The backup format is a simple zip with a folder `assets/` that contains all the images, and a `logs.json` file that contains all the logs, which itself is a simple array with `createdAt, text, image` as keys.
Yes, the offline thing is kinda a hurdle to many. The way I'm convincing myself: if I log from multiple devices and backup often, I get some sort of offline partial replication? :D iCloud is great in its partition of user data so the devs don't have access to it, so yes if I were to support auto sync, iCloud would be top of the list. NextCloud is also on the table.
I'd like to differentiate between journaling and note-taking. And I do enjoy software that's designed for a specific purpose. e.g.: VS Code for code, Typora for Markdown, Roam for outlines. Markdown file is a great way for persistence, I find the formatting although great for expressing complex and structured thoughts and ideas, a bit redundant for my casual journaling needs (plus no timestamps per log, which I find useful to preserve the context). I do recommend Logseq or Obsidian for longer form note-taking. I also find ZenJournal could be a decent gateway to your other workflows: you log on the go from the phone and transfer the logs back to your other workflows. :)
Face palm moment indeed. I was actually kinda proud of the redesigned landing page, but yes, the image needs to be separated from the copy, maybe with a clear border.
Thank you for the kind words! Yes I've also tried a private twitter account, private slack/telegram channel, those would also work wonders if you desire something cross platform. I just realized I need something with minimum distraction, thus a dedicated UI for journal logs, which means no cloud or other people's servers, no profile images, no retweet button etc. :D
Feel free to follow the journey via our Twitter handler @thezenjournal or sign up for the newsletter if interested in following.
Maker here. I’ve went against the grain[1] and maintained this journaling app for the third year now. This is V3 that I just pushed few months ago that added photo logs (iOS only for now unlike V2). It may help people reflect now we are entering the holidays with a new start soon.
Why make another journaling app when there are so many other Day One look-alikes? Because it’s unique in the following ways:
- Offline only, no cloud, no tracking
- Easy to export to JSON (you own your data)
- Minimalism design taken to it’s logical conclusion
- Open and type, no step 2
- Type “?” to search, no step 2
- Type “#” to use hashtag to organize
- Double-tap timeline to hide and keep logging in discreet
- Pull up the timeline to see a 100 day GitHub like heatmap
Also it tries to avoid the following anti-features:
- journal titles (my pet peeves, way too much info up front)
- Sparse timeline with main/detail layout that forces you to drill down to see your full journal entry
I think the market for people who want to (and are able to) work exclusively in a very dark room is probably pretty small. I'm also not sure what features a work-focused projector would have that a normal projector wouldn't.
Do projectors have less eye strain? That's quite intriguing if so. What if you had a front-projector projecting on an e-ink screen, such that various parts of the screen could be in color/motion mode (e-ink off, projector only), mixed mode (e-ink on, with color overlay for syntax highlighting or the like), or ink only (projector off). That seems like something that's doable with off-the shelf components and software, at least as a POC...
I am not disciplined enough to do the initial linking by using these timestamps, will also not break out of the flow to find the previous note in another folder and copy the timestamp around.
Instead I’ve been using a stream of small auto-timestamped logs with hashtags to take and retrieve my notes and ideas. It is not a tree-based system, it’s just a text log stream and has worked extremely well for me so far.
I used to do this in a private slack group but eventually created an app called ZenJournal. You may also find it useful.
Yes, the offline thing is kinda a hurdle to many. The way I'm convincing myself: if I log from multiple devices and backup often, I get some sort of offline partial replication? :D iCloud is great in its partition of user data so the devs don't have access to it, so yes if I were to support auto sync, iCloud would be top of the list. NextCloud is also on the table.
Thank you for the support!