Note Taking App Emacs Roam Worth to Try Even in 2023
ObsidianI'm the kind of tech guy that like to play with note taking apps. I used Obsidian, Notion, Dendron, OneNote, Logseq and much more. I'm familiar with the PARA method. My last try is Emacs Roam (Org Mode). I played with it for maybe 3 months and like it.
I'm a vim user for 15+ years for sure. I played with Emacs a long time ago but did not commit to it. I heard about Org mode but never give a decent try. For those who don't know Emacs, it's been around forever! (1976) You know, Stallman, GNU Projects...
I have not installed the emacs "vanilla" but the Doom Emacs"framework" instead. This is much easier to give a try without loosing to much time with configuration. I understand that the software is not as easy as the other one, you need geek attitude, but not much for a start.
I like the SSH approach, no need to synchonize devices, but I cannot access it (easily) with my phone. I know this could be a deal breaker for some folks. SSH approach let me to access from multiple devices without leaving notes on my work computer.
Here is some quick cool stuffs with Emacs Roam
- Full Roam feature like node links, as with every second brain setup
- Nice Agenda system out of the box
- Daily note supports
- Tags
- Nice search features
- Quick jump between buffers even with SSH sessions
- Inline calculation, even full program can be execute inside a note
- Customization possible (tricky at first)
- With a nice theme, a good looking terminal, it can look nice
- Nice Archive system
- Vim integration with Doom Emacs (evil mode)
In the note taking app world, you'll heard a lot about majors apps like Notion, Obsidian, Evernote. But even in articles with long list you will not find "Emacs" in choices. This a not well known software for notes.