Ditching Obsidian and building my own

Post by mh- » Mon, May 19, 2025, 6:53 AM UTC

mock-possum wrote: post #317

scubbo wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Again, a little bit odd considering that the author is technically savvy enough to write an entire PKMS but didn't seem to consider that you can just check your markdown notes into a git repository and sync with the native android/iOS Obsidian app on a mobile device. Even simpler, I have mine in a Dropbox folder. Felt very strange for _this_ to be the straw that broke the camel's back for the author. Nonetheless, v…

Fun fact: Dropbox doesn’t support emoji in file names ( or at least, didn’t last time I checked. ) Deal breaker for me - adding iconography to file and folder names can be a natural, zesty enterprise.

Post by ycombinatrix » Mon, May 19, 2025, 6:57 AM UTC

miki123211 wrote: post #240

lolinder wrote: post #6

> Since my PKMS is hosted online to manage notes across devices, I have multiple layers of security to ensure my notes are kept private. {Screenshot of a login form} The biggest life hack I can recommend for a self hoster is to set up a VPN on your local network and then just never expose your services on the public internet unless you're specifically trying to serve people outside your own household. Before I did th…

Even better, set up Tailscale. It's far easier to set up, is much more reliable (e.g. when devices are behind firewalls), and uses direct (encrypted) connections when possible. You can get it to do what you want with just a few clicks. Things like exposing a IoT VLAN on your Tailnet or setting up an exit node to tunnel all internet traffic through your home are super easy. You can even share specific devices with fri…

Post by lexoj » Mon, May 19, 2025, 6:59 AM UTC

barbazoo wrote: post #274

> Obsidian charges $8 a month to access the same notes across multiple devices. While not a huge amount for such a useful app, it adds up to an eye-watering amount - almost $1,000 if I planned to use Obsidian for a decade. I was surprised at this fee because I thought Obsidian was open-source. Before going out and building my own software I’d have looked into self hosting the files. To save those couple bucks.

Post by Barrin92 » Mon, May 19, 2025, 7:05 AM UTC

nine_k wrote: post #291

KetoManx64 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the inverse, even as a FOSS advocate, my life is too short to only use open source software all the time and to reinvent the wheel and tools that have been put together into one fantastic product by the combined effort of hundreds of people. I used Joplin for years, I even self hosted the Joplin Sync server, but Obsidian + Community addons runs literal miles around it from a performance and user cusomizability sta…

The product may be fantastic, and thus a force multiplier. But it can see an abrupt end, thus incurring a loss. Whether you win more than you lose, on average, depends on the use case, and the particular advantages. As everything in life, this us a trade-off. My point is that for long-term, high-investment stuff, in my particular view, the possibility of interruption and loss outweighs any possible upside, and any mi…

Post by spookie » Mon, May 19, 2025, 7:16 AM UTC

krick wrote: post #276

rtrgrd wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, for those who are paranoid about relying on a company, setting up headscake is relatively quick and painless too - currently using it to sync between devices across multiple cities.

Should I be paranoid? I never tried Tailscale, and the idea of trusting 3rd party with managing access to my network does give me chills. But IDK, honestly, maybe it's silly? Is it in all honesty less likely that I'll fuck things up setting my own Headscale server, than that Tailscale™ will (consciously or otherwise) fuck me up?