Simplenote
September 10, 2011 3:48 PM   Subscribe

 
The already fine web interface is improved by this Chrome extension. But once you join the cult, you'll be drawn to one of the dedicated tools. [Notational Velocity received its own FPP.]

Click.to has proved a nifty way to create new notes from any program. But I'm hoping there will be a way to add notes via Shareaholic - since it can work with a bookmarklet.
posted by Trurl at 3:48 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Liking Simplenote on OS X, and liking the Chrome extension as well.

But I can't seem to get it to default to the new interface; the following message appears at every go:

>This is our old web interface. Your browser seems capable of the full Simplenote web app!

I've poked around in Simplenote's preferences, with no luck so far ...
posted by Gordion Knott at 4:09 PM on September 10, 2011


Bah, no Android app. And I'm not always within reach of an online connection (whether due to distance, wanting to save battery, or was running low on Internet credit) so it'd be good to have access offline.
posted by divabat at 4:11 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Simplenote's a red herring. All you need is a Dropbox or iCloud or other syncing service (if you're on iOS, Dropbox for now and maybe iCloud later) and you vastly broaden the field of text editors you can use.

iOS alone has far better editors than Simplenote (I prefer Nebulous and Notesy), and not being tied to Simplenote's API lets you use anything you want on the PC side, even Vim/Emacs.

Any smartphone/tablet text editor that's worth a damn is Dropbox-compatible.
posted by middleclasstool at 4:16 PM on September 10, 2011 [8 favorites]


I wouldn't be surprised if you could hack up an elisp interface to simplenote's API.
posted by kenko at 4:31 PM on September 10, 2011


Simplenote directly supports Dropbox and will happily save your notes there. I love Dropbox top, but I use it for different kinds of things.

I moved to the apps listed in the FPP link 6 or 12 months ago and have been very, very happy with them. I wasn't looking to replace my word processor or file synching tools. I just wanted to replace my phone's Notes app with a reliable cloud-syncing alternative. I write down a thought or take notes on whatever device I'm using and they're there waiting for me next time, without having to think about making that happen. Some of my colleagues use Evernote for this, but it seems like they're often complaining aloud about waiting for it to open, or about something important they failed to save. I want to like Evernote, and I keep it installed, but it just feels too heavy and slow for me. Simplenote is just what I wanted.
posted by Songdog at 4:37 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Plain text is the new rich text. Or something.
posted by jabah at 4:40 PM on September 10, 2011


I wouldn't be surprised if you could hack up an elisp interface to simplenote's API.

There is an Emacs package for SN, but last I saw it was still in alpha. I used it and didn't care for the UI.

Don't get me wrong, SN's great, but I don't see the point of having a separate syncing service just for text when Dropbox works just fine. Dropbox plus text editors plus Multimarkdown means I haven't written a thing in Word or any other word processor for months. It's one of the best computer-related things that has ever happened to me.
posted by middleclasstool at 4:41 PM on September 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


"Bah, no Android app."

Am I missing something here? Coz there are Android-ey things listed on the simplenote site?
posted by sneebler at 4:42 PM on September 10, 2011


Ah, I do the same things by sending myself email in Gmail and saving notes for myself in Google Tasks. I don't want the ability to also add audio to notes (too simultaneously low-/high-bandwidth), and I can add a photo to an email easily from my phone, so that kinda takes care of my needs right there.
posted by limeonaire at 4:42 PM on September 10, 2011


I'm a professional coder, by the way. I make daily use of much more powerful editors. That's not what I use this for. If you want everything in your programmer's editor, that's totally cool; check out org-mode. Me, I've got Notational Velocity tied to a hotkey.

For tasks I use ToodleDo — via web, via app, via email. Not perfect, but flexible and useful.
posted by Songdog at 4:45 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


What's wrong with Notes on your iPhone? Mine syncs to my Gmail account, and I use Google Tasks for to do lists...so...is it too simple? I thought that was the advantage?
posted by Staples at 4:50 PM on September 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Flick Note for Android syncs with Simplenote. Dunno how the LifeHacker people can't be aware of this.
posted by dobbs at 4:52 PM on September 10, 2011


Ah, I do the same things by sending myself email in Gmail and saving notes for myself in Google Tasks.

Google Tasks... ( /me looks at Gmail... Clicks Tasks... Hmmm.. Uncompleted items from 2009..... )

/me adds task. Follow up on tasks.
posted by mikelieman at 4:52 PM on September 10, 2011 [4 favorites]


Oh, for goodness' sakes, the LH article is more than a year old.
posted by dobbs at 4:56 PM on September 10, 2011


The article was written in 2010, which is why it says there's no Android apps available yet. The Simplenote site lists a bunch now, though there's no official app still.
posted by chrominance at 4:59 PM on September 10, 2011


It's just that the iPad & keyboard look like they just ccame out of the box! I can smell that fresh electronics smell, with a whiff off... Jobs?
posted by sneebler at 4:59 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


It's just that the iPad & keyboard look like they just ccame out of the box! I can smell that fresh electronics smell, with a whiff off... Jobs?

Don't sniff the solvent. It's toxic.
posted by mikelieman at 5:00 PM on September 10, 2011




Also: Before I clicked the link, I thought this was going to be a post about keyloggers.
posted by limeonaire at 5:11 PM on September 10, 2011


the ability to snag any thought or idea any time and anywhere it happens to crop up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/moderngrrl/notebook.gif
posted by 2manyusernames at 5:47 PM on September 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


the dropbox android app has a plaintext editor in-built
posted by LogicalDash at 6:00 PM on September 10, 2011


I use Dropbox. If I'm at a computer I have an SSH session open to a system with Dropbox mounted, I keep everything worthwhile in Dropbox/t/.

On my iPad or touch I use Nebulous, which is pretty great.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:06 PM on September 10, 2011


not being tied to Simplenote's API lets you use anything you want on the PC side, even Vim/Emacs

Simplenote exports to TXT, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML and Evernote formats. That's pretty loose tying.

Simplenote also has type-as-you-go search across all your notes and smooth access to multiple backups of each note.

It's a question of polish. Simplenote is so simple and reliable that I forget that I'm using it. In other words, it's not pitched at Vim/Emacs users.
posted by Trurl at 6:09 PM on September 10, 2011


Google Docs?
posted by blue_beetle at 6:15 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Okay, I just imported my Evernote into Simplenote, liking it so far. Thanks for posting, Trurl. It certainly does seem transparant as you mention.

As a songwriter, what I would like most is a simple way to add audio. Right now I keep my text notes in single giant draft posts on a Blogger account, and I record voice memos on my iPhone and e-mail them to myself manually. Then I have a Gmail filter set up to see all those voice memos on one page. It's certainly less than ideal.

Is there a simple way to integrate audio with SimpleNote, preferably from both iPhone and desktop web?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:18 PM on September 10, 2011


I use a combination of Dropbox and Markdown to allow me to write and edit basically anywhere in the world, a process I get into in probably way too much detail in this earlier MetaTalk comment.
posted by Ian A.T. at 6:43 PM on September 10, 2011


goodnewsfortheinsane I think you might be happier with Springpad which does plaintext capture smoothly enough for me but also captures everything else
posted by LogicalDash at 6:51 PM on September 10, 2011


I much prefer Simplenote over Evernote, because for how I use it, I don't WANT more than plain text and simplicity. I walk around work jotting things in Simplenote on my iPad. If the iPad isn't handy I do the same thing with my iPhone, and it's always up to date. When I get back to my Windows 7 machine on my desk at work, I fire up Resophnotes and all my SN stuff is there for me to act on. When I get home at the MacBook, I realize I just came up with what I need to do at work. I open up Notational Velocity, see my notes from that day, and pop in there what I wanted to do the next day at my desk. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

For Files I use Dropbox and Windows Live Mesh, but for just dashing off a quick note, checking what day next week I'm seeing Othello, or putting in a phone number someone gives me that I need to update in Active Directory next time I'm at my desk, I'm very comfortable with the Simplenote ecosystem.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 6:56 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


I carry a pocket notebook.
posted by cmoj at 7:32 PM on September 10, 2011 [6 favorites]


To spend so much time thinking about, arranging, and optimizing the tools used to ostensibly produce something seems incredibly... unproductive.
posted by underflow at 7:43 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yeah, that's great. I love notebooks too and use them for specific things. But I happen to work at a computer and carry a phone already so it's convenient to use them, and in the unfortunate event that I lose a particular device my notes are still saved and available.

On preview: who's wasting time on that? ONE time I copied my notes in. No changes for many months and no desire to change. My cloud-synced notes have been fast, searchable, and reliable. It feels like a gain in productivity to me.
posted by Songdog at 7:50 PM on September 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


I carry a pocket notebook.

I have a DayRunner around here somewhere... It's a nice leather one.
posted by mikelieman at 8:12 PM on September 10, 2011


I prefer Evernote, since I can easily capture entire web pages to it.
posted by mike3k at 8:14 PM on September 10, 2011 [3 favorites]


There are people who actually generate or own more than a gig of plain text and need access to it everywhere?

I just keep my texts in a simple if messy folder. That folder is so small that it easily resides on, well, nearly every computer or device I own that can act like a drive. It's also in my gmail account. Multiple gmail accounts, if I recall.

This method has saved my ass a few times. "Oh, wait. I have my resume in RTF and plaintext on my MP3 player. And my phone. And my thumbdrive." Or a list of phone numbers, whatever.

Sure, it takes a bit more work to keep perfectly synced, but not that much work. It's easy to zip up the whole folder and just gmail it to yourself.

And then you're not relying on single apps or points of failure in a chain.
posted by loquacious at 8:15 PM on September 10, 2011


I migrated off of the Palm phone / Palm desktop platform two years ago. One of the three mission critical functions I needed was plain text notes syncing, like Notes in the Palm world.

Evernote and the like were AWFUL for this.

AK Notepad and Catch.com were precisely right for this. In fact, they match the OPP link's description of SimpleNotes nearly exactly.

So, if you're an Android user, try AK Notepad.

http://aknotepad.com/


(sadly, if you Google "AK Notepad" the first hit is basically the wrong place, so please do check out the above URL instead of Googling)
posted by intermod at 8:25 PM on September 10, 2011


I've been doing this with PlainText and Dropbox for a while. It's super-handy for shopping lists, or any scrap you want to keep.

The synching is totally automatic. I love being able to whip out my phone, tap a few quick notes, then be able to sit down at a regular computer & have access to those notes. I think I might actually be saving a little paper, even.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:57 PM on September 10, 2011


notepad.cc?

i suppose i need to pay for a smartphone to understand this FPP
posted by eustatic at 10:23 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


Interesting to compare Simplenote's privacy policy policy with the one on catch.com. Also, Simplenote explicitly say your notes aren't stored encrypted - can't find anything explicit on Catch but this post on their forum suggests the same is true there.

Much as it would be cute to have the notes on my desktop synced to my phone and also available anywhere I log into some web service, I'm really not at all sure about the security side of it. Any service like this is going to be a massively juicy target for bad guys, and while both these sites do say they prioritise security, I'm left pretty uneasy about it.

Not that it's a huge deal if my shopping lists and notes to myself about random stuff are read by Joe Q Hacker, but I don't want to use a notes system where I have to make sure to think hard about the potential sensitivity of any and all stuff I ever jot down in it.
posted by motty at 10:31 PM on September 10, 2011


ssh -> pico ~/file.txt
posted by stbalbach at 11:11 PM on September 10, 2011


I use a reed stylus and a clay tablet.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:46 AM on September 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


Can someone explain to the class dunce why/how you would use simple note and dropbox? I've been looking into a note sharing system for the wife and I and am currently moving over to a dropbox folder and .txt files, but am unhappy with the lack of polish on note taking apps for my windows machine at work.

Simple note looks like a better option, but why would you include dropbox in the mix, as mentioned unthread?
posted by fatfrank at 1:12 AM on September 11, 2011


Biro on the palm of my hand is available to me everywhere. Until I wash, anyway.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:16 AM on September 11, 2011


Much as it would be cute to have the notes on my desktop synced to my phone and also available anywhere I log into some web service, I'm really not at all sure about the security side of it.

That's been my concern and I getting more and more queasy with the idea of handing my data to third parties, on principal, regardless of security concerns. That said this thread got me doing a quick bit of digging around and, joy of joys, someone has written an Android Git Client (though its read only for the time being) so self-hosting looks tantalizingly close.
posted by tallus at 3:09 AM on September 11, 2011


Biro on the palm of my hand is available to me everywhere. Until I wash, anyway.

Online porn? That's what I use my Palm IV!
posted by hal9k at 3:17 AM on September 11, 2011


It's a question of polish. Simplenote is so simple and reliable that I forget that I'm using it. In other words, it's not pitched at Vim/Emacs users.

Oh, sure. Like I said, I like SN and know lots of people who use it. I only wanted to point out that, contrary to this article's narrow focus, you don't have to use SN's service and have more options -- not just for editors, but a bunch of tools -- if you don't.
posted by middleclasstool at 7:58 AM on September 11, 2011


LogicalDash: "goodnewsfortheinsane I think you might be happier with Springpad which does plaintext capture smoothly enough for me but also captures everything else"

Interesting, but too busy for me it does look like. Thanks for the link anyway, LogicalDash. I appreciate it.

If there's something out there with the clean interface of SimpleNote with audio support, or a way to integrate audio with SimpleNote, I'd jump on the opportunity.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:08 PM on September 11, 2011


Me, too, everyone. What's the difference between this and a Dropbox folder full of text files?
posted by FLAG (BASTARD WATER.) (Acorus Adulterinus.) at 9:22 PM on September 11, 2011


I'm not entirely sure why this is better than evernote. Other than the aforementioned speed, what reasons are there for me to switch?
posted by seanyboy at 11:59 PM on September 11, 2011


Me, too, everyone. What's the difference between this and a Dropbox folder full of text files?

From the service standpoint, nothing. Simplenote is basically just Dropbox for text. The real reason you'd want to go to it is because you like the editor (or related ones like NVAlt, which is even better).

I'm not entirely sure why this is better than evernote. Other than the aforementioned speed, what reasons are there for me to switch?

Depends on what you need it for, I think. I'm sort of on the opposite side of the fence, a plain text guy who looks at Evernote and wonders what you need all that for. Plain text is lightweight, fast, platform independent, portable as hell, and as future-proof as a file format gets. You don't have to worry about what happens if your favorite program or service starts sucking in five years.

There are other benefits I alluded to upthread if you add things like MultiMarkdown to your workflow. For instance, I can type up plaintext notes in Markdown, and if I need to turn those notes into a document for my coworkers, I can turn it into a formatted HTML page or PDF for them in minutes.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:58 AM on September 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


Depends on what you need it for, I think.

Thanks. If asked, I'd have put myself down as a text only person, but in actuality (looking at my evernote notes), I use bold text, images and attached files.

Evernote it is then.

I actually compared evernote to my email client a while ago, and it's shocking how much UI functionality they share. I get the feeling that tools like simplenote, evernote, email, etc will soon be defined by these small differences.
posted by seanyboy at 9:24 AM on September 12, 2011


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