Hi, I love Obsidian. It’s part of my daily routine since a year or so, and I use it to store all my work and personal notes for the future. The main reason I use it is because of its note storage method. Instead of relying on a database, it utilizes plain text files written in Markdown, as most of you already know.
However, I have a strange feeling about it not being open source. The recent events with Reddit have only increased this discomfort. My notes are in plain Markdown, so I have the assurance that no one can forbid me from accessing them. I also take precautions by creating multiple backups, which provides additional security against virtual loss if I handle things correctly (which I do).
That being said, I would love to have alternatives like Joplin or LogSeq that adhere to the same philosophy of work as Obsidian.
Joplin is not suitable for me due to its reliance on database storage. I prefer to have total control over my notes. On the other hand, LogSeq is more focused on serving as a diary rather than a personal knowledge manager, and it does not use pure markdown, wich will be a problem in the future when (not if) I’ll need to migrate out of LogSeq.
Honesty I think Obsidian as a product. They have done a pretty good job of keeping my data open and available in the Obsidian Vault.
I pay them for Sync, so I consider it a service for them to maintain and upgrade the software. I would prefer the client be open source but it would hurt their ability to stay afloat and profitable to pay their employees.
If they go under or start an “enshittification” I can just take my JSON and markdown and make my own client or use one of the hundreds of other markdown clients to get my information.
This is exactly what I think.
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Honestly, the whole thing felt like a textbook example of a modern FOSS program (based on the website, the premise etc) that I was quite surprised when I found out it wasn’t open source. I think it’s unfortunate.
I had the same impression
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For me, knowing that it’s basically a text editor that has neat features, I’m not super concerned. If they ever shut down Obsidian, I’ll switch to LogSeq or one of the Emacs modes that does the same thing, maybe I’ll have to run a converter over the files, but that’s not a huge deal for me
I would prefer it to be open-source, but at least the data format (markdown) is ubiquitous and stored wherever I want it to be stored.
This is how I’ve been thinking of it too. If an equivalent open-source solution comes out, it’ll be really easy to switch to, but right now Obsidian is just unbeatable.
There’s already an equivalent out there that’s open source. I haven’t tried it though. https://logseq.com/
I use it because it stores my files in a versatile exportable format (markdown) and the app is well made. I have blocked all network access from Obsidian so I’m not worried about data harvesting. I sync my notes with syncthing, so the folder that contains my markdown files is synced across all my devices.
I also sync them with Syncthing and I store/backup them in a private GitHub repository, that allows me to access my notes on any device connected to the internet. All of this is compatible with Android and Windows platforms.
Sorry my ignorance. But ain’t github a concern regarding data harvest?
Is there an advantage of syncthing compared to Obsidian-git?
Yes, the synchronization is in real time, and you can install it in Android and IOS devices (ok git can also be install but it’s more dificult). Also, you can have a lot of devices in constant sync without launching commands or touching any app, it works in background. I use both and they work perfectly for me.
I honestly couldn’t care less. Open source is not and never has been a differentiator for me when it comes to software, much less a requirement.
I hate it. Even consider it somewhat as a security concern. Are my notes being harvested?
Just don’t use their paid sync. Treat it as VsCode but solely for markdown files.
That’s what I do. And syncthing works like a charm.
There is a loooog thread on the official forum on open source for Obsidian app: https://forum.obsidian.md/t/open-sourcing-of-obsidian/1515
IMO the best approach would be for them to make the promise, that they’ll open source the code if they become unprofitable or uninterested in further developing ObsidianMD and then leave. In that case, the community has a fully open source stack.
I am aware, that Obsidian is closed source, I try to keep the number of non-compliant uses of markdown minimal. While I use quite many plugins, I am aware, that the plugins being open source removes the risk a bit.
Is there a good overview of compliant vs non-compliant markdown? Just wondering as I’ve been testing different editors/viewers and even basic things like diff blocks (git diff output in a ```diff block) seem to only be supported in some of them. Sorry if that’s a dumb question. I’m a markdown noob.
https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Obsidian+Flavored+Markdown
But it’s not a full overview in detail
Cheers, looks like differences between implementations are to be expected. But I agree it’s probably easiest to just minimise use of non-standard stuff to keep the option to switch to another tool.
However, I have a strange feeling about it not being open source. The recent events with Reddit have only increased this discomfort.
Well, Obsidian is not a live service. If the developers disappear tomorrow or decide to aggressively monetize it, you still have access to the app in its current state, and the whole plugins ecosystem.
I feel like the data is the important thing. If obsidian destroys their product I’ll just edit the markdown files in something else.
True. However, there are a few nice features that’ll be harder to replace (like the dataview plugin).
Of course i wish that Obsidian was open source - i wish all software was open source. But at the same time, it’s not a dealbreaker for me.
A pretty big issue. I can’t really trust it to survive for long or that it won’t be ruined by bad decisions. Because of that I use org mode, but if Obsidian was FOSS I would switch.
Doesn’t bother me. I’m not a FOSS-only person, although I like using FOSS stuff when I can. As others have said, in a worst-case scenario, you still have your text files. Even if you really went nuts with plugins and have all sorts of custom stuff that won’t easily transfer to another service, it’s still all yours and you can probably recreate most of it somewhere else.
Your data, being in Markdown format, is portable to anything that can handle the format so should Obsidian change its policies or make the app itself paid you’re not SOL. But you will lose the functionality that Obsidian and its plugins provide, which could make that data less valuable to you in the short term. Nothing’s perfect.
Right. Data is irreplaceable though, features and functionality can be re-implemented given enough motivation. Would it suck? Sure. But it beats having to write a scraper to save your stuff.
I really like obsidian and use it even though I usually prefer FOSS tools. It just suits my needs perfectly at the moment.
Having the markdown files on my drive is the primary reason I don’t stress over it too much.
I’ll probably start using Zettlr if it improves significantly or if I feel betrayed by Obsidian.
