RESOURCE: Free, powerful mind-mapping software stimulates creative thinking, inspires and captures your brainstorms, and helps you organize your thoughts and presentations

Powerful, open-source mind-mapping software for Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris. Free. With full documentation.

Not familiar with mind maps? Here’s an example of one.

This computer program known as Cmap lets you document and manipulate a visual record of your best brainstorming efforts.

Mindmapping is a great tool for stimulating creative thought and for organizing complex thinking into simple, intuitive and logical patterns.

Cmap lets you create mind maps right on your computer screen.

You can pay hundreds of dollars for this kind of software. Or you can download powerpacked, open source Cmap for free.

Download it at: http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/.

Here’s the official description:

The CmapTools program empowers users to construct, navigate, share and criticize knowledge models represented as concept maps. It allows users to, among many other features, construct their Cmaps in their personal computer, share them on servers (CmapServers) anywhere on the Internet, link their Cmaps to other Cmaps on servers, automatically create web pages of their concept maps on servers, edit their maps synchronously (at the same time) with other users on the Internet, and search the web for information relevant to a concept map.

The CmapTools client is free for use by anybody, whether its use is commercial or non-commercial. In particular, schools and universities are encouraged to download it and install it in as many computers as desired, and students and teachers may make copies of it and install it at home.