[mindcrime]

In these settings typing doesn't work well and there is a distinct advantage in having good diagramming and math notation skills.

My take on this is that I can definitely type faster than I can write, so anytime I'm just trying to transcribe words then I want to be on a computer. But, I have never found any setup on the computer that lets me draw pictures as easily and well as I can draw with pencil and paper. Maybe now that touchscreens are so ubiquitous that would be different, especially using a stylus or something. But there's still the issue of having to stop and fire up a separate program or something, and possibly dealing with having to do extra work to merge your written docs and your diagrams into one document.

* I tried to explain that low resolution touch screens were inappropriate for taking math notes past simple fractions, but of course, I couldn't change their minds.*

Yeah, math is another interesting area. I've tried taking notes in math classes using OpenOffice Math in the past, but I never got to a point where it felt natural. Mostly I still prefer pencil/paper for taking math notes, or doing "scratch work".