I’ve been gradually reviewing and revising the packages I use to complete particular tasks and the way the underlying data (my data) is being stored.
Where possible I prefer to have my data stored on systems I own in something like plain text format, and retrievable or at least accessible through a number of means.
The types of tasks I have in mind, the primary package I use to access this data and some backup packages are listed below:
| Data type | Primary Package | Alternative Packages |
|---|---|---|
| todo lists (task lists) | todo.txt | jdotxt or any text editor |
| web pages (markdown files) | hugo | grav or any flat file CMS |
| finances (financial journal entries) | hledger | ledger-cli or beancount |
| pkm (markdown files) | Logseq | Obsidian |
| birthdays and anniversaries | remind | ? Thunderbird |
| journal entries (thoughts or Bible studies) | jrnl | Any plain text editor or perhaps Logseq |
The common denominator in the above is that the data is stored in plain text files (or markdown) but the tools to access/manipulate/retrieve the data may be complex. My data can be read and/or processed through alternative apps so the format is secure and allows for redundancies.
Data types I haven’t given much thought to to date are my emails and web browsing. There are a few plain text/command line email apps available, and similar for web browsing.