I've been reading about and using Compendium today. It is not pleasing.

Why would anyone put up with a note taking system which can't keep up
with typing?

When I see how little fits on a page, I'm inclined to forgo the icons
completely and just use an indented structure and abbreviations.
Perhaps (in part) like this:

?? What dialogue mapping tool should I use?
. . !! Compendium
. . . . ++ Nice icons
. . . . ++ Hypertext
. . . . ++ Transclusions
. . . . ++ Conversions to other media
. . . . - - slow
. . . . - - wastes space
. . . . - - takes hours of practice
. . !! TextEdit
. . . . ++ I'm already proficient
. . . . ++ dense on the screen
. . . . ++ unlikely to hang
. . . . - - no help for hypertext
. . !! TextWrangler
. . . . ++ can use two column display
. . . . ++ super dense on the screen
. . . . ++ can use tabs (but not in email)
. . . . - - no help for hypertext

Have you made do with no specialized tool except a laptop & digital
projector?
Am I just being silly and resisting spending the few hours to become
proficient?
Are the icons really important?
Am I fooling myself about the density on the shared display?

Dick