[submeta]

This looks like a beautiful software. But I would like to add some thoughts.

In the past I've been using many tools for managing all kinds of data. In the 90s MS Access for creating personal database "apps". In the 2000s various CRM solutions (desktop-based, self-hosted and hosted; among others Act CRM, SugarCRM, Highrise). Also, extensively used a self-hosted version of Confluence as a personal wiki (yeah, way to heavy for the goal). And then also many many PIM tools for managing personal notes, contact data and notes.

I have seen many tools come and go. Many of them have high maintenance costs in the long run, especially if you decide to use a self-hosted version. But even if you decide to pay for the hosted version: Your data is stuck in someone elses solution.

Finally, I come to realize, that no matter how shiny and beautiful an interface might seem, in the end the long-term accessibility and the ability to keep and own my data is much more important than anything else.

Now I keep most of my essential data in plain text-files, albeit in a structured way (in org-mode + Emacs). Emacs + Lisp are just wonderful: I can write some code in Emacs Lisp to create the perfect workflow, for all kinds of use-cases (meeting notes, contact data, overviews in ascii-tables, text-files dedicated for certain contacts, structured in org-mode and many more).

I tend to think that Emacs + Org + plain-text will be here in fifty years from now, when all other shiny solutions are replaced by the latest trends du-jour. Feels good to liberate my data.

[owlmirror]

There is no reason why you could not run any of the (self hosted) solutions you've mentioned in fifty years. Your data is still yours and it's easy enough to transform the database with simple tools in any format you like, if you choose to do so. For me the build in capabilities of these tools can not be beaten by text files. Especially when it comes to searching/filtering and linking your data. In the end the database and business logic are still just files on your hard drive

[submeta]

Very idealistic. - Have you ever tried to maintain a PHP project or Django project or any other web project after several years?

Dependencies break, packages are abandoned, or the whole project gets abandoned, then try to maintain the regular updates, patches, fixes. Whole lot of work, until you give up, have yet another database dump in your hand and no interface to work with the data. Of course you can query those tables, get your data out of them, but that's another story.

[owlmirror]

If it's a private project, like a Personal CRM, you don't have to maintain anything, just run it in a VM or container make access only possible over a SSH tunnel and forget about it.

[submeta]

I‘ve seen VMs running Ubuntu 10.something, with a Jira instance that was never updated. Then these people had both an outdated VM where upgrading to the next Ubuntu Sever LTD version was not a trivial task. And Jira was outdated as well. And I‘m not even talking about the Mysql and other services on that VM.