[gexla]

I get that. But I'm also skeptical of any product / service which attempts to bolt on Roam-like features.

Note taking apps have been around for a long time, and now all of a sudden it's a hot new thing to add bio-directional links?

The developers talked about starting out not knowing what they would end up with but that they would know when they saw it. That process took them two years (?) of exploration and development to get to what they have now. That's worth tipping them at least a few months subscription for anyone looking for a note taking app with Roam features. Throw these guys a bone for getting us past the stagnation.

Also, anything Roam-like is still going to be half-assed. If they aren't furthering the thread, then they're just copying. If they're just copying, then they don't have the understanding of the problem that the Roam developers have. If I feel Roam brought value to the world, then I should follow those developers who delivered rather than the copy cats.

Granted, Roam didn't create the idea of of linking notes. They didn't create the idea of the bullet blocks. They did create the interface which made it all work on a screen though.

[ImprobableTruth]

Hell, even if they had straight up invented backlinks I wouldn't be willing to deal with an application that costs $15 per month and gives me absolutely no control over my data. The possibility that an outage could cause me to lose work alone prevents me from ever giving it a shot.

And the idea that even though the copycats deliver to me the superior product, I should still give what amounts to charity to Roam because they designed a nice interface just strikes me as absurd. I don't see the point in being overly concerned about supporting new research since we already have a mechanism for that: patents. If Roam truly believes their work is revolutionary, they should have just applied for a patent.

[gexla]

> The possibility that an outage could cause me to lose work alone prevents me from ever giving it a shot.

They have an excellent data download option in the app. You can download in Markdown or JSON and then restore. The JSON format restores everything. The Markdown format restores syntax. I download both with every session.

> And the idea that even though the copycats deliver to me the superior product, I should still give what amounts to charity to Roam because they designed a nice interface just strikes me as absurd.

Where in my comment did I mention Roam being inferior? Right now it's the opposite. Copycats are offering bolt-on roam-like features which don't work the same. The developers don't have the same understanding of the problem that the Roam developers have.

Why is Roam blowing up right now when it's just another note taking app? People are seeing something in it that they haven't seen in other apps. Bolting on copy-cat features isn't going to capture whatever magic Roam is doing. People are doing themselves a disservice by looking for a Roam alternative. If you tried Roam and believe it sucks, then you aren't looking for an alternative, you're just looking for something with links (Roam does way more than that though.)

I have no personal stake in the app. I'm just amazed at the reviews that Roam has got. I have seen loads of people say that Roam has changed the way they take notes. Some even say it has been life changing. The service has been blowing up.