TfTHacker

I want to debunk the claim that I see a lot around here that Obsidian is "just plain text markdown files" which means "you can take them anywhere and open them with any app" That simply isn't true Yes, maybe the raw text of the notes is markdown, but many other parts cannot be moved elsewhere and opened by other apps: 1. The .obsidian/ directory contains your JSON config with plugins, settings, hotkeys, workspace state, link format, attachment paths – those can't be moved elsewhere 2. Plugin state files – Readwise's path-to-ID map, Templater's settings, Tasks plugin's database, Excalidraw's drawing data – even if plugins can be recreated, these settings cannot 3. .canvas files – JSON, not markdown. They reference notes by path and won't survive a move 4. .base files – JSON-based database/views over your notes. Same path-fragility 5. .excalidraw.md files – markdown wrapper around an Excalidraw JSON blob. Looks like markdown, isn't really 6. The link graph itself – backlinks, graph view, "linked mentions" – all computed from filenames and link references. They survive because the references are in the markdown, but they require Obsidian (or an Obsidian-aware tool) to materialize 7. Plugin-managed folders – Readwise output, Web Clipper output, Daily Notes location, Templates folder. Each is a folder whose contents are owned by an external system tracked in plugin state 8. Sync state – Obsidian Sync, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive each maintain their own state about what's where and what's been resolved. Move operations interfere with this state 9. Embedded query results – Dataview queries, Tasks queries, Bases queries. The query is in the markdown; the result is computed live and never persisted So technically you CAN move your files elsewhere, but you'd destroy most of what makes them valuable – the graph, the plugin state, the canvases, the embedded queries, the sync state, and any structural intent encoded in folder placement Which means you're just as locked in to Obsidian as any other "proprietary" app, it's just a hidden lock-in that's obscured by inaccurate marketing Saying "Obsidian is just markdown files" is like saying "your house is just bricks" The bricks are real and moveable – but the architecture, plumbing, and wiring aren't bricks, and those are most of what makes the house function

Tiago loves to stir the pot. I'm not really sure where his beef with Obsidian is coming from. If you believe in Obsidian, make sure to comment on this thread with your support! Let us make the Obsidian team feel good about the work they are doing. I have tried many apps over many years. I have researched, tested, written about, and extended them with plugins. I finally settled on Obsidian. There is no perfect app; there are always compromises. Obsidian finds the right balance of functionality and freedom. What I like about Obsidian is that markdown has always been central to its core. I use many other tools with my markdown files, but Obsidian functions as the container for them all. While Obsidian does many other things, at its core, it is about markdown. It always has been, and it will always be. Having arm-wrestled with the Obsidian team for years, the one thing I have seen is that they have a clear vision: to remain a high-quality environment for working with markdown, and they won't deviate from it. I really respect their determination to stick to their vision, even when that might bring about some limitations. They choose to live with the limitations rather than compromise their markdown capabilities. I also like that it is cross-platform, as I use it on my Mac, Linux, and iOS devices. It's stable, fast, and I have all my functionality on all my devices. I have uninstalled all other Tools for Thought apps. I don't follow them, and I don't spend time thinking about them. I am focused on a solid environment with Obsidian at the core for managing markdown, and lots of other tools wrapped around those files (ex, Claude Code and Codex, VS Code, Unix command line). I've never felt more productive in my life. Combining Obsidian with LLMs, I've never had better insights into my captured knowledge. I feel the Tools for Thought dream has become a reality.

I want to debunk the claim that I see a lot around here that Obsidian is "just plain text markdown files" which means "you can take them anywhere and open them with any app" That simply isn't true Yes, maybe the raw text of the notes is markdown, but many other parts cannot be moved elsewhere and opened by other apps: 1. The .obsidian/ directory contains your JSON config with plugins, settings, hotkeys, workspace state, link format, attachment paths – those can't be moved elsewhere 2. Plugin state files – Readwise's path-to-ID map, Templater's settings, Tasks plugin's database, Excalidraw's drawing data – even if plugins can be recreated, these settings cannot 3. .canvas files – JSON, not markdown. They reference notes by path and won't survive a move 4. .base files – JSON-based database/views over your notes. Same path-fragility 5. .excalidraw.md files – markdown wrapper around an Excalidraw JSON blob. Looks like markdown, isn't really 6. The link graph itself – backlinks, graph view, "linked mentions" – all computed from filenames and link references. They survive because the references are in the markdown, but they require Obsidian (or an Obsidian-aware tool) to materialize 7. Plugin-managed folders – Readwise output, Web Clipper output, Daily Notes location, Templates folder. Each is a folder whose contents are owned by an external system tracked in plugin state 8. Sync state – Obsidian Sync, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive each maintain their own state about what's where and what's been resolved. Move operations interfere with this state 9. Embedded query results – Dataview queries, Tasks queries, Bases queries. The query is in the markdown; the result is computed live and never persisted So technically you CAN move your files elsewhere, but you'd destroy most of what makes them valuable – the graph, the plugin state, the canvases, the embedded queries, the sync state, and any structural intent encoded in folder placement Which means you're just as locked in to Obsidian as any other "proprietary" app, it's just a hidden lock-in that's obscured by inaccurate marketing Saying "Obsidian is just markdown files" is like saying "your house is just bricks" The bricks are real and moveable – but the architecture, plumbing, and wiring aren't bricks, and those are most of what makes the house function

Tiago loves to stir the pot. I'm not really sure where his beef with Obsidian is coming from. If you believe in Obsidian, make sure to comment on this thread with your support! Let us make the Obsidian team feel good about the work they are doing. I have tried many apps over many years. I have researched, tested, written about, and extended them with plugins. I finally settled on Obsidian. There is no perfect app; there are always compromises. Obsidian finds the right balance of functionality and freedom. What I like about Obsidian is that markdown has always been central to its core. I use many other tools with my markdown files, but Obsidian functions as the container for them all. While Obsidian does many other things, at its core, it is about markdown. It always has been, and it will always be. Having arm-wrestled with the Obsidian team for years, the one thing I have seen is that they have a clear vision: to remain a high-quality environment for working with markdown, and they won't deviate from it. I really respect their determination to stick to their vision, even when that might bring about some limitations. They choose to live with the limitations rather than compromise their markdown capabilities. I also like that it is cross-platform, as I use it on my Mac, Linux, and iOS devices. It's stable, fast, and I have all my functionality on all my devices. I have uninstalled all other Tools for Thought apps. I don't follow them, and I don't spend time thinking about them. I am focused on a solid environment with Obsidian at the core for managing markdown, and lots of other tools wrapped around those files (ex, Claude Code and Codex, VS Code, Unix command line). I've never felt more productive in my life. Combining Obsidian with LLMs, I've never had better insights into my captured knowledge. I feel the Tools for Thought dream has become a reality.

engagement-bait accounts love to weaponize Cunningham’s law: "the best way to get the right answer on the internet is to post the wrong answer" it's a lose-lose for the target because if you don't reply it allows misinformation to spread, if you do reply it boosts the post