OpenNotas like a boss - take notes like a boss

The Issue

It has been almost a year since the first introduction of the note-taking application OpenNotas (ON). Time flies so fast, just yesterday I was struggling to post product introductions on Facebook, X, and ProductHunt, and in the blink of an eye, I received an email reminding me to renew my domain 🥲, which is truly painful for my wallet. OpenNotas is my first application product and has received a lot of affection. In return, it has always accompanied me throughout this time.

By the way, let me reveal some statistics to show the growth of ON over the past year. Although calling it growth may not be accurate since there were no metrics to compare before. But that’s okay, these numbers are just for reference, hoping to satisfy the curiosity of readers who are interested in this note-taking application.

According to Google Analytics data, over the past year, ON has gained more than 3,000 users, of which nearly 500 users have used ON more than once, or can be considered as regular users. Wow, I don’t know what readers think, but for me, these numbers are very impressive. There are many note-taking applications out there, and ON is just an obscure name, without a massive advertising budget, yet it still reaches out to picky users; that is truly commendable.

I am one of the very active users of ON. The proof is that the article you are reading was drafted from it. It makes no sense for an author not to use their own application, right? Unless they are not an indie. OpenNotas originated from personal needs, but besides that, it has outstanding features that I believe will be beneficial not just to me but to many others as well. Therefore, today, as a devoted user of ON, I will share the benefits it has been helping me with in both work and daily life!

Why OpenNotas?

It’s very simple! OpenNotas is a multi-platform, secure, multi-device synchronized note-taking application that focuses on writing.

You may have used many note-taking applications, and when you open them, instead of immediately placing your hands on the keyboard, what hits you is a series of buttons along with a bizarre interface. You will have to learn how to configure it or try to understand what the author means every time a notification pops up. ON is not like that; after opening the application, you just need one tap to start diving into your own words.

Have you ever used a Mac laptop, an Android phone, and a desktop computer running Windows or Linux? At that time, what note-taking application did you choose? Apple Notes, One Notes, or... Notepad!? Exactly, what I mean is that the fragmentation of environments is always a nightmare when your favorite applications only run on this platform and not on others. This results in a disjointed experience if not a terrible one. ON is an advanced PWA web application, allowing it to run on the web while still being installable on devices. Moreover, ON has built-in data synchronization features across devices, providing an uninterrupted note-taking experience without limits.

Finally, the thing ON cares about the most is security. Your data resides entirely on your device unless synchronization is turned on. The special thing is when synchronization is activated. All data sent to the server is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) as it leaves your device. Conversely, the incoming data must go through a decryption step before it can be read. For more detailed information, readers can refer to the article Security Methods | OpenNotas.

Who is the target audience for ON?

It’s everyone who needs a simple, multi-platform note-taking solution with synchronization capabilities and a focus on security or privacy.

You can place your trust in many other products available in the market. They have names, brands, spend a lot of money on advertising, or even open-source their applications for anyone to study. But that is a complex operation process, and we cannot observe everything that happens behind the scenes. With ON, everything is transparent from the source code to all information sent in/out of your device like monitoring a web application through the browser's Dev Tools.

Use OpenNotas like a boss

In reality, I use OpenNotas a lot for brainstorming blog post ideas. The job of a content creator certainly requires a lot of time to write, and I jot down everything, even sudden ideas that flash in my head need to be recorded to avoid forgetting. Whether sitting at the computer or going out, as long as I have my phone, I can record whatever I just thought of, then at home, I open the computer and continue the work that’s still in progress.

I categorize notes into folders like "Personal Notes," "For Blog," "Drafts"... to help me organize. I also frequently record cooking recipes on the computer and then open them on my phone while cooking. Or I document a new coffee brewing method that I just read somewhere. There are so many things worth recording!

In work, I use ON to jot down key points in meetings, then edit and send them back to everyone for review. Sometimes I need to write down ideas, solutions, or thoughts about a major issue to discuss together. During such times, there’s no need to hesitate; I just click on the purple paper icon right away.

Many times I want to send large data like JSON or HTML from my phone to my computer, while fancy messaging platforms struggle because they don’t allow sending beyond a certain character limit, ON can easily "digest" them. All I need to do is create a new note and "paste" the content in, and that’s it.

ON is also a place to store many Linux commands that I find useful. With the search feature, I can just type a few words to find what I need.

Finally, bank passwords, application passwords, and private keys for many other services are also stored here. ON has a feature to lock notes with a password. Data when locked is encrypted on the device and further encrypted again before being sent to the synchronization server. If you still aren’t reassured, you can apply a unique way of storing passwords like I do; instead of writing down the entire password, I only write 1-2 starting characters along with 1-2 ending characters. Like "So*******&", with the number of * exactly matching the length of the password for easy deduction 😆.

The Future of ON

ON is still in the process of perfecting and developing. Over the past year, ON has continuously released updates to fix bugs and bring more useful features to users. Besides, there are many things that can be further developed; it’s just a matter of time.

ON will continue to receive updates in the future, focusing on fixing bugs as well as enhancing user experience.

What do you think about OpenNotas? Do you need a new note-taking application? Is there anything it hasn’t met for you? Please share your thoughts so that I and everyone else can know. Thank you!