(cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/19917523)
Basically, what the title says. Do you use any app, that is proprietary, but either has no OSS alternatives or they’re all not good enough? If there is an alternative, what keeps you from switching?
I’m going for the hot take and say Obsidian, the note writing app.
There are many alternatives but since Obsidian works well, has tons of plugins, you can use it for free and it stores your notes in nonproprietary markdown format (unless you use some specific features), it has been hard to switch.
I tried nearly all the good alternatives but they either don’t let me use folder structures or use proprietary formats stored inside databases.
I can’t understand why there is nothing like it… Trilium would be perfect but I need my files in freely usable markdown…
I saw some time ago on the Joplin github that they might add the option of saving the notes in markdown somehow, but not sure that’s implemented or even progressing.
Have you tried QOwnNotes? I haven’t used it but I’ve seen it, looks like it ticks everything you want.
I would also highly recommend logseq, org-roam, or vimwiki. For mobile support, definitely use syncthing (logseq has a paid sync feature, but it’s not worth it over self-hosting syncthing imo. It’s easier technically speaking, but syncthing is pretty easy too)
Logseq - I use this now, primarily because the mobile app is as great as the desktop version. Links, tasks, etc are all smooth and I love the workflow. Only reason I don’t think you’d like it is you can’t really have your own defined dir structure.
Org-roam - uses .org files that have their own syntax and such, also foss and non-proprietary though. I used it for a while because the emacs ecosystem is very robust and I use emacs a lot. Primary downside to this system is mobile support hurts, I used OrgNote for a while but just didn’t like it much. (If you go this route, highly recommend using doom emacs instead of just vanilla. Vim keybinds are the best keybinds)
Vimwiki - uses vim keybinds, love it. Same issue as org-roam though, mobile support makes me cry. There are plenty of foss mobile md editors, but none of them feel good. You can use this as a wiki via GitHub and have access to it from any web browser and make edits there as well, but it wasn’t a very pleasant workflow personally.
Came to Obsidian from Logseq without prior knowledge. Logseq was my first note-taking of any use. I had Keep but I didn’t really use it, cos my data is in Google’s clutches. I’m trying to degoogle.
Logseq doesn’t feel together like Obsidian does. I’m in my first month of use and I had to spend ages trying to understand how to take notes properly before I could even feel confidence about using it.
Templates are a revelation. Dataview supreme. Front-matter a delight. If they exist in logseq they’re hidden. The learning curve for Obsidian is brutal.
I have around a thousand pages of mixed tags and links because it’s not discouraged in Logseq and I have to undo that huge mess. The discord forums are not a good place to Google for help and there’s nothing like obsidian.rocks or innumerable posts helping. There are lots of logseq YouTube fans and that’s where I ended up looking, but I prefer the written word.
Logseq was my learning phase but Obsidian is where I’ll stay. I think Logseq needs the level of financial input that Obsidian gets. I’ll have to live with the fact that it is not open source.
I had disabled the non-open source packages in Fedora software so i didn’t see Obsidian and only saw Logseq. It was a good experience and given my time again I would probably do Logseq then Obsidian, again. I wish I had seen the articles on how to take notes on Obsidian.rockd before I started Logseq.