Obsidian (software) explained

Obsidian
Developer:Dynalist Inc.[1]
Latest Release Version:1.6.7
Latest Release Date:July 18, 2024
Latest Preview Version:1.7.0
Latest Preview Date:August 8, 2024
Programming Language:Electron, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
Platform:Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, iOS
License:Freemium[2]

Obsidian is a personal knowledge base and note-taking software application that operates on Markdown files.[3] [4] It allows users to make internal links for notes and then to visualize the connections as a graph.[5] [6] It is designed to help users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way. The software is free for personal use, with commercial licenses available for pay.[7]

History

Obsidian was founded by Shida Li and Erica Xu while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Li and Xu, who had met while studying at the University of Waterloo, had already collaborated on several development projects.[9] Obsidian was initially released on 30 March 2020.[10] Version 1.0.0 was released in October 2022.[11] [12] Version 1.1, which added the Canvas core plugin, released in December 2022.[13] In February 2023, Steph Ango joined Obsidian as CEO.[14]

Features

Obsidian is built on Electron. It is a cross-platform application that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, as well as mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. There is no web-based version of the software. Obsidian on all platforms can be customized by adding plugins and themes, which enable users to extend the software's functionality with additional features or integration with other tools. Obsidian differentiates between core plugins, which are released and maintained by the Obsidian team, and community plugins, which are open-sourced through GitHub and are contributed by users.[15] Examples of community plugins include a Kanban-style task board and a calendar widget. There are over 200 community made themes to use with the app.

Obsidian operates on a folder of text documents; each new note in Obsidian generates a new text document, and all the documents can be searched from within the app. Obsidian allows internal linking between notes and creates an interactive graph that visualizes the relationships between notes. Text formatting in Obsidian is achieved through Markdown, but Obsidian provides the instantaneous previewing of formatted text.

A forum and Discord server is hosted by the developers.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Terms of Service - Obsidian . obsidian.md . 2023-12-12.
  2. Web site: Pricing . Obsidian . . 2024-06-11.
  3. News: Eastman . David . Obsidian and the Case for Using More Markdown . 17 December 2022 . The New Stack . 24 April 2022.
  4. News: Myrick . Andrew . Obsidian is the best note-taking app that you've never heard of . 17 December 2022 . . 15 September 2021.
  5. Pyne . Yvette . Stewart . Stuart . March 2022 . Meta-work: how we research is as important as what we research . . 72 . 716 . 130ā€“131 . 35210247 . 8884432 . 10.3399/bjgp22X718757 . Today, we are familiar with interlinked pockets of information in the form of hyperlinks on webpages such as Wikipedia. However, in the context of personal knowledge systems, the last year has seen an explosion of 'Personal Knowledge Graph' (PKG) tools such as 'Roam Research', 'Obsidian', and 'Notion', which digitise and personalise this powerful concept..
  6. Hastings . Robin . September 2022 . Linked data tools to help users create webs of personal knowledge . . 42 . 7 . 19ā€“22 . subscription . The two main recent entries in the linked data PKM field are Roam and Obsidian.
  7. News: Pot . Justin . Obsidian Review . 17 December 2022 . PCMag.
  8. News: Le Cunff . Anne-Laure . Exploring the power of note-making with the co-founder of Obsidian . 21 December 2022 . Ness Labs . 6 August 2021.
  9. News: Ionescu . Stefan . Obsidian . 17 December 2022 . . 4 August 2022.
  10. Web site: Obsidian Release v0.0.1 . 30 March 2020 . Obsidian . 31 May 2024 .
  11. News: Rudra . Sourav . Notion-like Markdown Note-Taking App 'Obsidian' is Out of Beta . 17 December 2022 . It's FOSS News.
  12. Web site: Obsidian Release v1.0.0 . 13 October 2022 . Obsidian . 31 May 2024 .
  13. Web site: Obsidian Release v1.1 . 20 December 2022 . Obsidian . 31 May 2024 .
  14. Web site: Iā€™m joining Obsidian full-time as CEO . 6 February 2023 . Obsidian . 31 May 2024 .
  15. Web site: Plugins . Obsidian . 12 January 2023.