These my favorite fast jotting applications. I have used each at different times.

Curiota:RTF(RTDF): transparent file saving (can be indexed in Devonthink); editing is wonderful. One of the best jotting apps I have found. The only complain I have with it on windows management. It is a kind of quirky if you want to snap it to a certain corner of your screen. Totally free.

NoteAway: does everying Curiota does: plus a couple of nuggets if you pay for the pro version. The tagging capability is one of my favorite. The windows are also much better managed here.

Unclutter: Writing notes is one of the many things that unclutter can do--saves files too. the problem with this is, it does support neither rtf nor markdown. So, formatting is not supported.

NvALT doesn't need explanation.

Do you use any of these? what is your favorite?

I have tried many. My current choice, which I am just starting to explore, is the note-taking feature of the Sorter of DevonThink Pro Office, with the Notes database sync'd to DevonThink To Go.

I do quite like Curiota (although, thanks to other commitments, I've held back from exploring the latest version of Curio and so my usage of Curiota has been limited). I tried Unclutter - I didn't find it uniquely useful enough to persist. I don't know NoteAway. NvAlt is simple and OK.

One point about the DT Sorter: one can also use Apple Notes and/or Evernote as "front ends" to import notes into DT (and I imagine, though I don't know, that there must be a way of fairly easily importing nvAlt notes into DT too).

Quite agree about Curiota - I use it for saving web pages (as PDFs), plus all sorts of little jottings.

I also use Unclutter for taking quick notes and as a clipboard extender (does that very nicely). I do use Markdown in the notes, although Unclutter itself doesn't support it, because I then view the notes in various Markdown editors / sync them with mobile devices with Markdown editors (via Dropbox).

NoteAway I've tried several times, but find it a bit too fussy for quick jottings, although it's undoubtedly powerful. I generally use Apple Notes for slightly more detailed stuff.

Cheers,
Bill

One feature of NoteAway I specifically find it helpful is the Sticky (stay on top) feature.

I personally find Apple's stickies app more useful than their Notes app. I agree, the native apps are also getting better.

I agree; it would be cool to have Stickies on iOS as well - I think that would make it a preferred jotting medium for me.

Is anyone using NoteCard 2 or its brother app TaskCard 2? These look like interesting sticky type notes with a lot more power than just stickies.

http://www.thealchemistguild.com/notecard/

http://www.thealchemistguild.com/taskcard/index.html

Steve Z.

I've used NoteCard and TaskCard occasionally. I like the metaphor. There was an old app, Spiral Notebook, that operated similarly -- but is defunct on Sierra.

One disconcerting aspect of NoteCard -- pressing the red "stoplight" button deletes the card permanently. There's a warning first -- but red = delete is not consistent with the Mac UI in any other app I am familiar with.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

Is anyone using NoteCard 2 or its brother app TaskCard 2? These look
like interesting sticky type notes with a lot more power than just
stickies.

Oops -- it was "SpiralBound" not "Spiral Notebook" -- the developer's site has vanished.

Jo Paul! Gut, dich wieder zu sehen!

Yep, I've used both, and they're really rather good, although Paul's reservation is quite right. The better of the two is TaskCard, which has all the features of NoteCard but also handles tasks. The way you can create multiple, completely separate bulletin-board like "sets" of cards is particularly neat.

But... what's dissuaded me from using them much more than I do is the lack of an iOS app. To use TaskCard, you really have to commit to a fairly sophisticated environment. Without multi-platform support, there are just too many good alternatives.

Cheers!
Bill

I just watched the video of the TaskCard. It looks pretty neat.

How is the data stored in this application? does it store transparent formats? I mean, can you directly index the notes (without exporting) in Devonthink?

Never mind: I just tried the Trial. It uses internal database system.


It looks great application. But, thanks: not for me.

MadaboutDana wrote:

NoteAway I've tried several times, but find it a bit too fussy for quick
jottings, although it's undoubtedly powerful. I generally use Apple
Notes for slightly more detailed stuff.

As basic as Apple Notes is, it's also pretty seamless between OS X and iOS and very low overhead to use. I jot new notes and ideas in Apple Notes, then copy and paste into Workflowy, etc. if I want to further develop or elaborate.

here is a comparison of the apps I mentioned in here...based on their convinience to jot down notes. I would like to hear from you guys if there is an app that can tick all the boxes.

https://wordpress.com/post/dellu.wordpress.com/1076


Does this blog support standard markdown?


| Criteria | Curiota | NoteAway | Tab Notes | Unclutter | NvALT | TaskCard | Devonthink sorter |
|------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-------|----------|-------------------|
| Transparent file storage in Finder (library in Documents folder) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | x | x |
| Supports RTF and RTFD | √ | it is a sort of rtfd; but it is ntRTFD extension | √ | x | x | x | √ |
| Permits direct assignment of Finder tags | x | √ | x | x | √ | x | √ |
| Transparent file naming (the title of the note is the file name) | √ | adds further junk | x | x | √ | x | √ |
| menu bar icon for quick jotting | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Quick note inserting shortcut | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |

Sorr, this is the link: https://dellu.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/jotting-applications-in-the-mac/

Just to mention it -- on your criteria "Transparent file storage in Finder (library in Documents folder)" vis-à-vis DEVONthink Sorter. A folder that is indexed in DEVONthink can be added to the Sorter, and there used as a destination for a quick note. Generally, you would later need to go to your databases and choose "move to external folder" (i.e., the indexed folder) for those note documents. So, storing the notes external to the database is not an immediate thing -- but it is possible with one simple additional step.

I sometimes add a folder to the Dock, pop open the folder, then use Neu to create a new document in the folder. It's not a single-app solution, but Neu can be pretty useful esp. if you tend to create more than one document kind (RTF, MD, text, etc.). That folder can be indexed in DEVONthink, Together, EagleFiler, Curio, etc.

Thanks for the information about Neu. I trying it right now.

About the Devonthink sort, you are right that I can target it to a specific folder. But, I consider the step that exports the local file to the Finder folder similar step to the other apps which store in their database and export manually. It is almost the same step.

Furthermore, I often find myself getting confused where to store the note when I am using the Sorter. Absence of the option in Curtiota has facilated my jotting frequency, somehow. Devonthink database is like an ocean. I fear that the note I just jotted will be lost in that big ocean. For Curiota, the feeling I have is that I can revise the notes. In practice, the notes I am writing in Curiota might also be getting lost (forgetting to use them where I want to use them).

But, thanks. The Sorter might be still the best option.

Revisiting this topic. Another year is passing without any sign of life in the nvAlt replacement, BitWriter. So I am ready to migrate off of it.

Has anyone come across any new applications in addition to those listed in @Dellu's "Jotting Applications in the Mac" table?

I want: file storage outside the application in a standard format (prefer text/markdown or, as RTF(D)); macOS-iOS sync -- through Dropbox or OneDrive is ideal.

Bear would be ok, except for the standard format external files, and the weird tag-based sidebar.

iOS- only -- but has anyone heard news about the rumored update to Drafts? Or Editorial?

Agenda also says it will have a iOS app "mid-2018", though it uses a database for notes.

Hi, Paul,

I am wondering why you aren't considering The Archive? Is it that you need an iOS version or something else?


Paul Korm wrote:

Revisiting this topic. Another year is passing without any sign of
life in the nvAlt replacement, BitWriter. So I am ready to migrate off
of it.

Has anyone come across any new applications in addition to those listed
in @Dellu's "Jotting Applications in the Mac" table?

I want: file storage outside the application in a standard format
(prefer text/markdown or, as RTF(D)); macOS-iOS sync -- through Dropbox
or OneDrive is ideal.

Bear would be ok, except for the standard format external files, and the
weird tag-based sidebar.

iOS- only -- but has anyone heard news about the rumored update to
Drafts? Or Editorial?

Agenda also says it will have a iOS app "mid-2018", though it uses a
database for notes.

I've been using Curiota to jot things down quickly - phone numbers, notes while on the phone, etc. It's pretty decent (and it's free!) and I haven't had any problems with it. I like it. Not using it for anything more than notes that will get quickly deleted, though - for anything I want to save and be able to search for and use on Mac/iOS) I'll put it in Apple Notes or Ulysses.

Mainly, I just cannot warm up to it yet. It seems more like a hobby app than something viable for the long term. And it not significantly different than nvALT, yet. My impression is that nvALT is abandonware; too early to tell if The Archive is a one-shot deal or not. If Christian comes through with the promised features for The Archive, then maybe I'll change my mind.

But with your recommendation, I’ll give the Archive a more intensive workout for a while. (Since the folder it saves notes can be watched in Tinderbox, that's a good thing.)

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I am wondering why you aren't considering The Archive? Is it that you
need an iOS version or something else?

if The Archive is a one-shot deal or not.

I have ruled out The Archive and Bear mainly because these apps neither follow the standard Markdown fully (would have been future proof), nor are they self-sufficient. They are just middle ground.

Those hashtags, looking innocuous when used within the Bear, I realized that they are heinous creatures once I exported my notes. They keep on calling to Bear after I uninstalled the app.

I am also tired of the Markdown system as a whole as image file attachment is a total hassle. Markdown itself has been incompetent language to me. Even if it is future proof, it is not sufficient for my needs. If I have to supplement it with some other tool (Marked 2), it lost its primary promise (the simplicity, and readability across applications and platforms).

What I am using now?
- apps that support transparent file storage
- RTF & RTFD file formats

I don't know about their future; but these formats are complete. I can do whatever I want to do with my notes without requiring any additional tool (to embed, to highlight, to underline....)

Curiota & the Scratchpad in Scrivener do great job--both support RTF and RTFD. How Curiota supports the two formats is even more elegant; automatically converts it to RTFD whenever you attach an image.



I specially like the Scratchpad right now because it supports a better window management than Curiota. Curiota supports sub-folders; Scratchpad doesn't. Curiota is capable of storing longer list of notes; Scratchpad gets crowded since it has no subfolders.


My major problem with both of these tools is that you cannot directly assign Finder tags to the notes. That is when you need to pull Keep It (or, Alfred).

is the main use here for quick notes?

each software used with their main uses would be helpful for sure