HelixNotes | Local Markdown Notes
helixnotes.com
A local markdown note-taking app. Plain .md files on your disk. Sync them your way, or don't.

I built a note-taking app because the one I wanted didn’t exist. Clean UI, local .md files, no cloud, no account.

Built with Rust + Tauri 2.0 + SvelteKit. Full-text search powered by Tantivy. Graph view, AI writing tools (bring your own key), Obsidian import, version history.

Available for Linux (AppImage, APT, AUR), Windows, and macOS. Source: https://codeberg.org/ArkHost/HelixNotes

  • Q'z@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Hi ArkHost,

    Obsidian user here. I tried HelixNotes for a couple of minutes and here’s my feedback:

    • I like that you support compatibility/converting Obsidian vaults. I wish you would at least support Obsidian’s wiki links directly. I won’t convert all my notes just to try if I like your editor.
    • View mode doesn’t seem to really do anything. Ah wait, seems like I can only click links in view mode (no visual distinction between normal editor and view-mode apart from the tiny view mode badge). But that opens the linked note in my default .md viewer, not the HelixEditor itself. IMO view-mode should be visually distinct and also work together with source-mode (so I can edit in source mode and then click view-mode to see the rendered note).
    • I like the simple look, although the UI is not as polished compared to Obsidian.
    • I need Math support ($ ... $).
    • I hate that you update notes front-matter even if I just view and not edit them. Only change notes I am editing myself. I just had a look and now you changed the format of my notes. Re front-matter it would also be good if that behavior is documented somewhere.
    • I closed my vault (clicked on the folder icon in the top right) and wanted to reopen it, but got an error: Failed to acquire LockFile: LockBusy.
    • The graph view opened but stayed empty.

    Feel free to use my feedback however you want, or don’t. Personally, there’s more than one deal-breaker for me to switch from Obsidian to HelixNotes, without even considering the nice-to-have features added by all the plug-ins. I recommend you to listen to people who are more likely to use your editor than me, or are already using it. I hope my comment doesn’t come over too negatively. I tried to give honest feedback why personally I won’t use HelixNotes anytime soon. I wish you all the best.

    • Q'z@programming.devEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      You even overwrite previously existing front-matters. From just looking at a note. This is a fucking no-go! Luckily I was able to revert all the unwanted changes HelixNotes applied to my vault.

      This is a warning for everyone who wants to try HelixNotes with an existing vault.

      • ArkHost@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        The import dialog warns you to make a backup before running as it modifies files in place. That said, the frontmatter overwrite on just viewing a note is a valid bug. I’ll fix that, notes should only be modified when you actually edit them.

    • ArkHost@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Appreciate the honest feedback, doesn’t come over negatively at all, this is exactly what helps improve the app.

      • Obsidian wiki links not converting properly during import: that’s a bug, will be fixed in the next release.
      • View mode, math support, frontmatter behavior, and the other UX points: all noted and will be considered. So far I’ve focused on features I use personally, but if something makes sense, improves the app, and keeps it focused without bloat, I just implement it.
      • The LockFile bug and empty graph view: I haven’t seen this behavior yet but I’ll look into it.

      HelixNotes isn’t trying to be a replacement for Obsidian. It was a replacement for Obsidian for me, but different people have different needs. Thanks for taking the time.