The problem with local apps is actually a problem with closed-source software. I refuse to rely on closed-source software to access my data because then I am beholden to the vendor of that software to access my data. It’s only slightly better than putting my data in the cloud. What I really want is the source code to that local app so I can guarantee the ability to continue accessing my data forever. This can be done with open source software but very few companies want to sell their product as open source. Some version of source-available may help but you still have the problem of the company discontinuing support so you need some escape hatch on the license in that case and as far as I know nobody has tried.

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walterlw 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

wouldn't it be enough for the underlying user data to be stored in a well-documented and widely supported format? I don't care if Obsidian, Logseq or similar are open or closed source if my data is just a folder of markdown and jpeg/pngs.

	▲	account42 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		In simple cases maybe but in general how the format is actually interpreted matters more than what some spec says. Markdown is a great example because in practice almost every markdown renderer does things a bit differently.

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asherdavidson 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Would you feel the same way about a closed source local-first app that used sqlite as the underlying database?

That would let you access your data forever, albeit you might still need to write your own scripts to port it to another app.

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account42 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

In theory, open formats would be enough. In practice you still end up depending on peculiarities of the software handling those formats more often than not so I agree that having access to the source code and permission to modify it when the original vendor's interests no longer align with yours is the only solution.