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I like the idea of the Personal Knowledge Repository, but I don't like having a 3rd party app for it. 3rd Party Apps are good for creating and editing content,

I like the idea of the Personal Knowledge Repository, but I don't like having a 3rd party app for it. 3rd Party Apps are good for creating and editing content, because there's a lot of different ways things can be made. Yet there's no great reason to use one to store content, storing content is basically the same, and OS's do it well.

apostacy 8y ago
I feel exactly the same way. But a few years ago I basically found a solution the works for me. I have a pile of interlink Markdown files in a git repo (you can use Dropbox also), and I can use various tools to access it. If you are willing to use the zettelkasten method, then you can use one based on Sublime Text[1], or one that is a standalone program[2]. You can use a more free-form wiki, with a simple plugin for Sublime[3] These Markdown files will work a slew of different wiki servers, including Gollum, the wiki used for Github, Gitlab, and BitBucket, and are only one step away from vim-wiki. But, since they are simple text, you could even access them on most other platforms. [1]: https://github.com/renerocksai/sublime_zk https://github.com/renerocksai/sublime_zk [2]: https://github.com/renerocksai/sublimeless_zk https://github.com/renerocksai/sublimeless_zk [3]: https://github.com/unqueued/sublime-notelink https://github.com/unqueued/sublime-notelink
DelightOne 8y ago
> Yet there's no great reason to use one to store content, Depends upon internally-created data or external. If you talk about exposing internal data there‘s /Interoperability Problems/. You don‘t have to think about other apps creating invalid files. State stored won’t vanish because another app decided it‘s not needed and ignores it during editing+resaving. And all the other interoperability problems you may encounter. If its external files I may agree.
tylerflick 8y ago
I'm not sure if it's an issue of 3rd party apps, but more 3rd party proprietary data stores. PDF is an open standard, and as long as POLAR isn't creating entries that are out of spec, your notes should transfer across all PDF viewers/editors.
- burtonator 8y ago
  Polar doesn't mutate the PDF - by design. The PDF stays in tact. The annotations are layered on top.
burtonator 8y ago
I think you're missing the forest for the trees here. There's a lot more functionality than just storing files here. The OS doesn't provide annotations, highlights, flashcards, doesn't have a tag index, doesn't support offline capture, etc. Install Polar and take the tour...
- bordercases 8y ago
  What are you going to do with that data you're collecting through hosting? Not forest for trees, more like, hidden monetization strategy with an otherwise more convenient package in the front as "opt-in". It's only missing something if you're thinking several steps ahead.

apostacy 8y ago

I feel exactly the same way. But a few years ago I basically found a solution the works for me. I have a pile of interlink Markdown files in a git repo (you can use Dropbox also), and I can use various tools to access it. If you are willing to use the zettelkasten method, then you can use one based on Sublime Text[1], or one that is a standalone program[2]. You can use a more free-form wiki, with a simple plugin for Sublime[3] These Markdown files will work a slew of different wiki servers, including Gollum, the wiki used for Github, Gitlab, and BitBucket, and are only one step away from vim-wiki. But, since they are simple text, you could even access them on most other platforms. [1]: https://github.com/renerocksai/sublime_zk https://github.com/renerocksai/sublime_zk [2]: https://github.com/renerocksai/sublimeless_zk https://github.com/renerocksai/sublimeless_zk [3]: https://github.com/unqueued/sublime-notelink https://github.com/unqueued/sublime-notelink

DelightOne 8y ago

> Yet there's no great reason to use one to store content, Depends upon internally-created data or external. If you talk about exposing internal data there‘s /Interoperability Problems/. You don‘t have to think about other apps creating invalid files. State stored won’t vanish because another app decided it‘s not needed and ignores it during editing+resaving. And all the other interoperability problems you may encounter. If its external files I may agree.

tylerflick 8y ago

I'm not sure if it's an issue of 3rd party apps, but more 3rd party proprietary data stores. PDF is an open standard, and as long as POLAR isn't creating entries that are out of spec, your notes should transfer across all PDF viewers/editors.

burtonator 8y ago
Polar doesn't mutate the PDF - by design. The PDF stays in tact. The annotations are layered on top.

burtonator 8y ago

I think you're missing the forest for the trees here. There's a lot more functionality than just storing files here. The OS doesn't provide annotations, highlights, flashcards, doesn't have a tag index, doesn't support offline capture, etc. Install Polar and take the tour...

bordercases 8y ago
What are you going to do with that data you're collecting through hosting? Not forest for trees, more like, hidden monetization strategy with an otherwise more convenient package in the front as "opt-in". It's only missing something if you're thinking several steps ahead.