20 votes

Obsidian is now in public beta - A knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files

13 comments

  1. [6]
    feigneddork
    Link
    As someone pointed out on HN, the EULA seems pretty restrictive on what you can use the product for with the license. I would primarily use this for taking notes on software development or ideas...

    As someone pointed out on HN, the EULA seems pretty restrictive on what you can use the product for with the license.

    I would primarily use this for taking notes on software development or ideas on software projects. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I'm even that organised to make use of a paid product like this.

    Someone recommended Joplin in the Hacker News section, so I'll give that a shot. If I like it, I'll keep it or if I find myself wanting more, I'll move to Obsidian. What is perhaps more likely is that I'll give Joplin a go and I'll use it for all of one week before forgetting/getting bored of it.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      TheJorro
      Link Parent
      It seems more of a case of not realizing that they shouldn't write the EULA themselves than them trying to be purposefully restrictive. Would be interesting to keep tabs on any future license...

      It seems more of a case of not realizing that they shouldn't write the EULA themselves than them trying to be purposefully restrictive. Would be interesting to keep tabs on any future license updates as a result.

      3 votes
      1. feigneddork
        Link Parent
        Ah, that must be why. In that case, I'm more than happy to wait it out if Obsidian is worth it.

        Ah, that must be why. In that case, I'm more than happy to wait it out if Obsidian is worth it.

        1 vote
    2. [3]
      Grendel
      Link Parent
      I started using Joplin a few weeks ago and I love it. It's not just the best open source notes app I've ever used, it's the best notes app I've ever used. I feel like it really stands up against...

      I started using Joplin a few weeks ago and I love it. It's not just the best open source notes app I've ever used, it's the best notes app I've ever used. I feel like it really stands up against paid and proprietary products very well.

      The best part is that I can use third parties to sync it and it uses E2E encryption so I don't have to worry about said third parties being able to see the data.

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        intuxikated
        Link Parent
        Joplin is the only notes app I was able to stick on to for more than 2 months. Apps like Notion makes me anxious with its ridiculous amount of features.

        Joplin is the only notes app I was able to stick on to for more than 2 months. Apps like Notion makes me anxious with its ridiculous amount of features.

        3 votes
        1. feigneddork
          Link Parent
          Well damn! This thread is one hell of a recommendation! I haven't had time to properly use it and jot down notes, but I'll see to it this weekend that I at least start moving my notes from other...

          Well damn! This thread is one hell of a recommendation!

          I haven't had time to properly use it and jot down notes, but I'll see to it this weekend that I at least start moving my notes from other areas.

          3 votes
  2. [2]
    mrbig
    Link
    It looks similar to Org Mode. Is that correct?

    It looks similar to Org Mode. Is that correct?

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. mrbig
        Link Parent
        Org is awesome and is definitely worth a try. I’m now using the Doom Emacs configuration and recommend it instead of barebones (you can use it with Evil or native keybindings). I suppose one of...

        Org is awesome and is definitely worth a try. I’m now using the Doom Emacs configuration and recommend it instead of barebones (you can use it with Evil or native keybindings). I suppose one of the advantages of Obsidian is having a well known markup, but Org markup is pretty simple too.

        3 votes
  3. Deimos
    Link
    Some very positive opinions of this being posted in the thread on Hacker News (largely from users that were in the private beta, but those are the only people that have been able to use it until now).

    Some very positive opinions of this being posted in the thread on Hacker News (largely from users that were in the private beta, but those are the only people that have been able to use it until now).

    3 votes
  4. TheJorro
    Link
    I feel like this will take some time for its full potential to come alive but so far the setup for this has been problem free and it seems there's quite a lot of moddability already allowed. Easy...

    I feel like this will take some time for its full potential to come alive but so far the setup for this has been problem free and it seems there's quite a lot of moddability already allowed. Easy to use interface, easily installed plugins, and some nice styling options. I'm pretty pleased with the abilities a custom CSS can offer like this particular mode. I'm also pretty impressed by how it can preview community themes right from the settings menu.

    This is a very slick program and a step above some other alternatives I've tried, like Zettlr.

    3 votes
  5. Grzmot
    Link
    Thanks for posting this, it looks great! I really like the graph layout. I've downloaded it and played around a bit and even though it seems to be based on Electron, it feels very snappy.

    Thanks for posting this, it looks great! I really like the graph layout. I've downloaded it and played around a bit and even though it seems to be based on Electron, it feels very snappy.

    3 votes
  6. viridian
    Link
    Can anyone compare this favorably/disfavorably to a personal wiki tool like Zim? The EULA stuff mentioned in that Hacker News thread is also very concerning. There's no point in me personally...

    Can anyone compare this favorably/disfavorably to a personal wiki tool like Zim? The EULA stuff mentioned in that Hacker News thread is also very concerning. There's no point in me personally using it if my software development notes would be considered a breach of the terms of service.

    3 votes
  7. creesch
    Link
    Neat, though it seems to be local based. For work I often switch between computers so I like to have access to my notes on each one as well as on my phone if possible. I have been using gitlab and...

    Neat, though it seems to be local based. For work I often switch between computers so I like to have access to my notes on each one as well as on my phone if possible.

    I have been using gitlab and the in build wiki for that myself as it is effectively a repo with markdown files as well and has a nice API for some enhancements. One enhancement is a browser extension I made to make navigation easier through as the default menu is a bit crap. screenshot with the extension enabled and screenshot with it disabled.

    2 votes