Need a daily line-journal / todo alternative to OneNote
March 8, 2019 4:36 AM Subscribe
I need a line-journalling / todo app that is 1) offline 2) free 3) lets me create a new "day" hassle free 4) is mostly just a text editor. 5) on mac
I've been using OneNote for years, but it's got a memory leak on my Mac that means I have to restart it several times a day. I don't use the fancy graphics or multi-text-field features; the most complicated feature I use is highlighting a line + pressing tab and expecting the line not to be erased.
I generally outline my day, or my tasks as I come up with them, in a '.'-based outline, which I convert to a 'd'-based outline when they are 'done'. I make a new page each day, and want to archive the old pages. Automatic checkboxes are too fancy and prone to failure, so text is perfect. I don't trust anything that makes me upload it to the cloud, and I don't need to sync between devices.
Have you been using such a *free* app?
I've been using OneNote for years, but it's got a memory leak on my Mac that means I have to restart it several times a day. I don't use the fancy graphics or multi-text-field features; the most complicated feature I use is highlighting a line + pressing tab and expecting the line not to be erased.
I generally outline my day, or my tasks as I come up with them, in a '.'-based outline, which I convert to a 'd'-based outline when they are 'done'. I make a new page each day, and want to archive the old pages. Automatic checkboxes are too fancy and prone to failure, so text is perfect. I don't trust anything that makes me upload it to the cloud, and I don't need to sync between devices.
Have you been using such a *free* app?
I use an app called RedNotebook for journaling. It is calendar based, stores data in .txt files, and provides an archive function. I'm not sure what you're used to exactly, but it's probably pretty no-frills by comparison.
posted by rollick at 6:36 AM on March 8, 2019
posted by rollick at 6:36 AM on March 8, 2019
The free version of BBEdit might suit your needs. It has many coding-related features, but you don't need to use any of them. One thing I like about it is that it'll show all of the documents I have open in the sidebar, and I can quit without giving it too much thought and when I reopen they will automatically reopen.
posted by past unusual at 6:43 AM on March 8, 2019
posted by past unusual at 6:43 AM on March 8, 2019
I've been using emacs org-mode for a while, but I've been using emacs for almost 30 years now.
If you just want plain text editing on OS X, I think Visual Studio Code has emerged as one of the better free apps. The free version of BBEdit is good if you don't mind occasional nagging for upgrades. Sublime is still kicking but I've not used it in a while.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 7:39 AM on March 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
If you just want plain text editing on OS X, I think Visual Studio Code has emerged as one of the better free apps. The free version of BBEdit is good if you don't mind occasional nagging for upgrades. Sublime is still kicking but I've not used it in a while.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 7:39 AM on March 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
1. TaskPaper has a plain-text orientation that you might like. Super-simple.
2. Agenda is a little fancier, also very interesting.
3. Atom is a crazy Swiss-army knife text editor that depends on plugins for most of its functionality, and there are millions of plugins (I don't think that's an exaggeration). There's one for org-mode, and others for other styles of to-do lists.
posted by adamrice at 10:39 AM on March 8, 2019
2. Agenda is a little fancier, also very interesting.
3. Atom is a crazy Swiss-army knife text editor that depends on plugins for most of its functionality, and there are millions of plugins (I don't think that's an exaggeration). There's one for org-mode, and others for other styles of to-do lists.
posted by adamrice at 10:39 AM on March 8, 2019
dynalist.io can do this. At it's heart it is an outliner. You can structure the 'files' in Dynalist's folders however you like. I have mine set as 2018-Q1-Jan:01 etc. Dynalist doesn't actually store the files as text files (I think) but I can export them as Structured Text, Plain Text, or OPML.
They have a free tier and paid tier that backs up to Dropbox.
posted by tayknight at 10:11 AM on March 9, 2019
They have a free tier and paid tier that backs up to Dropbox.
posted by tayknight at 10:11 AM on March 9, 2019
Seconding past unusual - the free version of BBEdit is great.
If you'd like a second option, maybe take a look at nvAlt.
posted by kristi at 8:40 PM on March 12, 2019
If you'd like a second option, maybe take a look at nvAlt.
posted by kristi at 8:40 PM on March 12, 2019
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posted by Horkus at 5:59 AM on March 8, 2019