Will your notes outlive the app you keep them in? (2023)

A one-minute read with a long-term point: apps are temporary, so if you want what you create to last, keep it as files you control in formats that are easy to read. His test is memorable: if you want your writing readable on a computer from the 2060s, it should be readable on one from the 1960s. For a thinking system meant to build up over decades, that's worth considering before you choose a tool.

Where I'm less sure: Ango helps make Obsidian, which is built on this idea, though he's candid that Obsidian will become obsolete too. Plain files have costs (links, attachments, metadata and collaboration don't always survive a move), and an app with a good, tested export can meet the same goal. (Declaring an interest: I make a note-taking app myself.)

Question: If your note app disappeared tomorrow, what's your exit plan, and have you actually tested it?