obsidian and concepts are the ones i use, obsidian for reference notes and concepts for mindmapping and understanding on an infinite canvas. neither one is free and open source but obsidian can be used for no cost.
this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2025
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+1 I use exactly the same system!
Obsidian is so nice and powerful. It's linking features have been super useful for conneccting my learnings on socialism with various other topics.
+1 to obsidian backed with a cloud storage provider to sync the files across devices.
Plug-in support is actually where obsidian shines because there's so much extended functionality. Calendars, flashcard creation, etc. imho
Also shout-out to logseq if you're want to take handwritten notes or a cleaner UI
Logseq looks like a good option for Linux. I still prefer concepts since you get the infinite canvas and more drawing features, but I could probably barely get by with Logseq whiteboards for some topics.
Edit to clarify: Logseq has an infinite canvas implementation that you can draw on but things like the stroke nudge tool are very handy and unique to concepts. I also prefer tap with two fingers to undo which seems to be absent from Logseq. If I didn't have Windows and Concepts I think Logseq would be good enough.
Edit edit: I tried to launch it again and my pen wouldn't write even though I had the writing tool selected. Absolute garbage dogshit, and I want my money back.
I would post this in foss and programming tbh.
But my personal suggestion is use nextcloud as a one stop solution for all your cloud needs. I host my own server and one for customers. This means I have my files, notes and photos synced on all devices without pricacy invasion (provided you have a good vendor or host yourself).
As a professional I want to stress that syncing devices is much more complex than most people think. They either need to be physically connected to sync or they need a server in between to help them sort out ip changes etc. This makes nextcloud the best solution imo. Seamless and private.
I write markdown files and "sync" with a private git repository. Works for me, ymmv.
I use Joplin and its really great tbh
cloud storage of your choice and a txt file and get get good at indenting. I mean this for real
I mean the gross suggestion is EMacs Org Mode and sync it to your source code repository of choice.
Joplin looks nice but I haven’t used it.
another +1 for obisidian. used it for years with no complaints
I wish there was a better FOSS alternative for Notion, but there really isn't one. The only thing that comes close is Joplin.
I just use a google sheets that’s all no fancy apps. Still waiting for a open sourced alternative one…
What about Libre Office?
on mobile too?
You can access LibreOffice functionality on mobile platforms through third-party apps like Collabora Office, which is based on LibreOffice and available on both Android and iOS.