I get that feeling like when you're trying to, you know,
learn something new or just keep track of all these great
ideas you have, it's like your brain and all your devices
are just like overflowing with information.
Total chaos, right?
Total chaos, exactly.
So today we're diving deep into something that might help
bring some order to that chaos for you.
We're gonna be looking at Joplin,
which is this note-taking application
that's not just like powerful,
it also like puts you in control of your information.
Okay, I like that.
Yeah, and all the stuff we're talking about today
comes straight from the source.
Okay.
So we're looking at Joplin's GitHub repository
and their official website.
Gotcha.
And what we really wanna figure out today
is what Joplin is.
Go ahead.
And why it might be like your new best friend
for managing all the stuff you need to know.
I'm intrigued.
And before we jump in, just a quick word.
This Deep Dive is supported by Safe Server.
They provide hosting and support for digital sovereignty.
So if you're into that, check them out.
It's www.safe-server.de.
Awesome.
All right, so let's get into it.
Let's do it.
So, you know, for people who are just starting out
with these kind of tools,
can we just break down what Joplin is?
Yeah, so think of it like this.
It's your secure digital notebook,
but one that's incredibly organized
and can store a huge amount of information.
Okay.
It's free.
You can use it on your phone, your tablet, your computer.
Gotcha.
Jot down notes, create to-do lists,
and keep all your important thoughts in one place.
So it's more than just like a blank page.
You can like actually structure your thoughts and stuff.
Exactly, exactly.
And what's really cool is it's designed to handle
tons of notes.
Okay.
And you can arrange them into different notebooks.
Okay.
Kind of like you would with, you know, paper files.
Oh, that makes sense.
Yeah. Yeah.
So it's very, very flexible in that way.
Yeah.
And I know looking at the sources,
you can do all kinds of things with these notes.
Like you can, you can search them, tag them.
You can even edit them outside of the app.
Yeah.
So it seems like there's a lot of flexibility there.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
You know, imagine you need to find a specific idea
you had a couple of weeks ago.
Yeah.
Joplin lets you search through all your notes instantly.
Wow.
You can add tags to them,
which are kind of like labels to categorize them
in even more ways.
Okay. So it's like, it's like a more, a more powerful version
of like a folder system almost.
It's, yeah, yeah, very similar to that.
Okay.
Yeah. If you're comfortable with it,
you can even open up your notes in a,
like a simple text editor and tweet them directly.
Oh, wow.
This is possible because Joplin uses a standard format
called Markdown.
Okay. Markdown.
I've heard of that, but I'm not totally sure I understand.
Yeah.
Can you, can you kind of break that down in like simple terms?
Sure, sure.
Think of Markdown as a really simple way
to format your text as you type.
So instead of clicking buttons to make words bold
or create headings, you just use like a couple easy symbols.
Oh, interesting.
For example, if you put asterisks around a word,
it makes it bold.
Gotcha.
It might seem new at first,
but it's really straightforward.
Okay.
And it ensures that your notes can be read on any device,
you know, now or in the future.
Yeah.
Without being locked into like a specific program.
Oh, that makes sense.
Yeah.
It's like writing in plain text, but with superpowers.
I like that.
Plain text with superpowers.
Yeah.
So, okay, so I get the markdown thing now.
Okay.
But what about for somebody who's used to using
another note taking app, like say Evernote.
Yeah.
Is it a big jump to go to Joplin?
Like what if they have tons of notes in Evernote?
Yeah, that's a great question.
Yeah.
Cause you don't want to lose all that information.
Exactly.
So Joplin has a feature where you can import your notes
directly from Evernote.
Oh, nice.
And it doesn't just bring over the text,
it tries to preserve your formatting.
It converts it to markdown.
Okay.
And even brings along your images, attachments,
and metadata, like when you created the note.
Wow.
It's designed to make the move as easy as possible.
That's awesome.
You don't have to start from scratch.
Yeah.
And if you have notes that are already in markdown,
Joplin can import those really easily too.
Cool.
Okay.
So I saw this term offline first.
Yes.
I'm not really sure what that means.
Yeah, so offline first means all your notes
are saved directly on your device.
Okay.
So your phone, your computer.
Gotcha.
So even if you don't have internet,
maybe you're on a plane or something.
Right, or like a remote area or something.
Yeah, you can still access all your notes,
create new ones, make edits.
Oh wow.
Your knowledge is always with you,
regardless of the internet, so.
So it's like reliable, like no matter what.
Exactly.
That's cool.
It's very convenient.
Yeah, but what if you're using like multiple devices?
Yeah.
How do you keep everything like in sync?
Right.
Like if I'm working on my phone and my computer.
Totally.
How do I like make sure it's all the same?
So Joplin has a way to sync your notes
across all your devices.
Okay.
You can use cloud services
that you're probably already familiar with,
like Dropbox OneDrive.
Okay.
But here's where Joplin really shines.
Okay.
It gives you the option to encrypt your notes
from end to end.
End to end encryption.
That sounds pretty intense.
Yeah.
I'm not really sure I understand what that means.
It sounds scary, but it's actually really simple.
Okay.
So basically, think of it like sending a secret message
in a locked box.
Okay.
With end to end encryption,
your notes are scrambled on your device
before they're sent to the cloud.
Okay.
And they stay scrambled
until they reach your other devices,
which have the key to unlock them.
Gotcha.
So this means that even the company
providing the cloud storage can't read your notes.
Oh, so it's like really private.
Super private, yeah.
That's cool.
And Joplin handles this all behind the scenes.
So once you set it up,
you don't even have to think about it.
That's good.
It just keeps your thoughts and information private.
Nice.
Joplin also offers its own syncing service.
It's called Joplin Cloud.
Okay.
And it's based in Europe
and follows really strong privacy rules.
So it gives you another secure option.
Gotcha.
So it's like the convenience of online syncing,
but with the security of knowing your notes are private?
Exactly, exactly.
That's a really cool combination.
Now let's say I have tons and tons of notes in Joplin.
Okay.
How do I quickly find what I'm looking for?
So Joplin has a built-in search
that works just like searching the internet,
but it searches through all your notes.
Oh, okay.
So you type in any word or phrase,
Joplin instantly shows you every note where it appears.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah, it's a huge time saver
when you're trying to remember something specific.
Yeah, or like find that one thing
you wrote down months ago or whatever.
Exactly.
That's awesome.
It's like a super memory for your notes.
I like that.
Yeah.
Okay, so what about for people
who like to personalize their tools,
what kind of customization options are there in Joplin?
So you can change how Joplin looks with different themes.
Okay.
You can also add extra features by installing plugins.
Plugins, what are those?
Yeah, those are like little add-ons
that extend what Joplin can do.
Oh, cool.
Yeah, for example, there are plugins
for creating tables of contents.
Okay.
Or even working with different types of diagrams.
Nice.
And for more advanced users, Joplin has an API,
which is basically a set of instructions
that lets other programs or even yourself
create custom extensions and automate tasks.
Wow, that's pretty powerful.
Yeah, it's all about making Joplin work
the way you want it to.
I like that.
Yeah.
So you can really like make it your own.
Absolutely.
What about different types of information?
Like can you include things like pictures
or even web pages in your notes?
Oh, totally.
We're not limited to just text.
Okay.
You can add images, videos, PDF documents,
even audio recordings to your notes.
Oh, cool.
If you're studying math or science,
Joplin can display formulas and diagrams.
Nice.
And if you're using the mobile app,
you can take a photo with your phone
and save it directly to a note.
Wow.
Yeah, it's really designed to handle
all sorts of learning materials.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
I think I also saw something about like
saving things you find online.
Yeah.
Is that a thing?
Yes, so Joplin has this really cool tool
called the Web Clipper.
Okay.
It's a browser extension you add to Chrome or Firefox.
Gotcha.
And with it, you can save entire web pages.
Oh, wow.
You can save articles or just parts of a page
as notes in Joplin with a click.
Cool.
It can also save screenshots.
Nice.
Which is really handy for research
or articles you wanna read later.
Yeah.
Or anything you find online that you wanna organize
with your other notes.
That's really useful.
Yeah.
Okay, so we've covered what Joplin is
and like a lot of its features.
Can we talk a bit more about why being open source
and focusing on privacy are so important?
Absolutely.
Like especially for somebody new to this.
Yeah, so because Joplin is open source,
it means that the code behind the application
is available for anyone to look at.
Okay.
And this transparency helps make sure
that the software is trustworthy and secure.
Yeah.
Because lots of people can review it.
Gotcha.
For any potential issues.
Okay.
Also, your notes are saved in an open format.
Yeah.
Meaning you're not locked into Joplin forever.
Right.
And you can always access your data.
Yeah.
Even if you decide to use a different tool later on.
That's good.
Yeah.
And the focus on privacy,
especially with that end-to-end encryption.
Right.
Gives you control over your information.
Yeah.
And ensures that only you can read your notes.
Yeah, so you're not like beholden to, you know.
Exactly.
Whoever's like making the app.
Exactly.
It's about giving you digital sovereignty.
I like that.
Over your thoughts and ideas.
That's cool.
Yeah.
So is Joplin available on like all the devices
somebody might use?
Pretty much, yeah.
You can download it and use it on Windows, Mac OS,
and Linux computers.
Okay.
As well as Android and iOS phones and tablets.
Nice.
There's even a version you can use directly
in your computer's terminal.
Oh, wow.
If you're into that sort of thing.
So for those hardcore folks out there.
Exactly.
Yeah, okay, cool.
So yeah, this wide availability means
you can access your notes wherever you are
on whatever device is most convenient.
So it's like ultimate flexibility.
Exactly, yeah.
Okay, so let's say somebody is using Joplin,
they have questions, they need help.
Yes.
Where do they go?
So Joplin has a really great community.
Okay.
Their main support forum is a great place
to go for questions, get help from other users,
talk about features, even see what's coming up
in beta releases.
Oh, cool.
You can find lots of helpful information there.
Oh, yeah.
It's connected with other users.
That's awesome.
They also have official documentation.
And you can find Joplin on all sorts
of social media platforms.
Oh, nice.
Like Patreon, Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube,
Discord, LinkedIn.
Wow, they're everywhere.
They're everywhere.
Cool.
So yeah, there are lots of resources for beginners
to learn and get support.
Nice.
Yeah.
It sounds like a very well-supported
and user-friendly tool.
It is, it is.
Even for people starting out.
Absolutely.
Okay, so let's kind of wrap things up.
Okay.
What would you say are the main reasons
that somebody should consider using Joplin?
Yeah.
Like, especially if they're looking for like a simple
and secure way to manage their information.
So in a nutshell, Joplin is a free and open source way
to take and organize notes.
Okay.
And it has a really strong emphasis
on keeping your data private and secure.
Yeah.
It's designed to be flexible.
Okay.
Letting you handle lots of notes,
sync them across all your devices
with that optional end-to-end encryption.
Right.
And customize the application to fit your needs.
So whether you're just starting to organize your thoughts,
or you have like a mountain of information to manage.
Joplin is a really powerful,
but accessible solution that puts you in control.
That's awesome.
And that was a really great summary
of like how Joplin can help people
manage all this information that we're all dealing with.
So for you, the listener, just think about this.
Imagine having a single secure place
that you can change to fit your needs
for all your notes, ideas, and learning materials.
How could that change the way you learn
and create and remember things?
It's about building your own personal knowledge hub.
That's a great point.
And don't forget, this deep dive was supported
by Safe Server, supporting your digital sovereignty
with their secure and reliable hosting services.
So check them out at www.safeserver.de.
Awesome, thanks for diving deep with us.
Yeah, this was great.
See you next time.