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diff --git a/content/blog/2022-03-02-reliable-notes.md b/content/blog/2022-03-02-reliable-notes.md deleted file mode 100644 index 8294032..0000000 --- a/content/blog/2022-03-02-reliable-notes.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,127 +0,0 @@ -+++ -date = 2022-03-02 -title = "Easy, Reliable Note-Taking" -description = "" -draft = false -+++ - -# Choosing Durable File Formats - -> TL;DR: Write in a format that can be easily rendered and read in plain-text -> mode (e.g., `.txt`, `.md`, etc.). - -As I've written more and more over the years, I've found that my love of -note-taking is always growing. Everything I learn or need to remember can be -written down in a note and saved digitally, with no cost to myself. Unlike paper -copies that need physical storage space, digital files simply need space on your -local disk or cloud storage, which is fairly abundant these days. - -However, I had a historical struggle with migration of notes between different -apps that require different formats and applied proprietary styling. This meant -that I had to go through each note during migration and edit the file to look -presentable again. - -For the last year or two, I have written everything exclusively in -[Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) format. Small notes, -long-form writings, and even these blog posts are all written in Markdown. - -Why Markdown? While I do appreciate the simplicity of plain-text files without -any formatting, I often need visual cues such as heading and code blocks to keep -my thoughts straight. Markdown provides a minimal set of styling indicators for -me to style my notes without adding any proprietary, embedded data into the -files. If I want a top-level heading, I simply add a hash (`#`) before the line. -An added bonus is that even if a system doesn't understand Markdown, it will -render it as plain-text and I can read it just as easily. - -For example, here's how TextEdit on macOS will open and display a Markdown file -in plain-text, since it does contain any features to preview Markdown as HTML: - - - -## Saving & Syncing Files - -In order to read and edit my notes across platforms, I use my personal cloud -storage through Tresorit due to its native integration with macOS and iOS file -managers. In addition, Tresorit works well on Debian-based Linux distros, which -I used before macOS (and will likely switch back to in a few years). - -You can use whatever sync software you want - syncing plain-text or markdown -files is incredibly easy and fast, since the files are generally tiny. - -Since the cloud storage syncs files automatically, there is no need for me to -sync anything manually or kick-off a sync job to update my files. This means -that I can edit on mobile, and it takes about 5-10 seconds to see the changes on -desktop. - -### Version Control with Git - -A different approach I've contemplated is storing my notes and attachments is -using a hosted Git repository to track changes to the files. However, I don't -want to rely on an external service that could potentially see into my data, -even if the repository is private. - -I might just do `git init` locally and then commit my changes each time I write -or update a note, but that seems to be a lot of work just for tracking changes - -which I don't necessarily care to know. - -### Backups! - -One small addition to the storage/sync conversation is the idea of backups. -Personally, I manually create periodic backups of my entire cloud storage, -compress it into an archive, and store it on my home server. - -To improve my workflow, I am going to be exploring options to automatically -compress the mounted cloud directory and send it over to my server on a set -schedule. - -## Writing on Desktop - -> **Update (06.14.22)**: Since writing this post, I have reverted to simply -> keeping my `notes` folder open and opening notes individually in TextEdit for -> a more minimal and relaxing writing experience on the desktop. - -The bulk of my writing occurs in a desktop environment, with a full keyboard -layout and wide screen. I don't illustrate with a smart pen, I rarely use -embedded images, and I love being able to see all of my notes/directories in a -sidebar. - -With this simple set of requirements, I chose [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) as -my desktop text editor. Obsidian has some in-depth tools like a graph view, -command palette, mentions, etc., but I've found that using it as a simple -Markdown editor is incredibly easy and straightforward. - -Here's an example of how my Markdown notes look when opened in plain-text mode: - - - -Here's the "live preview" version, where the Markdown is rendered into its HTML -format: - - - -### Programming on Desktop - -While I was writing this, I realized I should specify that I don't use the same -editor for writing notes and for writing code. For programming purposes, I use -[VSCodium](https://vscodium.com) as my development IDE. - -## Writing on Mobile - -Personally, I write very little on mobile, except when needing to take important -notes on-the-go. Any long-form writing, journals, etc. are done at home, where I -always have my laptop available. - -I wanted a simple and foolproof editor for iOS, preferably open-source. After a -long journey of testing the few (& terrible) open-source iOS note-taking apps, I -finally found a phenomenal one: -[Runestone](https://github.com/simonbs/runestone). This app is fantastic for -note-taking, has plenty of optional features, and integrates natively with the -iOS file manager. - -This app opens the iOS file manager and allows you to click any file you want, -opens it up in an editor, and lets me save and close out of that note. - -Quite simple but effective. |