5 ms·

Like many I've been looking for the best note-taking app for years. And somehow I always come back to a bunch of markdown files inside a Git repo.

by fbnlsr 1y ago

msravi 1y ago
...accessed through Obsidian (esp on mobile) -- On Android, you can "Open folder as vault" Or neovim with FzfLua (on laptop)
miroljub 1y ago
For me, it's the same way, except that instead of Markdown, I use plain org-mode files sprinkled with a bit of org-roam tags when needed.
triknomeister 1y ago
I have an idea. Coming soon!!
- bayindirh 1y ago
  Obsidian + Git plugin? :)
exe34 1y ago
org-roam inside git
frou_dh 1y ago
Compared to something with automatic bidirectional sync between all devices, something where one has to manually commit/push/pull a new/edited note feels archaic.
- klez 1y ago
  You can automate commits and push on save. I had a similar setup for vimwiki before migrating to a web-based wiki system (dokuwiki).
- tasuki 1y ago
  OTOH you get version history, with commit messages if you care to write them. And the full power of git to explore the history. You can edit the same file on two (offline) devices, then resolve the inevitable merge conflict. "Automatic bidirectional sync between all devices" scares me. How does it deal with merge conflicts? How am I sure I'll be able to revert to a previous version? Can I see the full history of a file? I don't know, perhaps it'd be ok. I certainly wouldn't learn git just for note taking! But, I know how to use my hammer, so everything look like a nail...
  - j_maffe 1y ago
    But you can still have the full power of git with Obsidian still, since they're just MD files at the end of the day.
- fbnlsr 1y ago
  I thought it would be a problem as well but it turns out I absolutely never edit my notes on two machines at once. The commit/push/pull is done via a simple bash script that I'm running as a build command inside VS Code.
- prepend 1y ago
  I like it as I consciously enjoy sort of checking in. I also store in a onedrive folder for automatic sync and backup in case I have a crash before I do a git commit.
- AlienRobot 1y ago
  Is that really useful? How often do you need to revert a commit?
trevinhofmann 1y ago
Might be worth trying this free and open source note-taking app (disclaimer: client of mine). https://github.com/cybersemics/em/ https://github.com/cybersemics/em/ "em is a beautiful, minimalistic note-taking app for personal sensemaking."
- AlienRobot 1y ago
  No webpage. No screenshots. Not even Releases? I'm not trying this app. The readme is more about the technical details of the code than the actual features of the app. Where do I go to see what this thing can actually do? Do people expect me to run the program just to see if I want to run the program?
  - trevinhofmann 1y ago
    There are some demos in the Docs [1] linked from the README, but I believe that's still very useful feedback. I will pass it along. Thank you! [1] https://github.com/cybersemics/em/wiki/Docs https://github.com/cybersemics/em/wiki/Docs
    - AlienRobot 1y ago
      I did take a look at that, which is probably more than most people would have done, and by take a look I mean a skimmed for images because I'm not reading 2000 words of text for an app I don't even use yet. The only images I found showed how drag and drop works. I know this is common with projects that think Github is a replacement for a website, but I genuinely wonder how does it get so bad that a 5 year project with 9000 commits and 60 contributors doesn't have a single screenshot. Nothing personal or particular about this project specifically, just... the whole open source culture of dropping something on Github and not even doing the bare minimum to have other people get to know the project. It feels like such a waste. It could be an amazing project but who is going to bother with it if they can't see what it looks like?
chrisweekly 1y ago
Strong rec to keep using markdown files in a git repo -- and start using Obsidian to edit and manage them.
- fbnlsr 1y ago
  I switch between VS Code and MarkText. It does the job perfectly.
_fat_santa 1y ago
> And somehow I always come back to a bunch of markdown files inside a Git repo. Others have mentioned this but if you want to keep this workflow, the best app I've found is Obsidian + Git Plugin. It works fantastically well on desktop though it does require a little work to get it working on iOS.
- noahjk 1y ago
  Are there options to see the current state of the repo? What I mean is, for example, I like that in VS Code I instantly know the current state because the git sidebar icon shows a notification of uncommitted changes. If I don't have a visual reminder, I'm more likely to not make commits when I should, and I also don't want an auto-committer firing after each change. I find the visual reminder keeps me anchored to my git status. Heck, maybe I should just use code for notes. One plus would be web access with code server, since Obsidians only docker image that I know of uses VNC. Anyone compared these two tools and have a decent write up? The biggest item which comes to mind would be referencing other notes and the features built on top of that?
  - DavideNL 1y ago
    > Are there options to see the current state of the repo? Yes...always visible in the status bar. Fyi: https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git
- naxx 1y ago
  How do you use Obsidian + Git on iOS?
  - jdenning 1y ago
    There are a couple methods - I use Working Copy to manage the git stuff on iOS. Far from perfect, but it works.
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
al_borland 1y ago
I oscillate between Apple Notes and a bunch of markdown files, which is a pretty painful thing to do. I like how future proof a folder of markdown files is. But I like the design, simplicity, and deep features for capture and media support offered in Apple Notes. The more a markdown app supports extra stuff, the more proprietary it starts to feel, as any app to read it will also need to support those things. A while back I told myself I was going to stick to Apple Notes, as going back and forth to other things is painful, and doing it proactively means more pain, rather than maybe having some pain in 10 years of the app goes away. However, where I am again, in the middle of a largely manual migration back to Obsidian for my folder of markdown files. I used an export, but the formatting is so bad that I need to clean up every single note.
- seivan 1y ago
  [dead]
- thebytefairy 1y ago
  The inability to export, as well as the lack of anything more than the bare basic formatting options (at least at the time a few years ago) pushed me off apple notes.
  - prepend 1y ago
    I’ve been able to export since early, early iPhone. They’re just txt files. Surprisingly, Apple notes have been the most durable as Apple has migrated them from every iPhone I’ve had for the past 15-20 years or whatever. Basic formatting is a plus for me. Although now notes has really advanced formatting and even sketching.
    - bob_theslob646 1y ago
      Have you found a solution to mass export notes?
      - draebek 1y ago

Like many I've been looking for the best note-taking app for years. And somehow I always come back to a bunch of markdown files inside a Git repo.

by fbnlsr 1y ago

Like many I've been looking for the best note-taking app for years. And somehow I always come back to a bunch of markdown files inside a Git repo.

msravi 1y ago

...accessed through Obsidian (esp on mobile) -- On Android, you can "Open folder as vault" Or neovim with FzfLua (on laptop)

miroljub 1y ago

For me, it's the same way, except that instead of Markdown, I use plain org-mode files sprinkled with a bit of org-roam tags when needed.

triknomeister 1y ago

I have an idea. Coming soon!!

bayindirh 1y ago
Obsidian + Git plugin? :)

exe34 1y ago

org-roam inside git

frou_dh 1y ago

Compared to something with automatic bidirectional sync between all devices, something where one has to manually commit/push/pull a new/edited note feels archaic.

klez 1y ago
You can automate commits and push on save. I had a similar setup for vimwiki before migrating to a web-based wiki system (dokuwiki).
tasuki 1y ago
OTOH you get version history, with commit messages if you care to write them. And the full power of git to explore the history. You can edit the same file on two (offline) devices, then resolve the inevitable merge conflict. "Automatic bidirectional sync between all devices" scares me. How does it deal with merge conflicts? How am I sure I'll be able to revert to a previous version? Can I see the full history of a file? I don't know, perhaps it'd be ok. I certainly wouldn't learn git just for note taking! But, I know how to use my hammer, so everything look like a nail...
- j_maffe 1y ago
  But you can still have the full power of git with Obsidian still, since they're just MD files at the end of the day.
fbnlsr 1y ago
I thought it would be a problem as well but it turns out I absolutely never edit my notes on two machines at once. The commit/push/pull is done via a simple bash script that I'm running as a build command inside VS Code.
prepend 1y ago
I like it as I consciously enjoy sort of checking in. I also store in a onedrive folder for automatic sync and backup in case I have a crash before I do a git commit.
AlienRobot 1y ago
Is that really useful? How often do you need to revert a commit?

trevinhofmann 1y ago

Might be worth trying this free and open source note-taking app (disclaimer: client of mine). https://github.com/cybersemics/em/ https://github.com/cybersemics/em/ "em is a beautiful, minimalistic note-taking app for personal sensemaking."

AlienRobot 1y ago
No webpage. No screenshots. Not even Releases? I'm not trying this app. The readme is more about the technical details of the code than the actual features of the app. Where do I go to see what this thing can actually do? Do people expect me to run the program just to see if I want to run the program?
- trevinhofmann 1y ago
  There are some demos in the Docs [1] linked from the README, but I believe that's still very useful feedback. I will pass it along. Thank you! [1] https://github.com/cybersemics/em/wiki/Docs https://github.com/cybersemics/em/wiki/Docs
  - AlienRobot 1y ago
    I did take a look at that, which is probably more than most people would have done, and by take a look I mean a skimmed for images because I'm not reading 2000 words of text for an app I don't even use yet. The only images I found showed how drag and drop works. I know this is common with projects that think Github is a replacement for a website, but I genuinely wonder how does it get so bad that a 5 year project with 9000 commits and 60 contributors doesn't have a single screenshot. Nothing personal or particular about this project specifically, just... the whole open source culture of dropping something on Github and not even doing the bare minimum to have other people get to know the project. It feels like such a waste. It could be an amazing project but who is going to bother with it if they can't see what it looks like?

chrisweekly 1y ago

Strong rec to keep using markdown files in a git repo -- and start using Obsidian to edit and manage them.

fbnlsr 1y ago
I switch between VS Code and MarkText. It does the job perfectly.

_fat_santa 1y ago

> And somehow I always come back to a bunch of markdown files inside a Git repo. Others have mentioned this but if you want to keep this workflow, the best app I've found is Obsidian + Git Plugin. It works fantastically well on desktop though it does require a little work to get it working on iOS.

noahjk 1y ago
Are there options to see the current state of the repo? What I mean is, for example, I like that in VS Code I instantly know the current state because the git sidebar icon shows a notification of uncommitted changes. If I don't have a visual reminder, I'm more likely to not make commits when I should, and I also don't want an auto-committer firing after each change. I find the visual reminder keeps me anchored to my git status. Heck, maybe I should just use code for notes. One plus would be web access with code server, since Obsidians only docker image that I know of uses VNC. Anyone compared these two tools and have a decent write up? The biggest item which comes to mind would be referencing other notes and the features built on top of that?
- DavideNL 1y ago
  > Are there options to see the current state of the repo? Yes...always visible in the status bar. Fyi: https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git
naxx 1y ago
How do you use Obsidian + Git on iOS?
- jdenning 1y ago
  There are a couple methods - I use Working Copy to manage the git stuff on iOS. Far from perfect, but it works.
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago

al_borland 1y ago

I oscillate between Apple Notes and a bunch of markdown files, which is a pretty painful thing to do. I like how future proof a folder of markdown files is. But I like the design, simplicity, and deep features for capture and media support offered in Apple Notes. The more a markdown app supports extra stuff, the more proprietary it starts to feel, as any app to read it will also need to support those things. A while back I told myself I was going to stick to Apple Notes, as going back and forth to other things is painful, and doing it proactively means more pain, rather than maybe having some pain in 10 years of the app goes away. However, where I am again, in the middle of a largely manual migration back to Obsidian for my folder of markdown files. I used an export, but the formatting is so bad that I need to clean up every single note.

seivan 1y ago
[dead]
thebytefairy 1y ago
The inability to export, as well as the lack of anything more than the bare basic formatting options (at least at the time a few years ago) pushed me off apple notes.
- prepend 1y ago
  I’ve been able to export since early, early iPhone. They’re just txt files. Surprisingly, Apple notes have been the most durable as Apple has migrated them from every iPhone I’ve had for the past 15-20 years or whatever. Basic formatting is a plus for me. Although now notes has really advanced formatting and even sketching.
  - bob_theslob646 1y ago
    Have you found a solution to mass export notes?
    - draebek 1y ago