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Looking for note taking software

T

Traged

Established member
Hello friend,

I am looking for something like to take notes. Something like Obsidian but:

- free
- ideally open sourced
- notes have to be saved in format that is workable or can be converted to workable format (workable in other software)
- can be synced across more devices

Any sugestions?

<3
 
I use Emacs with org-mode for that. The format is very similar to markdown, and can easily be exported to HTML, PDF, etc., from Emacs itself. There are several apps nowadays to synchronize it and use it from phones, the web, etc., in fact I think you can use it with those entirely, without Emacs. Note however that despite it's reputation for a steep learning curve, Emacs can be used with just the mouse and menus, without learning any keybinding or commands, if that's your preference.
 
blig-blug said:
I use Emacs with org-mode for that. The format is very similar to markdown, and can easily be exported to HTML, PDF, etc., from Emacs itself. There are several apps nowadays to synchronize it and use it from phones, the web, etc., in fact I think you can use it with those entirely, without Emacs. Note however that despite it's reputation for a steep learning curve, Emacs can be used with just the mouse and menus, without learning any keybinding or commands, if that's your preference.
Click to expand...
to clarify, I just want to synchronize laptop and desktop... don't plan to use it no mobile device

I will definitely look into Emacs, I have heard about it... I kind of don't mind learning curve, but I have to decide that I will learn it. If I choose something I will be sticking with it for a long time... For that reason FreeMind might not be for me... It looks like it doesn't have ongoing development...
 
Traged said:
to clarify, I just want to synchronize laptop and desktop... don't plan to use it no mobile device
Click to expand...
In that case, regardless of what note-taking program you end up using, I recommend Syncthing to synchronize the data. It's very easy to set up and can keep directories in sync in many devices at the same time without depending on any external server. I used to use it to synchronzie my org-mode files (now I just use git).

Syncthing

syncthing.net syncthing.net
 
blig-blug said:
In that case, regardless of what note-taking program you end up using, I recommend Syncthing to synchronize the data. It's very easy to set up and can keep directories in sync in many devices at the same time without depending on any external server. I used to use it to synchronzie my org-mode files (now I just use git).

Syncthing

syncthing.net syncthing.net
Click to expand...
thank you, will look it up but git sounds also good :)

any directions where to look into Emacsen? How to get into how that entire thing/things work?
 
It really depends on how far you want to go. It's possible to just start using it as any other normal text editor with the mouse and using the graphical menus, and for just note-taking that would probably suffice. If you're interested in using it for programming, then it's worth it to learn more. I learned a lot just by reading around online and just trial and error, but nowadays I'd say the best Emacs resource for new serious users is Mastering Emacs (the book can be found online for free too, send me a message if you can't find it). It does a very good job on getting you from zero to productive fast.
There are some preconfigured Emacs available that aim to be easier for beginners, such as Doom Emacs and Spacemacs. I personally don't recommend them, as they aren't really much simpler for normal usecases and just provide leaky abstractions for more advanced usecases. But they're an option too.
As for org-mode, their manuals and getting started guides are pretty good. Org-mode has a ton of features, but you only need to know those that you want to use. For example, I don't use most of the agenda-type features it has, so I don't need to know anything about them.
 
great,

I am gonna read through that... I was also recommended Vim and Cherytree.

Also I need to watch this(only skipped it month prior):


I plan to use it, for:
Ideation, projects, studying... I plan on getting back in to programming, there is possibility of me doing an University for that.

I want to free my headspace and also my browser tabs. Currently there is like 40 on my laptop and 70 on desktop... every tab is usually an idea worth exploring later... well...

Basically if I start using something like this I plan to stick with it. So it has to be possible to integrate in my workflows...

<3
 
Emacs could be a good choice then, if you're going back to programming. I personally like that I have the same environment, keybindings and paradigm no matter what type of text I'm editing: programming languages, org-mode files, latex, emails... Also, nowadays it's very easy to set it up so you get IDE-like features like autocomplete suggestions, syntax checks and refactoring tools.
Vim is also pretty solid. They differ mostly in their philosophy: while Vim is meant to be used as one more UNIX tool inside a shell, in Emacs it would be more common to have a UNIX shell open inside Emacs itself (there is the joke "Emacs is a great operating system that is only missing a good editor"...). I personally like more the Emacs way of "one program to rule them all", but that's just my preference.
 
For time being I have decided to do Obsidian with Syncthing. Later in life I will probably switch to neovim in some way. But for now that would be contra productive.


<3
 
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