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.
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.
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.