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Tired of note-taking apps

akkshaya.blog

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Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#241

Post by cmroanirgo »

arendtio wrote: post #217
tomduncalf wrote: post #81

Personally I find Apple Notes the most convenient for quick jotting down of ideas etc. It’s not the most advanced in terms of features but it loads instantly, is quick to use and is available on all of my devices. Have tried numerous alternatives but they’ve never stuck e.g. they’re slow to start up or are fussy to use or don’t work well on one platform. For deeper sketching out of ideas, diagrams etc I really like C…

Is there a way to use it on a different platform? I like to use Linux systems and even though Microsoft sells Windows, OneNote allows me to use it in a browser. Apple still seems to favor their walled garden so that you have to live with all their downsides in order to enjoy the good parts.

It's actually saving using imap. So you can configure it to use non iCloud and then use eg. 'imap notes' on Android.

The rub is that non iCloud is text only, so you lose functionality.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#242

Post by djhaskin987 »

jjice wrote: post #239

I searched far and wide for a good note taking app a few years ago, only to find that the best solution for me was right in front of me the entire time. git init fall2020 Git lets me keep track of everything, and I have free hosting at multiple different websites, or my own server if I want to. It's simple and customizable, and depending on what type of notes, I have different scripts to automate new notes and search…

Even though it's restrictive, I find most of my notes of a creative nature are all done and markdown and git. Another commenter was saying how their best work was on pencil and paper, and I agree, I'm very creative in that medium as well. The only thing that comes close on the computer is markdown.

I do use OneNote at work, but it's a classic example of where the tool molds the use case. Typically I will use OneNote to track a problem, or gather notes and links from other sources. It's a great way to put together a dossier on a problem so to speak, but I don't really use my creative juices in OneNote.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#243

Post by marvinblum »

iamwpj wrote: post #196

I recommend not taking notes usually. Unless you're in a class or lecture, I'm not sure I see why you're taking notes. If you're learning a new technology you should be documenting that for use as you go. If you're writing code you should be adding notes to your code and readme. If you're troubleshooting, the details should be in the ticket. I'm not against note taking by any measure, but I don't see the function of…

I take notes for others (collaboration and knowledge sharing) and to create a concept for problems I cannot keep in my head. Additionally I use a note book for quick notes, drawings and so on. Usually I will take pictures of parts that might be useful later and add them to my digital notes.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#244

Post by balladeer »

tomduncalf wrote: post #81

Personally I find Apple Notes the most convenient for quick jotting down of ideas etc. It’s not the most advanced in terms of features but it loads instantly, is quick to use and is available on all of my devices. Have tried numerous alternatives but they’ve never stuck e.g. they’re slow to start up or are fussy to use or don’t work well on one platform. For deeper sketching out of ideas, diagrams etc I really like C…

Other than a combination of fiddling inside ~/Library and some more SQLite circus there's really no way to make Apple Notes notes portable (across platforms) and even such circuitous hacks might break in any update or upgrade. That's a big enough no for me.

This is one of those instances when the perceived Apple's walled garden convenience just falls flat. I personally prefer FSNotes (it has a long way to go but it's FOSS) and Bear. I am moving from Simplenote.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#245

Post by jamil7 »

tristor wrote: post #238

I feel mostly the same as the author of this blog post. I have been through so many note taking apps and nothing has yet completely replaced just having a pen and a notepad with me at all times. But, I have gotten close. For me, I am very word-heavy, I don't need to draw (and if I do, I want a whiteboard, not a notepad). Just this month I started doing notes on my computer again after being introduced to an app here…

I'm in the same boat with standard notes, been using it for a few years now. Recently after a bout of RSI I've been trying to do more note taking and sketching on pen and paper to alleviate the typing between coding and other tasks.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#246

Post by lukasb »

pjot wrote: post #51

Nothing has been as frictionless as nvALT[1]. Plain text, full text search, and point it at iCloud/Dropbox/Drive and now you have your notes fully synced. I’ve spent far more time than I care to admit trying out new note applications... [1]: https://brettterpstra.com/projects/nvalt/

Yeah. It solves the "I forgot I already have a note on this" problem too, by making search and creation the same UI.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#247

Post by tonymet »

If you do a feature by feature comparison , including data retention , uptime , throughput , graphics support ( writing enables unlimited diagramming ) , power requirements , reliability — Pen and paper come out on top every time .

I recommend getting into fountain pens. They are the mechanical keyboards of the writing world . And the ink flow is cathartic

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#248

Post by tonymet »

tonymet wrote: post #247

If you do a feature by feature comparison , including data retention , uptime , throughput , graphics support ( writing enables unlimited diagramming ) , power requirements , reliability — Pen and paper come out on top every time . I recommend getting into fountain pens. They are the mechanical keyboards of the writing world . And the ink flow is cathartic

also environmental impact.

Re: Tired of note-taking apps

#250

Post by Andrex »

I migrated from Chrome Scratchpad to Google Keep when the former got killed as Google is wont to do.

And I've been pretty happy with it, though I am a simple man with simple needs. My biggest angst with using Keep has been uncertainty over Google's interest in it, they did kill the original note taking app I used, but it's been getting pretty good updates for the past few years. And each note has an "Export to Google Docs" option as a last resort, I suppose.

Keep's simplicity and especially reliability have been golden in my use. Even syncing is almost-real-time between devices. It "just works."

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