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Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

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421–430 of 436 posts

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#421

I'm currently evaluating several different options, and I'm beginning to lean towards "One tool is probably not enough". Bigger tools such as Notion.so or a personal wiki are great as a repository of knowledge, you can easily browse and organize information. But writing a one-off quick note is not their forte. Lighter tools like markdown files in a text editor or a pure note app all handle the jot-down-a-note aspect…

(All of the following are macos only). I've used OmniOutliner, NoteBook (Circus Ponies, now defunct) and Growly Notes (www.growlybird.com). I've enjoyed using Growly Notes for many years, first as a free app and now as a nominal $4.99 on the App Store. It is closed source, but it's very versatile, flexible, and has a good scalable organization heirarchy (notebooks/sections/pages). It can import and export many different formats. It's also currently maintained and the support is good.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#422
post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you please expand a bit more on your ideal note app? Results sound intriguing, but I can't imagine what it would look like from this short description.

Sure.. The idea is that the issue with tags is they can be difficult to trace to all their referenced locations. I find myself not using them because they are difficult to keep track of.. you can't 'see' them at a glance. But we don't need to see all the referenced locations, just the tree which leads away from the item you are looking at. So you get strict split between, and easy to understand, [left / right], [hier…

What you're describing sounds a lot like Gingko: https://gingkoapp.com/

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#423
post #243

I have been using Notion.so for a few months now. I especially like being able to add any type of element (code, image, video, todo) to any page, the drag-and-drop reordering, and that I can export everything to Markdown if they ever go under because they (inexplicably) decided to remove limits on mobile users.

I also use Notion and find it great so far! What do you mean by "they (inexplicably) decided to remove limits on mobile users"?

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#425

Been using way too many apps in the past twenty years. AskSam on Windows in the 90s until early 2000s. Then they stopped developing it. Exported my notes in HTML format, waiting to be migrated into my latest tool. - Then when the iPhone arrived tried to do note taking on it. Used Momonote app (still exists, but practically abandonware), created a couple of thousand notes. Exported them as csv, waiting to be migrated.…

I recommend looking at helm-org-rifle and org-board.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#427
post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool! If anybody else would like to chip in I would love to hear more examples of how people use Filemaker these days.

https://imgur.com/a/jEXKNaI A screenshot of my up-to-date notes. Over 1,000 daily notes so far.

Neat! Makes me want to try out Filemaker :)

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#428

I've given up on using any sort of branded app for notetaking. At best it's open source and the maintainers will lose interest in a few years. When you write things down, you're investing in your future. It's silly to use software that isn't making that same investment. After trying Evernote, Workflowy, Notion, wikis, org-mode, and essentially everything else I could find, I gave up and tried building my own system f…

I have to agree with you... but in a...an _expanded_ sort of way. I use Epsilon and you can do anything except maybe make an Omelet. That comes out in the next version. lol. No, seriously: Epsilon is an either/or/both kind of app. It is happy letting you use Markdown, or _just_ as happy if you decide on CommonMark (which is like Github-flavored Markdown and Multi-Markdown combined, then made easier to use than either of those). It has FontAwesome Icons, Tags, Indexing, YAML, MathJax, and CSS. You can find it on G+ if you are curious but not sure if you are interested in a full commit just yet. I don't even work for or have any vested interest in Epsilon Notes. I just Love it that much. Yeah Markdown IS here to stay. It's crazy-easy to learn and even more so on the fun and useful side of things. Ciao, and Happy Coding! ~MJC

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#429

I tried (in order): Evernote, OneNote, Simplenote Although not ideal, I ended up with OneNote. Also for temporary notes, I use Trello (easily accessible from my mobile), but the notes don't live there for more than a week. I like how many people advice to build your own system with git and markdown. Ideally, I want such a system to work quickly on non-cutting edge mobile and sync on the fly, so maybe that's an idea f…

To all the lovers of OneNote: doesn't it bother you that printing the notes / pages (physically, or to PDF file) provides a sub-par experience? Writing notes in OneNote is great, including managing them... unless you want to print a page to share the notes to someone via another medium. Than it just annoys me, and I wished that I'd started in Dropbox Paper or Google Docs.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?

#430
post #8

I feel like I've used them all. OneNote, Notion.so, NotePlan, Outliner, Mac Notes, Scrivner, Evernote. I personally seem to gravitate towards OneNote for pure note taking. I personally like Notion.so more for notes that refer to tasks, using Notionas more of a task management and organization app vs pure note taking. Outliner is a great app for quick note taking in nested format.

I'm a huge fan of Notion.so. They offer personal plans, and a free plan to students. They've helped me organise my life - I've built a small personal "wiki" of study notes, WIP writing, calendar plans & email drafts. I recently persuaded a friend to get it (so we can collaboratively work on a startup idea) and it's worked really smoothly. We both love it. Can't recommend enough.

I can't find a free plan for students option anywhere. Can you please explain how that works?
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