I write quite a bit, but almost exclusively for myself: my own reference, reminding, or simply for the enjoyment of it.
My jottings are strewn across multiple receptacles: mostly Apple Notes and Google Docs/Keep… but for some years I’ve kept #Markdown files in Byword (iPhone/iPad) and StackEdit (Web/PWA).
Lately, I’ve been looking for a cross-platform, Markdown-friendly note-management app (largely to replace StackEdit/Byword)… and by chance, I think I’ve stumbled on it:
@obsidian. 🧵1/
I’ve been using StackEdit as a Markdown-writing editor/repository for a decade or so. It’s Web-based and can be installed as a PWA, so I can use it on my iPad, Mac and Chromebook. It also stores its “vault” on my Google Drive, so it’s backed up and synced to all my devices.
However… SE seems no longer under active development (?), and ultimately it runs on a Web server. If SE just vanishes one day, I’ve probably lost access to my MD files… so I’ve been seeking an alternative. 🧵 2/
Oddly (esp. as it was only in the last week!), I can’t quite remember how I heard about @obsidian, but when I read up on it, I felt “I think I’ve found my Markdown/note-taking home”.
Put *very* simply: Obsidian is a free app (with some paid-for services) for creating/editing notes and documents in Markdown and organising them. It’s actually a lot more complex and powerful than that, and I may take a while to explore… but Obsidian is cross-platform and allows sync and backup. 🧵 3/
I’m still “paddling in the shallows” with Obsidian, but there are quite a few features I really like already. One is how Obsidian brings in some capabilities from wikis: most notably, how you can link to other notes, which really helps with organisation and navigation. You can basically create a wiki of your Obsidian notes.
One more for now: I’ve actually paid for a year of Obsidian Sync, as it backs up my “vault” and keeps the contents updated between my Apple devices and Chromebook.
T.A. Walker