After a short stint with my Git-based writing setup, I have returned to the familiar interface of Bear. The appeal of having a Git-based workflow was the central repository of posts I could access through my computers and my phone. However, SoloMD turned out to be erratic with the pushes and pulls, frequently refusing to update my data due to various errors. It quickly became a chore. What I needed was a distraction-free interface to write in; SoloMD wasn’t going to give me that.
Bear is a beautifully designed and minimal Markdown writing app. This is what drew me to it in the first place. I can trace my first use of Bear to 2017. I used it as a note-taking app, for everything from grocery lists, to business-planning, to meeting notes, and more.
By design, Bear is nowhere near the sophistication of tools like Obsidian. This is precisely why I like it. Although I have never used any Obsidian-esque tools, I am convinced that I would have been quickly overwhelmed by what seems to be something close to infinite customisability. Bear does one thing, and does it well.
As an unofficial participant in Blaugust—I haven’t signed myself up to the list of bloggers taking part this year, but I have published a post a day so far this month—I find myself in need of more and more topics to write about every day. The Bear app has preserved my notes going back almost 10 years, and I’m tempted to comb through them for blog post fodder. Don’t be surprised if you see some nostalgia-laden posts on this blog over the next few days.
