nota Bene 12 — April 2018
Nota Bene 11.5 — June 2016
Nota Bene 11 — December 2015
Nota Bene 10 — June 2014