Markdown GUIs

calendar Sep 29, 2023 · 4 min read · Review FOSS

'Organizers', 'wikis', 'note-taking apps', et c. - these apps are mostly Markdown with an attached GUI. Today, I'm trying each of them out for twenty minutes apiece.

AnyType

  • Site: anytype.io
  • Size: 383 MB
  • AnyType comes encrypted, meaning you can't easily grab the raw markdown notes and stick them in a Git, or do much else with them.
  • It comes with its own synchronizing feature, so you're discouraged from using your own.
  • It recognizes various 'types' of things very well, with
    • bookmarks for youtube links (with an icon), along with the ability to leave notes in the bookmark,
    • task lists
  • It may be encrypted, but it starts up and just starts synchronizing with...the broader internet. That's still a little spooky for me.
  • Onboarding goes quickly, as the task-list is pre-populated with notes on how to learn the app, and the knowledge-base is populated with knowledge about the app.
  • Pressing Alt+F does not open the 'File' manager, which I take as a personal insult.

Zettlr

  • Site: zettlr.com
  • Size: 383 MB
  • LaTeX support works by integrating with other LaTeX programs, which warms my heart, but also confuses me. Who uses LaTeX but computer science nerds?
  • Very FOSS-friendly,
    • with a link to a Mastodon feed for the project.
  • The split-view lets you view many notes at once, and reminds me of vim.
  • It seems to use pandoc, and the integration looks sensible.
  • Under the hood, there is no markdown, so once again, no easy way to integrate git.
    • But apparently you can make or open Markdown anywhere, so that all works fine.
    • I should have tested that function with AnyType as well to make the tests equal. cba
  • Once again, Alt+f fails to open File at the top bar.

Qownnotes

  • It has AI integration.
  • Why do people need to do this to everything?
  • "Yes, I need a stupid-pen that's stupid, please, do you still have any without AI?" - that'll be me in a few years.

LogSeq

  • Site: logseq.com
  • Size: 473 MB
  • The name LogSeq sounds too nerdy.
  • It opens in light mode, unlike the others.
    • Selecting a theme gave me the options:
      • Light mode
    • This made me think it was a bar of options to click on.
    • It kept burning my retinas.
    • I really hate this.
    • When I found a more general theme option, it merged with my local system theme, and now looks amazing. All is forgiven.
  • It's so minimalist it looks like nothing but a wrapper for Markdown, with no options or abilities. Top score.
  • It has an option for when to 're-index', which tells users who don't know what that means that this app is not for them.
  • When renaming a whiteboard, a popup asks 'Are you sure?' I think I hate it again.
  • Whiteboards feel like a CLI-user's idea of what GUI users want, but then again I make maps in vim so what do I know?
  • The onboarding assaults you with random animations. I don't like it.
  • All settings are in plain text, which is obviously a much-needed feature, but comments are made with ;;, which is weird.
  • The standard notes display as simple markdown, and on startup LogSeq asks where it should save information. This isn't an 'app', it's a program.
  • The automatic graph of pages shows how each links together.
  • Everything confuses me.
    • Why is everything a bullet point? Where is the normal text?
    • I realize I'm typing this from an all-bulleted post, but that's beside the point.
    • The bottom of the page says '0 Unliked References': what does this mean?
    • I can make links because I know markdown, but it has no buttons to do this as far as I can see.
    • With no File bar across the top, I can't see how to access menus and discover the abilities. I just have to click buttons with random unicode symbols.
  • It's been 40 minutes and I don't know what I'm doing. Time to stop.