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I just started doing what...

Nathan DeGruchy's picture

I just started doing what...

I just started doing what Nikhil Mulani said, and writing up a big ole HTML file, complete with reference links at the top.

The plus side is that the document structure is farily simple (headers for headers, lists for lists). Unfortunately, the markup can add a lot to the file-size of the, essentially, plaintext file, plus, for any real meaning, you need a browser to view it. Not really a minus, but an extra requirement for viewing them.

Life inside one big text file By: Merlin Mann (74 replies) August 17, 2005 - 3:28am
  • I still have three different... By: R (2005-08-17 04:41)
  • I would think that maybe... By: Nikhil Mulani (2005-08-17 04:49)
  • I have been experimenting with... By: Robert Daeley (2005-08-17 04:56)
  • Funny that this should come... By: Rusty Haskell (2005-08-17 04:58)
  • I'm just wondering if you... By: Bob (2005-08-17 05:12)
  • Slightly off-topic, but: this... By: scruzia (2005-08-17 05:14)
  • I just started doing what... By: Nathan DeGruchy (2005-08-17 05:23)
  • I've been doing this for... By: meatpeople (2005-08-17 05:37)
  • On the computer, I use... By: jklymak (2005-08-17 05:57)
  • I have to second Bob's... By: Tom Otvos (2005-08-17 05:58)
  • I'm ashamed right now because... By: Peppers (2005-08-17 06:06)
  • I'm a very recent mac... By: Charlie (Colorado) (2005-08-17 06:46)
  • I try to get the... By: dan (2005-08-17 06:47)
  • I did the one file... By: Fatlimey (2005-08-17 07:00)
  • I'm surprised there is generally... By: MH (2005-08-17 07:01)
  • @Peppers: My thought with the single... By: Rusty Haskell (2005-08-17 07:15)
  • The spotlight search featire of... By: Martin (2005-08-17 07:55)
  • I'm surprised no one else... By: Jason (2005-08-17 07:55)
  • To everyone who experimented with... By: Sam (2005-08-17 08:09)
  • @sam Yeah, I would use it,... By: Nathan DeGruchy (2005-08-17 09:23)
  • erm http://www.degruchy.org/projects/note-book/handy-dandy-note By: Nathan DeGruchy (2005-08-17 09:24)
  • I use one text file... By: Mike Penner (2005-08-17 09:44)
  • Nice one, DeGruchy! I was... By: Nikhil Mulani (2005-08-17 09:48)
  • Wowzers; I didn't realise my... By: Giles Turnbull (2005-08-17 09:58)
  • I keep a work diary... By: Kenneth Bowen (2005-08-17 10:21)
  • A tool you all might... By: Josh Centers (2005-08-17 10:25)
  • I picked up this habit... By: Bill Bradford (2005-08-17 10:37)
  • MAKRDOWN IN VIM http://plasticboy.com/dox/mkd.vim Credits to Pla By: r (2005-08-17 12:18)
  • I started using VoodooPad about... By: NicH (2005-08-17 12:23)
  • I use Hog Bay Notebook... By: Dance (2005-08-17 12:26)
  • The four big advantages I've... By: mg (2005-08-17 12:58)
  • I live by DevTodo. ... By: Matthew (2005-08-17 14:36)
  • I myself have a lot... By: Brett (2005-08-17 15:45)
  • i'm using a few textfiles,... By: kepart (2005-08-17 17:47)
  • Back in the day, before... By: Jason Gilstrap (2005-08-18 02:11)
  • I find the combination of... By: Swaroop C H (2005-08-18 02:37)
  • I store a bunch of... By: monorailmike (2005-08-18 03:09)
  • My problem with the one... By: carib (2005-08-18 03:14)
  • I'm with Jason...the GTD Tiddly... By: Jay Dreyer (2005-08-18 06:15)
  • So here's my question for... By: Merlin (2005-08-18 06:56)
  • The past day I've been... By: Doug McInnes (2005-08-18 08:17)
  • I use multiple files and... By: D Fitch (2005-08-18 08:18)
  • For those last two, an... By: Rich (2005-08-18 09:01)
  • @Rich: Cool Vim tip! I... By: Doug McInnes (2005-08-18 09:53)
  • Wow, my "personal information management... By: dollface (2005-08-18 11:27)
  • mac folks, i super-recommend this: http://www.vojousoftware.com/ By: tomax (2005-08-19 00:46)
  • Merlin, for jumping around in... By: PlasticBoy (2005-08-19 04:14)
  • @NicH .... you mention custom... By: Constella (2005-08-20 09:32)
  • I also find folding a... By: bongoman (2005-08-20 11:47)
  • I've been playing around with... By: Mitch Wagner (2005-08-20 12:33)
  • Argh, most of my previous... By: Mitch Wagner (2005-08-20 12:44)
  • Bloody hell, the comments software... By: Mitch Wagner (2005-08-20 12:46)
  • Thanks for the great article... By: Matthew Cornell (2005-08-21 00:51)
  • You should take a look... By: mathew (2005-08-21 04:37)
  • i just want to recomment... By: michael yap (2005-08-21 04:48)
  • Like Jklymak, I use Emacs... By: Clair (2005-08-21 15:55)
  • I've been kicking my backpackit.com... By: Nathan DeGruchy (2005-08-22 16:49)
  • One other item that might... By: Sean (2005-08-23 07:02)
  • Oy... I have two systems. Home... By: korinthe (2005-08-23 08:30)
  • I have been using a... By: Tom (2005-08-24 07:45)
  • I absolutely love this idea.... By: Mike Shea (2005-08-24 10:06)
  • I just wrote a tiny... By: Mike (2005-08-24 13:40)
  • I have been dipping into... By: jimmy outboard (2005-08-26 06:15)
  • This is unfortunately Windows and... By: Merlin (2005-08-26 08:19)
  • I use OS X Vim... By: KKovacs (2005-09-02 06:01)
  • Hmm, some htmltag-like things have... By: KKovacs (2005-09-02 06:07)
  • One Big File 43 Folders had... By: Enlightened Despotism (2005-08-17 04:38)
  • http://WWW.tsuibhne.net/knot/archives/000645.html 43 Folders: L By: Life As A Knot (2005-08-17 06:14)
  • Files are so 2007.. "Files" are... By: objective (2005-08-17 07:00)
  • The quest for writing it... By: Rich Seymour's stochastic statements. (2005-08-18 16:57)
  • However, under no circumstances do... By: Gramarye (2005-08-19 15:41)
  • Making Sections In Text Files... By: M. Ellis Conroy's OM&TR: Linklog (2005-08-22 00:24)
  • One big ass text file Recently... By: Ascent Stage (2005-08-27 08:12)
  • Links and Tools Roundup This is... By: Productivity Strategies (2005-10-04 15:37)
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