Cork VS obsidian-releases

Note: Cork is not open source. Cork is under the Commons Clause, which bans distribution. As of commit 404943c, the README.md of Cork mistakenly refers to Cork as "open-source" [1]:

> Cork is licensed under Commons Clause.

> This means that Cork open-source and you can do whatever you want with Cork's source, like modifying it, contributing to it etc., but you can't sell or distribute Cork or modified versions of it.

even though the very FAQ for the Commons Clause asserts otherwise [2]:

> Is this “Open Source”?

> “Open source”, has a specific definition that was written years ago and is stewarded by the Open Source Initiative, which approves Open Source licenses. Applying the Commons Clause to an open source project will mean the source code is available, and meets many of the elements of the Open Source Definition, such as free access to source code, freedom to modify, and freedom to re-distribute, but not all of them. So to avoid confusion, it is best not to call Commons Clause software “open source.”

[1] https://github.com/buresdv/Cork

[2] https://commonsclause.com/

I use Cork every day. It’s an open source GUI for the Homebrew package manager. I like that it has some features that not even Homebrew itself has (like tagging packages and only showing those installed by you, filtering out the ones installed only as dependencies)

There are some apps that let you use Homebrew without touching the terminal at all, Cork has been making rounds recently as a good app for it. Cakebrew is also an option, tho I don’t think it’s as good as Cork by far (the performance is pretty bad and the app isn’t as polished and nice to use as Cork), and Cakebrew is also abandoned.

Because you mentioned Homebrew, I’d recommend everyone who doesn’t want to use it through the terminal to look into Cork, which is a very nice GUI for it. It’s still pretty new, but I’m impressed with it. It also adds some pretty nifty features that Homebrew doesn’t have (like package tagging, or clearing Homebrew folders that don’t get cleared by it)

Outdated packages not disappearing is a bug I know about, you can follow the progress on it here: https://github.com/buresdv/Cork/issues/23

The closest editor that follows our first principle is Obsidian editor:

The solution was already installed on both my computer and my phone: Obsidian.

> why does open source need to "win"

Open source does not need to win.

But your ability to be in control of your computer needs to be preserved. A proprietary fridge cannot control your diet, while a proprietary App Store can control what software you install on YOUR phone (unless you live in EU, hello DMA!). The tail wags the dog, so to speak. Proprietary software has also been shown to break user workflows or remove functions in an update while leaving users with no choice whatsoever.

One alternative to having open source win is to ensure software must come with a robust warranty and other assurances you expect from the things you buy. EU's CRA will make software vulnerabilities in WiFi routers covered by warranty, for example.

You can also ensure robust and interoperable data storage options. For example, https://obsidian.md/ stores all notes in Markdown, not holding the data hostage in case users will not like how future versions will work. GDPR actually has a provision for data portability (Art. 20), but it does not seem to have a requisite effect on the industry yet.

And until the above issues are solved, open source remains the best way to ensure that a software tail cannot wag your computer dog.

[2] https://obsidian.md/

So I've had my fair share of personal websites and blogs. I have built them on stacks ranging from the most basic HTML and CSS, to hosted frameworks like Wordpress and Laravel, to the more modern single page applications built in Vue and React. For a simple content blog I think you can't go wrong with a Static Site Generator though. These days I am almost exclusively writing everything in Obsidian. Which is great because its all in standard markdown format. This allows for a really neat and easy content publishing workflow.

Consider making an Obsidian[^1] plugin, or writing to Obsidian-compatible Markdown files :)

[^1]: https://obsidian.md/

Obsidian is a writing application created to allow for offline / private note taking in markdown format, in an interface that looks a lot like our regular programming IDE. It is very flexible, with a good collection of community plugins that you can use to customize Obsidian to your heart contents.

Obsidian support via our Obsidian Plugin