Obsidian is now free for work - Obsidian
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It was nothing personal, more of an off-handed commentary on how things usually end up going after 20 years of seeing literally every site/service I've used and most of the companies I once considered "the good ones" eventually get shittier in some way when the business side puts on the squeeze.
The one exception I can think of is Wikipedia.
But I don't have any reason to think badly of these folks, their current owners seem to have their hearts in the right place and indeed have made decisions that avoid lockin and assure users, and I hope they are another Wikipedia that will endure the tides of enshittification.
But I will never again assume that such hopes will remain the reality, even in this case. This is a snapshot in time. Owners change, priorities change, pricing models change, file formats change, common sense statements of basic decency like "don't be evil" get rescinded, scrappy fun websites created by free-thinkers become tools of fascist oppression.
That doesn't mean they don't deserve your business and support currently. Just make sure your off-ramp options remain acceptable if things begin to change.
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If you ever change your mind:
Step 1: Create a file in iCloud
Step 2: Choose this File as Vault in Obsidian
Step 3: Profit
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Good point, the thing is... if you do have MarkDown in a directory, as suggested here, then your CLI tools become your extensions. One can start with git and voila, version tracked. One can used a Web server e.g. Apache or nginx, and voila, accessible anywhere on the network, possibly on the Internet (via e.g. Grok or TailScale). That also includes any programming language, e.g. invoking a Python script on said files. Might not sound like much but it's a LOT.
So... I'd argue maybe not necessarily extensions themselves but the curation of extensions, namely their discoverability because they are all in one neat spot, with comments from users, etc whereas CLI commands are... all over.
Edit: I'd be curious about how many downvoters in this case have been using such solutions and for how long. FWIW I've been actively using and maintaining my PIM since 2008.
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That assumes the person using obsidian is a software dev or a sysadmin. Most users aren’t going to want the extra hassle, or they might be unable to do these things.
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It's like Millium, but one more.
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Interesting. I'll have to give that one a shot later. Though I'm probably fine with Obsidian.
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With Obsidian, you don't have to use folders. I'm generally of the opinion that having a tool is better than not having access to it. Tags and Folders are just an option to use. Fundamentally Logseq and Obsidian otherwise can be very similar.
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Dynalist is where it's at.
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There are many apps that are great editors for this structure on every platform
And Obsidian is one of those apps
It's has equal amount of "point" to all the other editors you think are somehow more valid - it's just another editor. -
I assume this means free for local use? Not any kind of backups?
Why would they donate server space to you on top of giving you free (beer) software?
That's literally what you said... ?? Or at least that's how it reads to me and the previous commenter.
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IMHO note taking systems are precisely about empowerment. The whole point is to learn... so even if they are not a dev or sysadmin, they can try and scaffold their knowledge, initially typing commands they don't understand, copy/pasting from the Web, then discover they can write their own, add that knowledge to their system, etc. I'd argue for most people that might be at least as valuable as their own content.
TL;DR: let's not infantilize fictional users. Having the option to do more, for those who do want to, is extremely valuable.
Source: I've seen nurses with no IT training installing drivers in the CLI for their WiFi card, no help from me. IT is cool but it's nothing magical either, people CAN learn if they want to.
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Same with OneDrive.
It's just a folder of markdown files, basically anything should work.
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I wanted to go all in on Obsidian, but in the end I went with "Upnote" which has an easy UI and a lifetime price. (No monthly fees). It's like a mix of Evernote and OneNote. The Slash commands are so cool too.
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I've never seen constant login reminders, but I've only used it in a browser, and the Android/Window/Linux apps are you seeing it on iOS? Maybe its a bug? If you go to settings in the app and then click "Help and support" > "Report an issue" you can open a github issue. I've had really good success in getting issues resolved.
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Excellent news for myself. I've wanted to use this at work but it's hard enough to convince people to use it without asking for money.
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Which is a great workaround but then all your private notes are on Google's servers, accessible to anyone with enough admin rights on their end. All apps should be end-to-end encrypted going into 2025. There's no reason security AND privacy shouldn't be included.
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Take a look a SyncThing! It's a free FOSS app for syncing files and is available on all devices, and it's all self hosted. I initially used it for Obsidian syncing, but it's proved incredibly useful beyond that
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Its a staggeringly powerful app. Utilizing the markdown format and the Dataview plugin to create queries with metadata in your notes allows you to build INSANE knowledge management systems.
Example of some set ups here: https://forum.obsidian.md/t/14-example-vaults-from-around-the-web-kepano-nick-milo-the-sweet-setup-and-more/81788
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You only have to consider the plugin developers. Most of them would have the technical ability to do what you mention, but they prefer to use Obsidian instead. Clearly there's a reason for that.
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Excellent news ! Excellent note taking applications with its ecosystem of extensions.
