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Comment by thegagne

10 hours ago

Not all software needs to be for-profit.

Simple utility stuff I believe should fit in this category. Things like a text editor.

The profit comes from elsewhere, larger more complex systems.

Of course someone can TRY to profit off a text editor, but unless it solves complex enough problems (like a full blown IDE, but even then...).

The issue is there is intense demand for it, and ALSO easy supply. If someone attempts a profit driving rugpull, another will pop up in it's place.

I am still using Dendron because it meets my needs, but I'm always half tempted to replace it, and I'm fairly confident I could come up with something that meets my own needs in a day or two, and it would likely also be valuable to countless others. I just keep assuming that someone else will spend that day or two, and my pain points with Dendron are not that bad for me to spend the time.

A text editor with good UX is quite complex, I think it's hard to argue otherwise.

Most text-editors by large corporations don't even pass this bar.

  • How many text editors have you paid for, versus how many have you used for free?

    I do think there is room for a few good paid text editors in the world, but most people won't pay directly for them, though they might use them if they are bundled ala Google Docs / O365 Word.

    • I have paid for Obsidian and Samsung Notes as part of buying a Samsung phone.

      I also paid for a few more, e.g. Notion, but I think it's better to focus on: There's definitely value in good text editors.

      They can greatly enhance your experience with a system, e.g. if Samsung Notes was amazing I'd be much more likely to stick to using a Samsung phone.

      1 reply →

Hello, fellow Dendron user. I haven't found good-enough alternatives either.

  • Hm, maybe we should go make one.

    I am not a power user for Dendron, I mostly just use it for journaling, keeping track of who is who and what is what, and organizing architecture / ideas before they find a home somewhere else. Mostly a journal.

    I do like that it’s in VS Code and I can leverage those tools and now, AI, to help.

    The main functionality I use is the new daily journal from template feature. Do you use more surface area from it? What is the most useful features for you?