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If you're using @obsdmd as though it's @RoamResearch, then you get what you pay for. I use both, and both have their strengths, but Obsidian has page level backlinks and no filtering. As soon as you get more than a few linked refs, their backlinks implementation is burdensome
Roam's data structure in conjunction w/ backlinks make the daily notes work. When you view the backlinks for a page, it drills down on the specific information on the page that is relevant. Have dozens of backlinks? That's okay, filter it down! https://twitter.com/context_ing/status/1285090522202173440?s=20
Backlinks in Obsidian are essentially a search that they put beside a note. They have less utility. I recommend thinking about your Daily Notes there as an inbox and moving notes out of the daily notes and onto specific pages. Roam's Daily Notes are both an inbox and outbox.
Without filters, keyword level page names (think [[psychology]] or [[investing]]) don't work well unless they are index pages for evergreen notes. Zettelkasten or Evergreen Notes are a much better fit for Obsidian than keyword level notes. https://notes.andymatuschak.org/z3SjnvsB5aR2ddsycyXofbYR7fCxo7RmKW2be
This rant was sort of spurred by @justindirose's tour on @KeepProductive, but also by all the people who characterize Obsidian as "Roam but free."
Yes, I recognize that he uses Obsidian over Roam primarily because of the privacy and control that comes with Obsidian. That being said, Justin is using Obsidian like Roam, and I don't think that scales. Many people use Obsidian in this way, and this is a mistake.
Not trying to call out Justin, it's just that his tour is a visual example of this broader phenomena. Many Roam users will watch it and think to themselves "square peg, round hole"
I don't want to turn this into an Obsidian slam thread. I use both, I think they are both excellent applications. My point is just to not treat Obsidian like Roam. Treat Obsidian as a text file editor and manager that can operate on any file on your computer and link them
All of my pages on my digital garden ( http://robhaisfield.com/about ) are written in the _notes file you see in VS Code, which I manage/edit/autoupdate from Obsidian. When I'm writing text files for other reasons, I can open any other folder on my computer as a new vault.
How I divide the two in my own use cases:
Roam: Research, thinking, accumulating thought over time, private evergreen notes, project management, CRM
Obsidian: Deliverable output, text file management, private or public evergreen notes.
Roam: Research, thinking, accumulating thought over time, private evergreen notes, project management, CRM
Obsidian: Deliverable output, text file management, private or public evergreen notes.
Some constructive feedback towards Obsidian as well- I would love to see it lean into the broad “text file management and editing” use case and allow for editing/managing other forms of text files like DocX and perhaps having Pandoc as a plugin or built in https://forum.obsidian.md/t/pandoc-plugin/3433
I'm sure you are fully aware and made an informed decision! People should check out Justin's video comparing Roam and Obsidian, it's good! https://twitter.com/justindirose/status/1285391990306344960
