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Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

joplinapp.org

31–40 of 75 posts

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#31

I could use the opposite : A TODO-app which has no synchronization capabilities so I don't need to worry about leakage of private data. Ideally it would use a very simple plaintext file format for its database so it is future proof, e.g. http://todotxt.org/ The TODO.txt format seems very nice but the Android apps listed on that site are either not fully developed or unmaintained, and one even looks like it's not open…

I've been using https://github.com/vimoutliner/vimoutliner for about a decade, everywhere I work. Just text files with simple Ascii checkboxes.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#32
I used it for quite some time, but a couple of things have made me stop using it as of late.

Firstly, its just not very nice to look at, especially compared to something like Notion. I want something thats a joy to work in.

Secondly, the mobile experience kinda sucks. I used to use it to maintain a list of when i've taken my medication. Upon opening the app, i first have to wait to make sure my notes are fully synced from anything I changed on my laptop. Then once ive updated the note, I have to wait for the notes to be synced before i close it. If you close the app before syncing completes, it wont work.

Also all sorts of UX issues in the app, primary one I can think of is the keyboard going over the top of the text you are trying to write.

In general, a lot of the time I dont really have the need to have a see both a markdown-rendered window, and the text window. I end up closing the markdown-render window so I have more screen area to see what im writing. But then it just doesn't look good?

Im not trying to hate on Joplin, I really want to enjoy it. I even wrote a plugin for it. Does anyone have any similar thoughts?

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#33

Why do people keep using Dropbox and others for syncm?! Just use syncthing. syncthing.org

I have to admit, my experience with Syncthing is not what I'd call smooth. It's great when it works, but I didn't find it trivial to set up, the sync didn't work all the time, and then I was running my own storage/backup system.

I use Joplin with OneDrive and it works great. Setup was clicking a couple buttons. My employer provides me with 1 TB of storage. The free version gives you 5 GB and OneDrive standalone gives you 100 GB for $1.99 a month. I'm just a user but I'd encourage anyone to go the OneDrive route with Joplin rather than messing with Syncthing.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#34

I could use the opposite : A TODO-app which has no synchronization capabilities so I don't need to worry about leakage of private data. Ideally it would use a very simple plaintext file format for its database so it is future proof, e.g. http://todotxt.org/ The TODO.txt format seems very nice but the Android apps listed on that site are either not fully developed or unmaintained, and one even looks like it's not open…

You might be interested in a project I created for exactly the use case you describe - simple, text-based notes/todos managed via a CLI: https://github.com/dkaslovsky/textnote

The project received some attention on the front page of HN a few months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26123436

Because all notes are plaintext and stored in a single directory, it is easy to use standard tooling (such as grep) to extend the functionality. If cloud synchronization is a must-have, simply sync the directory to your provider of choice.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#35
post #29

I've transitioned to Joplin as my every day note taking app. Evernote did their dash with me when they limited to 2 devices (I was considering paying for it until that point, it showed that they're willing to change terms on a whim). OneNote never resonated with me. I was just syncing a directory of MD files for a while. Joplin ended up working well for me, syncing to my own NextCloud server. The only thing I wish we…

How do the UI and features compare to Evernote?

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#36
post #26

One missing feature that has been requested many times, and largely ignored, is linking between pages quickly like in Confluence or a wiki. The biggest value in taking notes for me, comes from the ability to link multiple notes together freely and quickly.

that has been addressed in the quicklinks [1] and the backlinks [2] plugin, which are an absolute bliss [1] https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/quick-links-plugin/14214 [2] https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/automatic-backlinks-with-m...

I just tested Quick Links. It looks okay, but the big thing is that you need to be able to create a link to a new page as you type, then open the page and start typing. Quick Links speeds up the process of linking to an existing page. You can already drag a page link from the sidebar onto the page.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#37
post #32

I used it for quite some time, but a couple of things have made me stop using it as of late. Firstly, its just not very nice to look at, especially compared to something like Notion. I want something thats a joy to work in. Secondly, the mobile experience kinda sucks. I used to use it to maintain a list of when i've taken my medication. Upon opening the app, i first have to wait to make sure my notes are fully synced…

I agree, the mobile experience is pretty dreadful.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#38
post #30
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

org mode in emacs is pretty great and there are lots of org editor apps for smartphones if you don't want to run full emacs. Personally I sync my org files along with my calendar using git and that works well enough for me.

I’ve had a lot of trouble finding org editors for my phone. Org web like it might be the favourite right now but I don’t really want to host it myself. Can I ask what format you use for calendar files too? That’s another one I have a bit of trouble with! Everything seems to want to use the Google APIs for everything.

Emacs actually has built in support for the unix calendar format and the official distribution has import and export utilities for ical files so you can handle/generate invitations. I keep it in the same git repo that I have my org files in.

I'm actually a vim user (and have been since I was ~12.) I just use Emacs because it's where all the good PIM tools are for Linux.

Re: Joplin – an open source note taking and to-do application with synchronization

#40

It’s a pity OSS doesn’t have the resources to vet the names. In Russian this name doesn’t sound good no matter how you pronounce.

Actually it is named after a pianist: https://joplinapp.org/faq/#why-is-it-named-joplin
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