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Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

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Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#81

Post by TheGRS »

himata4113 wrote: post #14

This made me realize that obsidian is *not* opensource, but in a way obsidian made me feel like it was opensource. Obviously now that I researched it, it is quite obvious that it is not, but still it 'feels' like it should be opensource.

I don't think that was my impression, but their API is pretty open for creating plugins. In support of the Obsidian model, its a dedicated engineering team, a free tool, notes are stored as .md and not something proprietary, and if you want you can pay them for their sync tool which I find both pretty reasonable and a nice way to support their efforts. Also they keep on improving the product in interesting ways, the new plugin marketplace with all of its verification policies is really nicely done, aspirational even.

But in any case, this is also a nice project, but I guess I'm also an Obsidian evangelist.

Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#82

Post by jlos »

himata4113 wrote: post #14

This made me realize that obsidian is *not* opensource, but in a way obsidian made me feel like it was opensource. Obviously now that I researched it, it is quite obvious that it is not, but still it 'feels' like it should be opensource.

Why should it be opensource? Obsidian gives you complete control of your data, which it stores in an open standard.

Please explain to me why developers should act like monks who've taken a vow of poverty? The devs built something valuable, they should profit from it.

Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#84

Post by thegagne »

bryanhogan wrote: post #74
thegagne wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all software needs to be for-profit. Simple utility stuff I believe should fit in this category. Things like a text editor. The profit comes from elsewhere, larger more complex systems. Of course someone can TRY to profit off a text editor, but unless it solves complex enough problems (like a full blown IDE, but even then...). The issue is there is intense demand for it, and ALSO easy supply. If someone attempts…

A text editor with good UX is quite complex, I think it's hard to argue otherwise. Most text-editors by large corporations don't even pass this bar.

How many text editors have you paid for, versus how many have you used for free?

I do think there is room for a few good paid text editors in the world, but most people won't pay directly for them, though they might use them if they are bundled ala Google Docs / O365 Word.

Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#85

Post by zakirullin »

FailMore wrote: post #62

1) Very nice implementation 2) Very nice domain! Did you always own "files.md"? 3) Re storing things on your server, what is the security layer around that? I have been building a slightly different solution to the same problem. So far I’m pretty happy with the results and I have enough returning users that I think others are too ( https://sdocs.dev/analytics ). I’ve built SmallDocs ( https://sdocs.dev ; Show HN: htt…

> Very nice domain! Did you always own "files.md"?

Thanks! I bought it about 3 years ago. Back then, the project was just a chatbot.

But already back then, I kind of had an idea where I want it all to go.

I wanted the simplicity (and 0 cognitive load!) to start right from the domain name! Files in .md - files.md!

> Re storing things on your server, what is the security layer around that?

For the most part I use the project from my Telegram bot. And due to that, it is not possible to do proper E2E.

Will see if people use the chatbot, if not, we can consider E2E.

Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#86

Post by lioeters »

zakirullin wrote: post #42
pspeter3 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes Golang a great fit in your opinion?

Server setup before the rewrite: docker + php-fpm + php7 + larvel + nginx + redis + cron + worker + certbot Server after the rewrite to Golang: server, a 15MB no-dependencies binary that has everything.

That's brilliant. Can't beat the convenience of a single-file executable!

Re: Show HN: Files.md – Open-source alternative to Obsidian

#90

Post by gbro3n »

jlos wrote: post #82
himata4113 wrote: post #14

This made me realize that obsidian is *not* opensource, but in a way obsidian made me feel like it was opensource. Obviously now that I researched it, it is quite obvious that it is not, but still it 'feels' like it should be opensource.

Why should it be opensource? Obsidian gives you complete control of your data, which it stores in an open standard. Please explain to me why developers should act like monks who've taken a vow of poverty? The devs built something valuable, they should profit from it.

I think there is a special value in open source when it comes to a personal knowlege base. We invest so much time in it, and we need to know that it's not going to be taken away from us, or made unaffordable. I made https://www.asnotes.io (basically obsidian with markdown and nested wikilinking in a VS Code extension), because I wanted and thought others would want something that is a) open source and b) version control friendly so we don't even have to rely on a sync server being there in the future.
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