Thread

All comments on this thread failed to suggest a decent note-taking app that isn't super convoluted. I used Telegram as a way to quick jot notes for future use, reminders and whatnot, but I am trying to move out of that, so I started using , but what a weird app. It logs me out if I don't use it for like 2 days, I don't like the fact that it has these titles because I don't need titles, I just need a place to paste content, and also it's not chronological like Telegram messages but also I can't reorder the notes as I wish, they are shown by most recent updated first, which is weird. Anyway, all of that was ok if it wasn't for the weird syncing issues that started to happen recently: it takes sometimes hours for updates made in one device to be synced to other devices, I don't know, it looks like their server is broken or something. I don't know why I'm writing this note anymore, but I think we could easily have a note-taking app with private notes writing to private relays on Nostr.
fiatjaf's avatar fiatjaf
What is the best note-taking app that exists?
View quoted note →

Replies (81)

can be, but I don't use it like that. what I like the most that I don't have to think where to put the notes... I just journal things every day. When you start feeling like being more organizes, start tagging. Then add metadata. Then searches based on them. Then maybe templates if things are repeating. e. g. I track how much I owe for what type of fire wood, I have a shopping lists organized by names, types, etc. I track both work and personal and just by a tag I see all of the related notes.
LogSeq stands for Logical Sequence. They pride themselves on their journaling feature which offers the same STRUCTURE of infinitely-nested notes. If you want to test drive a free SaaS alternative that works similarly- try WorkFlowy. You can use a burner email and not provide payment info. The concept of these apps is nested information. Everything is stored within individual nodes. This means your lists grow over time, and can evolve into multiple lists. This is organic information management, the same way our brains work naturally. I do not use journaling at all myself. The base features of the app, creating new "pages" and entire graphs which contain my SPECIFIED data, is the value. LogSeq allows us to actually manage the notes we store. On the note of journaling- I actually use a hacky workaround to replace the journal button with an "index" button which functions as a table of contents for the graph I am working within. This is pretty much what I consider the optimal note-taking environment that users are looking for. And there are plenty of drawbacks in using LogSeq and this workaround. We know the experience can be better one day, but LogSeq is king for now.
They open-sourced the front end for a specific build, which is still available. But you are correct- the backend and most recent frontend are not open source. Obsidian has the lead on convenience with their $8/mo "Publish" environment. Joplin has some self-hosted dockerized options I think. I believe the devs of LogSeq intend to compete in this market- but Nostr needs a totally FOSS LogSeq that interoperates with Nostr natively. LogSeq is written mostly in Clojure, which I'm not sure is really a benefit in regards to Nostr applications. It needs to be rebuilt to serve us optimally here.
Note-taking is overrated. I already have a draft relay hooked up via amethyst that stores notes just fine. Could add a second relay for specifically notes that aren't drafts. Users want angency. Agency comes in different forms in any app we use. If you want AGENTIC note-taking, the answer is not simple. The answer is Even if you connect relays to another notepad application- the answer will always be LogSeq. Yes, the path to "a Nostr LogSeq" is convuluted, but there is real interest behind it, not just myself. I met a nostrich earlier this year who is already trying to build this, but I don't recall who it was. I aim to build it too, after I develop a Nostr client (or two). On the subject of note-taking, I predominately use discord myself. I find there is a difference between temporary notes and archival. For me, LogSeq is my archive or vault. Discord is where I store my short-term or less meaningful notes. I imagine this isn't much different than how you use Telegram. FREE THE #NOTES. FREE THE #BOOMMARK. FREE THE WEB. This message brought to you by a long-time fanatic of bookmarking and note-taking. @PABLOF7z is busy these days but deep down I know he wants it too Also if anyone is interested, I'm happy to set aside client development to work on this type of application instead. Would rather approach it with someone who is equally interested. Otherwise I will try myself in a few years.
Yes please @fiatjaf πŸ™πŸ˜
fiatjaf's avatar fiatjaf
All comments on this thread failed to suggest a decent note-taking app that isn't super convoluted. I used Telegram as a way to quick jot notes for future use, reminders and whatnot, but I am trying to move out of that, so I started using , but what a weird app. It logs me out if I don't use it for like 2 days, I don't like the fact that it has these titles because I don't need titles, I just need a place to paste content, and also it's not chronological like Telegram messages but also I can't reorder the notes as I wish, they are shown by most recent updated first, which is weird. Anyway, all of that was ok if it wasn't for the weird syncing issues that started to happen recently: it takes sometimes hours for updates made in one device to be synced to other devices, I don't know, it looks like their server is broken or something. View quoted note β†’ I don't know why I'm writing this note anymore, but I think we could easily have a note-taking app with private notes writing to private relays on Nostr.
View quoted note →
Trying to find devs who agree, and are eager to work on a nostr-enabled alternative. If you know of anyone, please tag them or share this article with them:
Tekkadan, γ‚²γƒ­γ‚²γƒ­! 🐸's avatar Tekkadan, γ‚²γƒ­γ‚²γƒ­! 🐸
Simple, Non-Commercial, Open Source Notes (and Other Stuff)
Why Nostr isn't competing with Twitter, but is instead competing with Obsidian.md
Read article →
Trying to find devs who agree, and are eager to work on a nostr-enabled alternative. If you know of anyone, please tag them or share this article with them:
Tekkadan, γ‚²γƒ­γ‚²γƒ­! 🐸's avatar Tekkadan, γ‚²γƒ­γ‚²γƒ­! 🐸
Simple, Non-Commercial, Open Source Notes (and Other Stuff)
Why Nostr isn't competing with Twitter, but is instead competing with Obsidian.md
Read article →