Zim is made for Linux but according to the FAQ it can run in Windows.
Zim is more than just a text editor. Besides handling the most common formatting of text it serves as an excellent collector of .txt files and it will create and keep track of new files within the blink of an eye, so to speak.
It describes itself as a Desktop Wiki because of this and is comparable with for example Wikipad (Windows) and Tomboy (Linux).
When Zim starts it asks you to create a Notebook, which will be the home of a group of .txt files you are about to make. After that you can just start typing like in any other text editor, but when you select a word and click “link” it will automatically create a new .txt file linked to that word. This file will show up in the hierarchy of your notebook in the left hand panel, giving you an excellent overview of the files you create this way.
It is also possible to link to a document on your harddisk this way (triggering the connected application to open) or to an external link on the internet.
One could make good use of Zim’s capabilities when making notes during your study. Just create pages for subjects you want to make some quick notes about and these notes will be interlinked to the main text of your study and will always be easily available and updated.
Maybe you are writing a novel and use Zim to keep track of your places, persons and storylines in these small and fast .txt files or, with the help of the calender plugin, you can keep a diary or logbook.
I had for example a todo-list and a logbook for each month, in separate .txt files, but now I gathered them in Zim.
Zim can also track your todo’s where ever they are in the Notebook and display a nice todo list with the todo list plugin.
See the screenshots on this page for an overview.