Ask HN: What note taking app do you use and why?

I like the way logseq works, as it's bullet-based and you can link to individual bullets. Development seems to have lost it's way, and online options like Tana are complex and unappealing.

I finally bit the bullet and just went with Obsidian, as that's where all the community activity is. If there's a way to connect something with notes, or some cool functionality in a plugin, you'll find it with Obsidian.

For all my GTD-style note taking I'm using Things. I stuff everything that I need to remember into its inbox as soon as I think about it. Adding context + sorting happens at a later date once I can sit down and give more details.

The one thing I don't have is a general "reference" system. Once I've finished with a task / project / etc. I want to be able to archive it into a wiki-type system. But I also want to be able to query structured data out of it too.

The closest thing I can think of is writing mini-wiki pages. Because they're mini wiki pages, a screen should be able to show multiple pages at once. There's something there, I'm just not sure what.

Mostly, I use a physical notepad and pens/pencils. If I take notes this way, I "internalize" them better. I organize them sequentially by date. If I'm working on a desktop machine, I will also occasionally use a text editor (the simplest one the DE has to offer. In Windows, this means notepad).

I've tried a ton of different methods of note-taking, including the ones you name as well as dedicated note-taking appliances. None of them work well for me, because they all complicate the note-taking such that the act of taking notes becomes disruptive to whatever it is I'm really doing.

I have tried an large number of them. Many load too slow on mobile. Some have no sync at all. Creating my own was becoming a full time job.

So I use Google Keep. Largely because it loads so fast, so I don't forget what I'm writing before I write it. And it has good search and tagging, so I don't need any other means of organization.

I always hear I should be using pen and paper at least some of the time , but I only do it in place where screens aren't appropriate, as a sign of respect that shows im paying attention, or to not break immersion in tabletop games.

Apple notes because of their zero friction in syncing and collaboration with any other Apple ecosystem user.

Obsidian for technical things in my work computer.