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Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

obsidian.md

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Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#71

Post by bambax »

I built a simple journal solution for myself two years ago. It sends an email every day and I can reply to it, and the response is stored in an SQLite database, in plain text. The db is on a remote server but copied to Dropbox every day (and in any case all the emails also exist in my sent folder).

It is surprisingly effective at storing not just what I did with my day, but random thoughts and ideas, solutions to bugs, etc. All I have to do is type something every day.

In 2 years I have typed around 150k words. For reading he whole thing is just one plain html page, searchable in the browser.

I'm currently experimenting with documenting my reading, while the book is being read (instead of a summary at the end). We typically forget what we expect while we read, and only remember the final impression. Taking notes at the end of each reading session, not just about what I just read, but also about what I think will happen next, and revisiting that later, is surprisingly interesting.

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#73

Post by digitalengineer »

taurusnoises wrote: post #67
d4rkp4ttern wrote: post #49

Last I checked there was no good way to do quick capture of articles from mobile iOS to obsidian. Scenario — I come across an article on my iPhone, and I just want to dump title + URL (maybe even the text content) into obsidian. This is a must have for any note taking tool. Anyone have a good workflow for this, please share. Ideally an iOS shortcut.

My main gripe with Obsidian. That, and the fact that it costs almost $100 to have the mobile app sync with the desktop. That's insane to me, and feels vindictive. I'm all for paying for the platform. Seriously. These ventures need bottom - up support. But, syncing is a basic feature that any mobile app should have baked in. Charge for 24-hour support, something that actually requires the time of the team.

Just download the app make a vault. Same it in iCloud or google drive. Now use your desktop pc and copy the files over. Done and a accessible vault in your smartphone.

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#74

Post by helmholtz »

d4rkp4ttern wrote: post #49

Last I checked there was no good way to do quick capture of articles from mobile iOS to obsidian. Scenario — I come across an article on my iPhone, and I just want to dump title + URL (maybe even the text content) into obsidian. This is a must have for any note taking tool. Anyone have a good workflow for this, please share. Ideally an iOS shortcut.

In the spirit of HN always recommending, to my absolute infuration, "Org-Mode" to noobs usisc Windows when it is clearly a non-solution, I'll offer my own non-solution. Don't take notes on your phone.

My relationship with my phone is the best it has been in a decade, because I fucking despise using that thing. It's cramped, limited, inflexible, addictive and disposable. It's an awful machine to do anything non trivial. So, now my phone just serves as a calendar reminder for upcoming meetings, maps, and messaging. It is no longer a "constant companion". I use it for less than an hour a day on average. I don't even have a browser on it. I love this. I love my superior smug face when I'm on the bus and every other pleb is buried deep into his/her screen, while I ride astride with my zen halo glowing brightly, taking in the world, paying attention to squirrels being chased by cats and so on.

There is more to life than increasing it's speed. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Do fewer things, but cherish them more. Throw the phone into the trash, and wait till you're in front of a laptop or a desktop.

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#75

Post by slightwinder »

jiggunjer wrote: post #34
patatino wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way easier to backup for most people

I just run the wiki in docker and take regular snapshots? I also find the requirement "have internet" is a good trade-off against the requirement "install client on every device".

How is docker easier for most people? How does docker even work with multiple devices? Mobiles? and how much storage does a docker-snapshot wastes?

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#76

Post by helmholtz »

EleanorKonik wrote: post #26
delaaxe wrote: post #11

Please tell me this is compatible with Johnny decimals https://johnnydecimal.com/

I use Johnny Decimal style files & folders with Obsidian and it's great. I wrote about how (and why) I implemented my Johnny Decimal system into Obsidian here, if it helps: https://eleanorkonik.com/yet-another-hot-take-on-folders-ver...

Bloody brilliant! Assigning states is exactly how I use tags too. With tags, I always find that I'm just adding more avenues to be unhappy with imperfection. "Oh, is that the perfect tag? Is that tag too obvious? How will I remember this tag later on?" I would hate to have to develop an entire philosophy of tagging, because I have too many others anyway. So I prefer to deal with the one-stop uneasiness of "is this the right folder for it?". Still not perfect, but just the one.

Thanks for writing that post! I look forward to reading more on your website.

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#78

Post by avinassh »

dopu wrote: post #66
opan wrote: post #37

The comments here made it sound exciting, but it seems like it's proprietary, which is a no-go for me. I'll stick to plain text file notes and the occasional org-mode for now.

I’d check out logseq [0]. Closer to roam than obsidian, but GPL, operates on plaintext files, and supports Org-mode style formatting as well as markdown. It’s getting to be fairly fully featured by now, and the development team moves fast. It’s a joy to use. [0]: https://logseq.com/

This looks great! Does it expose the directory where the files are written, so that I can use Dropbox to sync?

Does it support templates like how Notion does?

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#79

Post by avinassh »

I am looking to move from Notion, looking for an alternative. Here are few things I am looking for:

1. It is easy to back up or export my data

2. Great UI! May be its just me, I care about the UI a lot and if it is nice, I seem to be writing more

3. Support for templates, so that I can write daily journal/entries with predefined fields

4. Support for keyboard shortcuts (or mouse-less operations) so that I can link or embed documents quickly

Re: Obsidian – A knowledge base from a local folder of plain text Markdown files

#80

Post by galfarragem »

bambax wrote: post #71

I built a simple journal solution for myself two years ago. It sends an email every day and I can reply to it, and the response is stored in an SQLite database, in plain text. The db is on a remote server but copied to Dropbox every day (and in any case all the emails also exist in my sent folder). It is surprisingly effective at storing not just what I did with my day, but random thoughts and ideas, solutions to bug…

I'm somehow on the same boat as you. I've tried dozens of "fancy" tools but they never stuck. A plain text file, kind of a "flat wiki", that you can search with your text editor may be the grail of note taking. What I consider critical is to "tree-shake" it often to remove the cruft. Hints:

- Tree-shake your notes each time you iterate them. You'll leverage your excitement and it won't be a chore.

- Maintain part of your notes public, it will be a catalyst to polish them. A git repository is perfect for that. Serendipitously, I started a related thread a couple hours ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28895647

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