Back to NotePlan

GeoEng51

I'd like to update everyone on my search for the "perfect" (for me) Zettelkasten software.

I learned about the Zettelkasten method about five years ago and have been on this forum for the same amount of time, contributing posts and comments fairly regularly. I've seen the discussions on the different apps people are using for their Zettelkasten.

I was looking for something that would allow me to incorporate a daily journal, task planning and management, and resource identification into my Zettelkasten. For the past year or two, I have been using Logseq, which is an excellent program. I learned a lot from exploring all of its capabilities and interacting with the Logseq community. Unfortunately, several issues have started to weigh on my mind:

1. I really don't like the flaky synching between Logseq on my computer and the iOS Logseq app, which happened way too frequently
2. I don’t like that Logseq is going towards a database model, whereas other software has stayed with plain text files and a simple folder structure
3. While Logseq has excellent task management, I wish its integration with a calendar app was better (honestly, it could be much better)

As a consequence, over the last couple of weeks I have gone back to another app that I really liked - NotePlan. It provides all the features that I'm looking for with none of the downsides that bugged me in Logseq. The reason I did not fully adopt it before was my ignorance about how it "finds" each note or zettel and how its linking worked. Also, I was daunted by the need to massage all my Zettelkasten files to fit into NotePlan, mostly associated with my rudimentary Python scripting skills.

So, in an effort to give NotePlan a fair consideration, I educated myself about how it works, internally, and I spent some time upgrading my Python skills. The result is that I have transferred all of my Zettelkasten, journal notes, and tasks to NotePlan. I've been very happy to overcome some of the issues that I found with Logseq. Everything new that I'm learning about NotePlan has only increased my pleasure in using it.

NotePlan is not "free" - you either get a subscription through the Apple app Store or access it through Setapp. Since I already subscribe to Setapp to access other software, that was a no-brainer.

I'm still in the early stages of test-driving NotePlan, so I'll provide some updates as I learn more.

KillerWhale

Very interested in your takes. I love Obsidian's power, but I keep going through pain points which make using the software more a chore than a joy in the long run. Once again, I find myself looking at alternatives.

Quick question: Noteplan does not allow you to add a location to your notes (no map view), right? I find this essential to my journaling.

wjenkins81

I've also moved through a few apps, dealing with 'pain points' before settling on one which caused me the least amount of pain. But it's still not perfect 'for me', so I've started a project to have a long-term solution for that.

The ultimate solution is to build your own app, but that requires programming skills. That's the project I'm working on right now... developing these skills with the goal of building my own desktop Zettelkasten app. It'll be perfect 'for me'.

But it's certainly not a quick solution. I don't know when I'll have a fully working app, but I'm enjoying the learning process.

quorm

"The ultimate solution is to build your own app..."

Can you share what issues self-build resolves, or features that it brings, which no other software you’ve tried could bring? There was a time I built very many little software tools to satisfy what I thought were my needs, but over time I found I was spending a lot of time hammering nails but not actually building anything useful. That’s not to say the market already gives us perfect software. Of course it doesn't.

GeoEng51

@KillerWhale said:
Very interested in your takes. I love Obsidian's power, but I keep going through pain points which make using the software more a chore than a joy in the long run. Once again, I find myself looking at alternatives.

Quick question: Noteplan does not allow you to add a location to your notes (no map view), right? I find this essential to my journaling.

I don't think so, but I'll find out, one way or another

ZettelDistraction

As far as the pain points of Obsidian are concerned, I've developed community-plugin neuropathy. I ignore the plugins I don't use. The Zettelkasten is stalled on AI-generated falsehoods and an oppressive work schedule.

wjenkins81

@quorm said:
"The ultimate solution is to build your own app..."

Can you share what issues self-build resolves, or features that it brings, which no other software you’ve tried could bring? There was a time I built very many little software tools to satisfy what I thought were my needs, but over time I found I was spending a lot of time hammering nails but not actually building anything useful. That’s not to say the market already gives us perfect software. Of course it doesn't.

There are the few things that go together.

Security/Privacy: A lot of software is closed source, so it's difficult or impossible to know what's going on with it from a security/privacy perspective. I have higher security and privacy needs, for reasons I won't go into here, so it's something that I have to be careful with.

Independence & Sustainability (the main reason): When I have my own tool, it doesn't matter when some company decides to do something different or stop supporting their tool. I've been burnt a few times by companies changing their software offering (going back on their promises) or just discontinuing something that I liked. This always puts me back on the search for software alternatives, which I got sick of.

Personalization: When it's mine, I can do it exactly how I want, to my own tastes. This would be impossible, or a breach of terms, with proprietary software.

Skills development: It's fun and interesting to improve my knowledge and skills while working on something for my own use.

wjenkins81

@quorm said:
"The ultimate solution is to build your own app..."

Can you share what issues self-build resolves, or features that it brings, which no other software you’ve tried could bring? There was a time I built very many little software tools to satisfy what I thought were my needs, but over time I found I was spending a lot of time hammering nails but not actually building anything useful. That’s not to say the market already gives us perfect software. Of course it doesn't.

I got an error when replying, so please ignore it if my answer appears twice. I'll try again:

A couple of reasons...

Security/Privacy: A lot of software is proprietary, making it difficult or impossible to know what's going on from a security/privacy perspective. For reasons I won't go into here, I have high security/privacy needs, so this is something I have to be careful with.

Independence/Sustainability (the main reason): Companies can change or shut down their software at any time without warning. I've been burnt a few times with companies going back on their promises and making bad changes to their apps, or just shutting down apps which I was using. When I have my own app, it doesn't matter what any company does.

Skills development and fun: I'm working on my tech skills anyway, but it's more enjoyable when I'm making something for myself.

Costs: I can have any 'premium' feature I want, without a subscription.