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Notion-like FOSS app

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  • S seeker

    @jdaviescoates Thanks! I am curious how did you find out about the information session?

    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
    jdaviescoates
    wrote on last edited by
    #45

    @seeker I filled in this form:
    anytype.typeform.com/to/bRQZWx

    You can also join their Telegram group if that's your thing:
    t.me/anytype

    I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

    1 Reply Last reply
    2
    • S Offline
      S Offline
      soup
      wrote on last edited by
      #46

      If there's still interest around this question, the most promising option right now is Athens, which aims to be an alternative to Roam and Notion (and is getting close to feature-parity).

      marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
      2
      • S soup

        If there's still interest around this question, the most promising option right now is Athens, which aims to be an alternative to Roam and Notion (and is getting close to feature-parity).

        marcusquinnM Offline
        marcusquinnM Offline
        marcusquinn
        wrote on last edited by
        #47

        @soup Nice spot! Trial by downloaded Electron version is handy too. Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

        Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
        Development https://brandlight.org
        Life https://marcusquinn.com

        jdaviescoatesJ S 2 Replies Last reply
        1
        • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

          @soup Nice spot! Trial by downloaded Electron version is handy too. Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

          jdaviescoatesJ Offline
          jdaviescoatesJ Offline
          jdaviescoates
          wrote on last edited by
          #48

          @marcusquinn said in Notion-like FOSS app:

          Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

          I only had a very quick look but it looks like Athens is like Anytype in that it's not actually a server thing at all, no? i.e. I think it's just a desktop app, not a web app, no?

          I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

          jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
          1
          • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

            @soup Nice spot! Trial by downloaded Electron version is handy too. Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

            S Offline
            S Offline
            soup
            wrote on last edited by soup
            #49

            @marcusquinn said in Notion-like FOSS app:

            Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

            Yep, can do the post :).

            @marcusquinn @girish
            Can I do one post for Athens and one for Logseq? Both are doing the same thing, the difference being that (i) Athens goes with a custom format for storing files, while Logseq works with text files (both markdown and org mode) [edit: Athens also aims to store information in text files in the future] and (ii) can sync via Github (+Gitlab, WebDAV, etc. in the future). Logseq's founder did state that it's designed to be self-hostable, but hasn't released the backend code yet (need to ensure security first), so maybe I should wait before doing that post?

            By the way, the founders of both apps are very reactive: might be interesting to drop them a line on Github or Twitter as they might be willing to provide support with the packaging.


            @jdaviescoates said in Notion-like FOSS app:

            I only had a very quick look but it looks like Athens is like Anytype in that it's not actually a server thing at all, no? i.e. I think it's just a desktop app, not a web app, no?

            I agree that it is a bit unclear, I'm going off of the fact that the option to self-host features quite heavily in Athens' communication and approach to monetisation, and the founder did discuss hosting on Sandstorm here (though it did prove problematic), but I might have misunderstood.

            jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
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            • S soup

              @marcusquinn said in Notion-like FOSS app:

              Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

              Yep, can do the post :).

              @marcusquinn @girish
              Can I do one post for Athens and one for Logseq? Both are doing the same thing, the difference being that (i) Athens goes with a custom format for storing files, while Logseq works with text files (both markdown and org mode) [edit: Athens also aims to store information in text files in the future] and (ii) can sync via Github (+Gitlab, WebDAV, etc. in the future). Logseq's founder did state that it's designed to be self-hostable, but hasn't released the backend code yet (need to ensure security first), so maybe I should wait before doing that post?

              By the way, the founders of both apps are very reactive: might be interesting to drop them a line on Github or Twitter as they might be willing to provide support with the packaging.


              @jdaviescoates said in Notion-like FOSS app:

              I only had a very quick look but it looks like Athens is like Anytype in that it's not actually a server thing at all, no? i.e. I think it's just a desktop app, not a web app, no?

              I agree that it is a bit unclear, I'm going off of the fact that the option to self-host features quite heavily in Athens' communication and approach to monetisation, and the founder did discuss hosting on Sandstorm here (though it did prove problematic), but I might have misunderstood.

              jdaviescoatesJ Offline
              jdaviescoatesJ Offline
              jdaviescoates
              wrote on last edited by
              #50

              @soup said in Notion-like FOSS app:

              Can I do one post for Athens and one for Logseq?

              Go for it! You don't need permission 🙂

              I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • S Offline
                S Offline
                soup
                wrote on last edited by soup
                #51

                The Athens post: https://forum.cloudron.io/topic/4717/athens-open-source-and-local-first-alternative-to-roam-research-also-like-notion-obsidian?_=1616151737160

                The Logseq post: https://forum.cloudron.io/topic/4718/logseq-privacy-first-open-source-knowledge-sharing-and-management-platform-like-notion-roam-obsidian

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • infogulchI Offline
                  infogulchI Offline
                  infogulch
                  wrote on last edited by infogulch
                  #52

                  Athens is pretty cool, but it doesn't have an api or any kind of server side component. I tried to package it for cloudron a couple weeks ago ( https://source.infogulch.com/infogulch/athens-app ) before I discovered this. logseq is in the same boat.

                  See this discussion for input from a contributor: https://github.com/athensresearch/athens/discussions/737

                  C 1 Reply Last reply
                  2
                  • infogulchI infogulch

                    Athens is pretty cool, but it doesn't have an api or any kind of server side component. I tried to package it for cloudron a couple weeks ago ( https://source.infogulch.com/infogulch/athens-app ) before I discovered this. logseq is in the same boat.

                    See this discussion for input from a contributor: https://github.com/athensresearch/athens/discussions/737

                    C Offline
                    C Offline
                    ctrl
                    wrote on last edited by ctrl
                    #53

                    @infogulch Never had my hands on Trilium Notes. But judging from the screenshots doesn't it offer concepts used in these kind of roaming tools like the Zettelkasten Methode which was heavily used by Niklas Luhmann et al.? Btw. Anytype is on my personal watchlist, too.

                    @yusf I tried out Notion last year but only for a day or so and abandoned it quickly because of data protection and privacy concerns. My first impression was that it had a very specific characteristic in its appereance and handling. What I really liked about it was that it felt quite calm on the surface hiding and simplificating the complexity of its possibilities. In a way it reminded me of Things.app on macOS.
                    Yesterday I found Focalboard by Mattermost. I don't know if it fills the gap but at least it promotes itself as an open source, self-hosted alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana. @thetomester13 created an app request already. ^^

                    I am also on a long lasting journey on the search for the appropriate toolset that fits my way of thinking. Currently I use multiple tools. Most of the time I start out with a mindmap. Although it is not perfect Mindnode does quite a good job in the fields of mindmapping in regards of UX. It lets me quickly visualize my thoughts and doesn't get into the way too much in that process which helps me to slip into some kind of a flow state. Sometimes I wish we had neural interfaces to project all of these interconnected thought that seem to pop of the ground like mushrooms while surfing through an idea.

                    The problem with a mindmap is that it is neither interactive after it has been created nor can it be connected or extended by ongoing research in a comfortable/elegant way. Maybe the roaming tools mentioned by @soup could fill that gap. I'll get my hands on these asap. What do you think about Trilium? Does it fit in that kind of category?

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • yusfY Offline
                      yusfY Offline
                      yusf
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #54

                      Check this out:

                      Notea

                      Self hosted note taking app stored on S3. Notea is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking application. It supports Markdown syntax, sharing, responsive and more.

                      infogulchI 1 Reply Last reply
                      4
                      • yusfY yusf

                        Check this out:

                        Notea

                        Self hosted note taking app stored on S3. Notea is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking application. It supports Markdown syntax, sharing, responsive and more.

                        infogulchI Offline
                        infogulchI Offline
                        infogulch
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #55

                        @yusf Nice find! That looks ready to package up today.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        3
                        • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                          @marcusquinn said in Notion-like FOSS app:

                          Looks like it deserves it's own App Wishlist post if you'd like the finder's honours?

                          I only had a very quick look but it looks like Athens is like Anytype in that it's not actually a server thing at all, no? i.e. I think it's just a desktop app, not a web app, no?

                          jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                          jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                          jdaviescoates
                          wrote on last edited by jdaviescoates
                          #56

                          @jdaviescoates said in Notion-like FOSS app:

                          I only had a very quick look but it looks like Athens is like Anytype in that it's not actually a server thing at all, no? i.e. I think it's just a desktop app, not a web app, no?

                          @infogulch said in Notion-like FOSS app:

                          Athens is pretty cool, but it doesn't have an api or any kind of server side component. I tried to package it for cloudron a couple weeks ago ( https://source.infogulch.com/infogulch/athens-app ) before I discovered this. logseq is in the same boat.

                          It's now clear that you can also self-host Athens on a server. The Github repo says "You can use Athens as a local desktop app that saves data to your filesystem or with a self-hosted server."

                          I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • yusfY Offline
                            yusfY Offline
                            yusf
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #57

                            Explicit Notion clone: AppFlowy (AGPL)

                            jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                            3
                            • yusfY yusf

                              Explicit Notion clone: AppFlowy (AGPL)

                              jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                              jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                              jdaviescoates
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #58

                              @yusf said in Notion-like FOSS app:

                              Explicit Notion clone: AppFlowy (AGPL)

                              Upvote here:

                              https://forum.cloudron.io/post/39873

                              I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              2
                              • yusfY yusf

                                In my profession I’ve recently been assimilated into the Notion universe. It’s truly brilliant.

                                But it’s not free (as in freedom). So as I start to pour huge amount of work into structuring and using it, my woes of lock-in comes as expected.

                                There’s this whole new class of digital tools flexible enough to be shaped by non-coders for virtually any workflow: Notion, Airtable, Coda, Next Matter.

                                I sense that as the tools of this no-code movement develops further, users realize they don’t need to settle for other people’s workflow but can shape the tools to their liking instead of the other way around. Thus these tools may lay the groundwork for a new level of user expectancy, possibly leaving old rigid tools in the dust.

                                So, is there anything FOSS that can even begin to compare to Notion?

                                L Offline
                                L Offline
                                LoudLemur
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #59

                                @yusf I had only a quick look at notion, but it seems like it helps co-ordinate various functions in a way similar to Odoo (or Flectra, a fork of Odoo), both of which have been requested in the App Wishlist. Flectra was created with the goal of being as Free as possible.

                                marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • L LoudLemur

                                  @yusf I had only a quick look at notion, but it seems like it helps co-ordinate various functions in a way similar to Odoo (or Flectra, a fork of Odoo), both of which have been requested in the App Wishlist. Flectra was created with the goal of being as Free as possible.

                                  marcusquinnM Offline
                                  marcusquinnM Offline
                                  marcusquinn
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #60

                                  @loudlemur Tried both,, was disappointed that all the good stuff is kept out of the free version and reserved for the cloud hosted version. I suggest EspoCRM is a better faster, easier framework to work with anyway if you're after that sort of thing.

                                  Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                  Development https://brandlight.org
                                  Life https://marcusquinn.com

                                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                    @loudlemur Tried both,, was disappointed that all the good stuff is kept out of the free version and reserved for the cloud hosted version. I suggest EspoCRM is a better faster, easier framework to work with anyway if you're after that sort of thing.

                                    L Offline
                                    L Offline
                                    LoudLemur
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #61

                                    @marcusquinn Thanks, I hadn't heard of EspoCRM:
                                    https://www.espocrm.com/

                                    I think there is a load of great functionality in Odoo Community Edition.

                                    https://flectrahq.com/compare-editions-flectra-vs-odoo?category=--all--&feature=--all--&odoo-ce=--all--&odoo-ee=Y&fle-ce=--all--&fle-pe=--all--

                                    marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • L LoudLemur

                                      @marcusquinn Thanks, I hadn't heard of EspoCRM:
                                      https://www.espocrm.com/

                                      I think there is a load of great functionality in Odoo Community Edition.

                                      https://flectrahq.com/compare-editions-flectra-vs-odoo?category=--all--&feature=--all--&odoo-ce=--all--&odoo-ee=Y&fle-ce=--all--&fle-pe=--all--

                                      marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinn
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #62

                                      @loudlemur There is, but you will have to learn Python to do any useful customisations. The Odoo Studio, which is the most useful thing, is only available on the Cloud edition. There's so much missing from Flectra, I don't know why anyone would.

                                      Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                      Development https://brandlight.org
                                      Life https://marcusquinn.com

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                                      • yusfY Offline
                                        yusfY Offline
                                        yusf
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #63

                                        I just got into the Anytype alpha program. The hype is true. 😳 No selfhosting involved however (relies on IPFS).

                                        marcusquinnM jdaviescoatesJ 2 Replies Last reply
                                        3
                                        • yusfY yusf

                                          I just got into the Anytype alpha program. The hype is true. 😳 No selfhosting involved however (relies on IPFS).

                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinn
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #64

                                          @yusf 🆒 IPFS is the future!

                                          Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                          Development https://brandlight.org
                                          Life https://marcusquinn.com

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                                          • marcusquinnM marcusquinn referenced this topic on
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