{"slug": "emacs-org-mode", "name": "Emacs Org mode", "category": "notes", "category_name": "Notes and knowledge", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 3.291, "rising": -1.31, "first": "2025-12-08", "latest": "2026-02-18", "why": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 3, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://orgmode.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Emacs Org mode", "Emacs org-mode"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 752939520, "item_id": 47058720, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47058720", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-02-18", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Emacs/org-mode to do the same and much more, without tying myself to specific third parties", "excerpt": "I use Emacs/org-mode to do the same and much more, without tying myself to specific third parties, but the point remains valid and largely ignored by most until recently: the heart of our information is plain text with potential binary attachments, and managing it as freely as possible, with search&narrow access and the ability to turn it into hypertext, to compute inside text etc is essential to \"unlocking\" or truly", "context": "", "use_case": "plain-text notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Use Obsidian"}, {"id": 739313600, "item_id": 46207100, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46207100", "by": "globular-toast", "date": "2025-12-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted.", "excerpt": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted. But I agree with the other commenter about taking handwritten notes. I use pencil and paper and type them up into org-mode afterwards.", "context": "", "use_case": "meeting notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s"}, {"id": 739233968, "item_id": 46202123, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46202123", "by": "dotancohen", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Almost as good as Emacs Org mode. I use Org mode with Evil, to get VIM keybindings.", "excerpt": "This looks great. Almost as good as Emacs Org mode. I use Org mode with Evil, to get VIM keybindings. This way I can quickly navigate and edit the document, not just append to the end of it. And of course, Emacs is completely local. I suppose there is supposed to be a collaborative element that Emacs won't provide. In my experience people in meetings already have workflows and are seldom interested in using the tool ", "context": "", "use_case": "meeting notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s"}, {"id": 739110336, "item_id": 46194396, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46194396", "by": "escanda", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Plus org-mode agenda is just superior and awesome.", "excerpt": "I guess this sometime replace org-mode extensively. The idea is sound. The implementation looks good. For instance, I love org-mode export capabilities to standard formats such as pdfs and other kinds of documents. It makes it real easy to export some formulae or docs for some feature. Plus org-mode agenda is just superior and awesome.", "context": "", "use_case": "notes, export, agenda", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nova Programming Language"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["meeting notes", "plain-text notes", "notes, export, agenda"], "compared": [{"slug": "obsidian", "name": "Obsidian", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46198430", "title": "Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47054369", "title": "I Use Obsidian", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46192997", "title": "Nova Programming Language", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 3}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 752939520, "item_id": 47058720, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47058720", "by": "kkfx", "date": "2026-02-18", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Emacs/org-mode to do the same and much more, without tying myself to specific third parties", "excerpt": "I use Emacs/org-mode to do the same and much more, without tying myself to specific third parties, but the point remains valid and largely ignored by most until recently: the heart of our information is plain text with potential binary attachments, and managing it as freely as possible, with search&narrow access and the ability to turn it into hypertext, to compute inside text etc is essential to \"unlocking\" or truly", "context": "", "use_case": "plain-text notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Use Obsidian"}, {"id": 739313600, "item_id": 46207100, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46207100", "by": "globular-toast", "date": "2025-12-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted.", "excerpt": "Emacs org-mode is like this but 100x more powerful and it's just plain text and self-hosted. But I agree with the other commenter about taking handwritten notes. I use pencil and paper and type them up into org-mode afterwards.", "context": "", "use_case": "meeting notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s"}, {"id": 739233968, "item_id": 46202123, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46202123", "by": "dotancohen", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Almost as good as Emacs Org mode. I use Org mode with Evil, to get VIM keybindings.", "excerpt": "This looks great. Almost as good as Emacs Org mode. I use Org mode with Evil, to get VIM keybindings. This way I can quickly navigate and edit the document, not just append to the end of it. And of course, Emacs is completely local. I suppose there is supposed to be a collaborative element that Emacs won't provide. In my experience people in meetings already have workflows and are seldom interested in using the tool ", "context": "", "use_case": "meeting notes", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I built a system for active note-taking in regular meetings like 1-1s"}, {"id": 739110336, "item_id": 46194396, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46194396", "by": "escanda", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Plus org-mode agenda is just superior and awesome.", "excerpt": "I guess this sometime replace org-mode extensively. The idea is sound. The implementation looks good. For instance, I love org-mode export capabilities to standard formats such as pdfs and other kinds of documents. It makes it real easy to export some formulae or docs for some feature. Plus org-mode agenda is just superior and awesome.", "context": "", "use_case": "notes, export, agenda", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nova Programming Language"}]}