4 ms·

Seems like you could get at least 75% of the way there in a single day using Inkscape as the drawing platform, depending on what else needs to happen with workf

Seems like you could get at least 75% of the way there in a single day using Inkscape as the drawing platform, depending on what else needs to happen with workflow (like scripting to add another page blank, which seems like it's less of an "Inkscape page" and more of a "rectangle I can write on & export as PDF", with the PDF export of a selected area doable as-is but maybe adding a specifically-sized rectangle where you want it is worth scripting) or tablet / writing operations. LO Draw would also be a candidate. If you want your grid to be even more interesting, integrate Eagle Mode around it (i.e. install and skim the Eagle Mode docs) for harnessing the powerful & more or less universal taxonomy of a filesystem. You'd have multiple levels of zoom & pan workspaces there, since it will preview the PDFs as you zoom to their location. So, if you want to wait for something to fit the spec to your inner-critic's liking, I guess that's one thing. But if you could get most of the way toward what you want within a day...even though it wouldn't be perfect...would that be worth trying? There's also a Patreon for Inkscape development IIRC...

criddell 4y ago
It's a lot of money, but for about $1300, a 13" iPad Pro + Apple Pencil + paper-like screen protector + Concepts or Notability or GoodNotes or Muse or even OneNote basically gets you there too. The drawing tools are great, the handwriting recognition is pretty amazing, and it's easy to scan documents or add photos with the device's camera. With focus modes, you can hide everything else and make the iPad into a dedicated note keeping device.
- buildbot 4y ago
  +1 for goodnotes, I keep track of every paper I've read and research I've done since grad school using the app, you can search, import anything, it's awesome.
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  No longer an Apple user, but this is making me wonder if I need to get an iPad again. Fuck my life.
  - breakds 4y ago
    Not an apple fan, but I cannot be separated from my iPad (and the pencil) for this particular use case.
- WorldMaker 4y ago
  Right, you've listed a lot of apps that seem to address this space. I think the biggest factor that eliminates them in DeVault's mind is limited to no Linux support and an iPad obviously isn't running Linux either.
  - criddell 4y ago
    I only mentioned this stuff because he said it should be on Linux, not that it must.
    - WorldMaker 4y ago
      Yeah, sorry, part of my intended point that I don't think entirely came across was not that these software options shouldn't be brought up as possible answers (they should! Thanks) but that it does seem to point to an under-served niche (Linux support) and that would be exactly the sort of under-served niche that would make some of these answers "non-obvious" to someone like DeVault when looking for off-the-shelf solutions. DeVault in fact may be calling for someone to more directly serve this niche (and other comments here touch on that), but yeah if he has a chance some of the options you mentioned are likely worth investigating as current off-the-shelf options.
      - criddell 4y ago
        On desktop Linux, every niche is underserved (with the possible exception of text editors). There's hasn't been much going on in the Linux desktop software world for the past twenty years. It seems like anytime something new comes out that runs on Linux, it's only on Linux because of some cross-platform library and as a result compromises have been made.
        heywoodlh 4y ago
        > There hasn't been much going on in the Linux desktop software world for the past twenty years. As a daily user of Linux on the desktop I am totally biased -- but can you provide some examples of this? From my (subjective) perspective, Linux desktop software is pretty active. However, I totally agree with your point about Linux being an afterthought for a lot of desktop apps and made possible only by tooling comparable to Electron. Some points I could see: 1. I still can't ditch X-11 for work (because of Zoom[1]) 2. My point above about desktop Linux support being an afterthought for most desktop apps However, I feel like on the other side there is a huge desktop application library that is pretty active. [1] https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/6634039380877-Sharing-your-screen-on-Wayland https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/6634039380877-Shar...
- pjerem 4y ago
  Any recent iPad is compatible with the Pencil (although it depends which gen of the pencil). So you can get all of this for far less money if you go for the cheapest 9 inch
- webnrrd2k 4y ago
  Another option is a Samsung tablet with an s-pen. Some people prefer it to an iPad setup. (I just got an S7 lite, on sale). I like it a lot so far, but I've only had it for two days so I dont want to comment on using the pen until I've had the tablet for more time.) I think my ideal environment would be more of a pen-based org mode with good handwriting recognition and editing.
  - criddell 4y ago
    Samsung has good hardware but the software just isn’t there. Of all those programs I mentioned, I think only OneNote is on Android.

criddell 4y ago

It's a lot of money, but for about $1300, a 13" iPad Pro + Apple Pencil + paper-like screen protector + Concepts or Notability or GoodNotes or Muse or even OneNote basically gets you there too. The drawing tools are great, the handwriting recognition is pretty amazing, and it's easy to scan documents or add photos with the device's camera. With focus modes, you can hide everything else and make the iPad into a dedicated note keeping device.

buildbot 4y ago
+1 for goodnotes, I keep track of every paper I've read and research I've done since grad school using the app, you can search, import anything, it's awesome.
hammyhavoc 4y ago
No longer an Apple user, but this is making me wonder if I need to get an iPad again. Fuck my life.
- breakds 4y ago
  Not an apple fan, but I cannot be separated from my iPad (and the pencil) for this particular use case.
WorldMaker 4y ago
Right, you've listed a lot of apps that seem to address this space. I think the biggest factor that eliminates them in DeVault's mind is limited to no Linux support and an iPad obviously isn't running Linux either.
- criddell 4y ago
  I only mentioned this stuff because he said it should be on Linux, not that it must.
  - WorldMaker 4y ago
    Yeah, sorry, part of my intended point that I don't think entirely came across was not that these software options shouldn't be brought up as possible answers (they should! Thanks) but that it does seem to point to an under-served niche (Linux support) and that would be exactly the sort of under-served niche that would make some of these answers "non-obvious" to someone like DeVault when looking for off-the-shelf solutions. DeVault in fact may be calling for someone to more directly serve this niche (and other comments here touch on that), but yeah if he has a chance some of the options you mentioned are likely worth investigating as current off-the-shelf options.
    - criddell 4y ago
      On desktop Linux, every niche is underserved (with the possible exception of text editors). There's hasn't been much going on in the Linux desktop software world for the past twenty years. It seems like anytime something new comes out that runs on Linux, it's only on Linux because of some cross-platform library and as a result compromises have been made.
      - heywoodlh 4y ago
        > There hasn't been much going on in the Linux desktop software world for the past twenty years. As a daily user of Linux on the desktop I am totally biased -- but can you provide some examples of this? From my (subjective) perspective, Linux desktop software is pretty active. However, I totally agree with your point about Linux being an afterthought for a lot of desktop apps and made possible only by tooling comparable to Electron. Some points I could see: 1. I still can't ditch X-11 for work (because of Zoom[1]) 2. My point above about desktop Linux support being an afterthought for most desktop apps However, I feel like on the other side there is a huge desktop application library that is pretty active. [1] https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/6634039380877-Sharing-your-screen-on-Wayland https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/6634039380877-Shar...
pjerem 4y ago
Any recent iPad is compatible with the Pencil (although it depends which gen of the pencil). So you can get all of this for far less money if you go for the cheapest 9 inch
webnrrd2k 4y ago
Another option is a Samsung tablet with an s-pen. Some people prefer it to an iPad setup. (I just got an S7 lite, on sale). I like it a lot so far, but I've only had it for two days so I dont want to comment on using the pen until I've had the tablet for more time.) I think my ideal environment would be more of a pen-based org mode with good handwriting recognition and editing.
- criddell 4y ago
  Samsung has good hardware but the software just isn’t there. Of all those programs I mentioned, I think only OneNote is on Android.