The Markdown Link no. 24

An occasional post from The Markdown Handbook.

Among today’s links are markdown editors Qownnotes, Binderus, Notediscovery and WriteMonkey, plus a free and open-source CMS called Typemill.

• Qownnotes, if it wasn’t for the bewildering array if settings, would be among the best markdown editors. Work your head around the settings – be patient – and you can eventually come up with something like the image above, source code mode, my preferred starting point. Despite having so many settings there is one thing missing, leading, or line-height, so you can adjust the type accordingly with the font-size and line-length chosen; line-length is described in Qownnotes as ‘editor width’ and you will find it under the ‘Window’ menu. But ‘editor width’ only works if you have switched off the ‘Only use editor width in distraction-free mode’, which appears under the ‘Editor’ settings. Told you, there are a lot of settings. Themes are another area that could be cleaned up. Offer users only two themes, light and dark, and allow them to choose from a library of themes rather than the 36 themes currently offered. Clean up your settings, please.
• With Binderus what you see is what you get. So, if you’re happy with the content being the full width of the monitor that’s fine, but if you’re not that may be an issue. There’s no way to configure the editor width when in full screen mode. There are also problems with the theming – try the light theme combined with the / shortcut key, popularised by Notion et al – and a glitch that leaves it constantly scrolling that should be easily remedied. Useful pop-up window to show source mode and export (.doc, .pdf and .html) and print. It would be nice to have some keyboard shortcuts, such as for the export/print dialog, but this looks promising.
• Typemill is a free and open-source CMS with advanced features. It offers a subscription licence that includes access to premium plugins and themes. Try the open-source version free or pay 22 euros per year for a ‘Maker’ licence.
• Notediscovery is a lightweight, self-hosted note-taking application that puts you in complete control of your knowledge base. Includes access to math, Mermaid diagrams and templates. Write, organise and discover notes through a modern interface, all running on your own server.
• Writemonkey is a Windows/Linux writing application with a stripped down user interface, leaving you alone with your thoughts and words. It is light, fast and free. With an array of innovative tools under the hood and full markdown support, it is designed to help you write.