What software are you using?
In browsing discussions I'm left with the impression that people keep talking about their systems, and assuming that everyone else is using the same software. Or at the very least, that it will be obvious to the reader what software they're using.
But it's not always obvious to me.
Most recently someone was asking a very specific question about searching, and it was clear that they were using a specific package, but it wasn't at all obvious to me what package it was. I spent several seconds in confusion, trying to work it out. (It was, apparently, a thing called "The Archive", which I've never seen.)
So ...
- What software are you using?
- What do you particularly like about it?
- What features do other people talk about that you wish you had?
(Apologies if this is all old-hat to everyone else, or if it's inappropriate. If it is inappropriate, please leave a note saying why and I'll try to ask better questions.)
Howdy, Stranger!
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Try https://zettelkasten.de/the-archive/
You'll be pleasantly surprised.
This was the exact topic of a previous thread - it would be worthwhile to look it up, rather than everyone re-hashing the discussion again. My apologies, but I can't find it quickly and don't have time to dig around at the moment. Maybe someone else remembers?
I've enjoyed lurking here. I don't yet know that much about The Archive, but I figure I can support what y'all are doing (that's authentic Texas lingo) with a purchase. If it works well, I hope I gave a little encouragement to a nice community and picked up a worthy tool at the same time.
If it ends up not being my cup of tea, I'll keep complaints to myself and wish you all the best anyway.
Now, to read up on what I just bought.
Kudos to anyone who works to promote the written word.
@RiderOfGiraffes There is this recent thread (see below), which is related to your question, but not the one I am looking for. I may find the other one yet.
https://forum.zettelkasten.de/discussion/comment/14744#Comment_14744
@RiderOfGiraffes
Well - I can't find the previous thread that I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, so I'll try to answer your question more fully.
Pretty much any program that produces plain text files (for longevity) could theoretically be used to create a ZK. But there are a number of programs that specifically cater to the ZK crowd. Ones that I have tried out on my laptop computer (MacBook Pro) are (in the order that I like them): The Archive, NotePlan, TiddlyWiki, Zettlr and Obsidian. There are others that I have not tried.
My first computer program and still my favourite is The Archive, which stays open on my second monitor at all times.
Apps that I use on my iPhone and iPad to access, read and sometimes edit (but not create) zettels are 1Writer and iA Writer. You could also use NotePlan on iOS for the same purpose.
Here are two lists of ZK software compiled by others:
https://zk.zettel.page/software-list.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zettelkasten/comments/flygc4/lets_build_a_list_of_zettelkasten_software/
Here is a link to ZK software discussed on this site:
https://zettelkasten.de/tools/
Still looking....maybe this was the thread I was thinking of earlier:
https://forum.zettelkasten.de/discussion/1712/best-zk-software-for-windows-2021
Notecards and a pen 🗃😁
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Powerful, particularly if it's a fountain pen. Not as clumsy or random as a ballpoint. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.
I use rollerball Montblancs. I've tried fountain pens. Just find it distracts from the writing. I may try again at some point.
Scott P. Scheper
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The American School System... I was forced to write with fountain pens for years in school to improve my hand writing.
I am a Zettler
I list the software components here: https://github.com/flengyel/Zettel/wiki/Zettelkasten-software-components. New: Zettlr and Pandoc configuration files for $(\LaTeX)$.
GitHub. Erdős #2. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein. Alter ego: Erel Dogg (not the first). CC BY-SA 4.0.
@RiderOfGiraffes, I had a similar question recently, posted here. Perhaps this is also the thread you were thinking of, @GeoEng51?
Yes; I think so.
I’d love to hear if anyone has switched tools or refined their workflow since then. Have you found anything that works better for you over time? I've been testing different apps, and while I like the flexibility of Obsidian, I've been curious about how others manage long-term organization. Anyone using a hybrid approach with digital and paper?
Hi Simon - I described a change in my software in a post after this thread was last active follow this link
My practice has changed little since Aug 2024, although I've gained a lot more experience with logseq. I still love The Archive, by the way, and regularly fire it up. But logseq is my primary software.
I've switched for YEARS between Bear and Obsidian, being almost polar opposites of each other: Bear is simple and immediate, Obsidian is powerful (and mysterious). After years, I have settled for good on Obsidian for its power, after a year-long examination of what I needed from it, and replicating Bear's look to the letter.
"A writer should write what he has to say and not speak it." - Ernest Hemingway
PKM: Obsidian + DEVONthink, tasks: OmniFocus, production: Scrivener / Ableton Live.
I'll respond to the three bullet point items in the original post in the thread.
I'm content so far with my setup. Emacs is something I've been using for a long time, and with the peculiar keybindings and such, not using it is kinda unthinkable for me. Fortunately Emacs has a dedicated developer community for those interested in knowledge management.
I use Zotero for reference management and storage. It's nice to be able to take a snapshot of a web site so that I don't have to worry about losing it, which often happens with bookmarks. It can also handle highlights and comments.
Podcast is a major source of information for me. The app called Snipd has been my favorite in my workflow. It used to be a struggle to turn audio contents into texts, but the app basically solved the pain point for me.
One downside of using Emacs is that the community is small, and there is no commercial incentive for product integration. Hence I have to basically write some code for manual integration. For example, I write a script to import Kindle notes/highlights into an Org-compatible text. I also wrote a script to turn Snipd export in markdown into an Org-compatible text. That kinda thing. I code for living so it's not a huge pain for me, but the need would limit the popularity among wider population and eventually the health of the platform. It's good to have a reasonably vibrant community.
For that reason, I actually am interested in how well things work with popular note-taking tools like Obsidian, Logseq, etc. I'm fairly happy with my setup and I don't hear that those tools are that much better than Emacs. But I'm still curious if I'm missing something.
I'm using Obsidian right now. Two gamechangers for me are
Selen. Psychology freak.
“You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin
I left Obsidian and Zotero (and OmniFocus) around six months ago because I found that they were actually limiting the things I could do with my files. I currently use my own system, which is a distillation of some common principles I've found in various other systems. It uses markdown (of course), but it also gives YAML a much more central role. I'm in the process of consolidating and formalizing various ideas and translating them into a cohesive toolset, so at the moment I just use neovim, a markdown viewer, and the CLI. For note-taking on the fly I use Apple Notes or just plain paper, since they are the quickest.
Hello Forum,
tried many different apps in the past. Eventually nothing was simple enough IMHO.
Also I wanted to be able to see multiple Zettel on the desk (like with the analog ZK).
So, here's my simple solution (in Linux - editor = Mousepad).
Some remarks:
The workflow - look up what you want in the Index; open the wanted Zettel with Ctrl-O in Mousepad; every Zettel will be opened in a new window. Folgezettel or other links are to be found in any Zettel.
New Zettel: With shortcut I can open a new file, the structure will be automatically loaded from a template file.
For projects: Search for your wanted Zettel. In terminal put them together into a new project file (using cat file1 file2 etc. >> project zettel). Boom. Open that Zettel and work on it as you wish.
I use consecutive numbering only. Just to make it simple - no time wasted on thinking about any complicated number sequence.
Also the Zettel-ID is the file name (without extension). Saves a lot of time when typing.
<- = parent Zettel
FZ = Folgezettel
CF = cf.
ME = Media
VZ = Verzetteln (short notes for possible new connected Zettel)
Zettel:
Folgezettel:
Confer-Zettel:
Bib-Zettel:
The Index in most cases is enough to find what I'm searching for. In addition I use a tiny shell script (FZF + ripgrep) to search deep in all Zettel and open what I need with one click.
To access the media files I also use a shell script.
Anyways - my solution is simple, works fast, rock solid and I'm not dependent on an app (whose code I do not understand).
Edit:
Of course the same approach could be achieved with vim (but needs a bit of configuration). In that case I would go with tabs instead of different windows.
With gf you open the links (which are the IDs), with gx to open the media files.
That would be definitely faster. But is speed that important...?
Thanks, Chris. What a great work!!!
I’ve been using www.fieldboss.com for organizing project notes, and it's been great for keeping everything connected. It lets me link ideas easily, and the search function is solid for pulling up older references quickly. I also like that it keeps things simple—no unnecessary features, just what’s needed to stay organized. If you're looking for something reliable for structured note-taking, it’s worth checking out.
Your use of back-matter is interesting.
Usually, the 'new default' seems to be to put metadata into YAML frontmatter blocks because so many tools support that. But this, too, is perfectly servicable, I imagine!
Author at Zettelkasten.de • https://christiantietze.de/
At least it works for me.
My approach tries to block the fatal temptation of total automation, i.e. I have to follow each and every link 'manually'. For example in Obsidian using dataview I see many people busy with COLLECTING data from their data, instead of carefully pick the relevant ones. Another thing is the endless tinkering with software (plugins, colorschemes etc.). That keeps you from working with the CONTENT of your Zettelkasten. The always unsatisfied wish to build the perfect system is a run after a phantasma IMHO.
I try to be as close as possible to the analog Zettelkasten, which means to embrace and keep the friction as key to be forced to slower=deeper thinking.
I turned off the community plugins and themes for exactly this reason. I also never bothered turning on the webclipper. Avoiding the plugin FOMO and keeping a little friction in my system helped keep me focussed. Somewhat paradoxically, using "naked" Obsidian also led me to drop Obsidian altogether—not because it's bad software, I just noticed that it didn't scratch enough of my particular itches, with or without plugins.
@vvirr
Sounds familiar to me.
Ironically (since this thread is about software) in the end I still stick with my physical Zettelkasten. For me the unbeatable 'solution'
@ChrisJoh, so, you settled on physical? I'm also considering using physical, after trying Obsidian and also index cards (i have about 1200 cards), but this time with notebooks.
@mat2596
Yes, for a long time.
Notebooks are great, but I find it a bit inconvenient: I like to spread out found cards on the desk, it inspires me the most for further notes/ideas; also an alphabetical index can be a challenge (ring binders might do it).
The best part is to write in longhand. Feels like a direct connection to my thinking. Typing for me doesn't feel that right...
My biggest revelation lately - which probably shows my experience is a little shallow - is transclusion. Before outlining a story or essay, I write down facts. Notes about persons, places, and things.
Then I write what might be called narrative notes, which serve as my outline. Instead of repeating facts in narrative notes, I transclude the fact notes. Then, as I refine those fact notes they are updated everywhere they are referenced. Each narrative note is a single display of what matters without following links.
I quite agree about longhand, though. A nicely tuned nib, quality paper, the gentle sway of a sailboat at anchor, all things to get the creative juices flowing.