Thread by @roamhacker

1/ So you all know Rob is crazy right? Well then you see something like this, and you know he is.

But is he? read on...

https://twitter.com/RobertHaisfield/status/1380297011358932993

2/ When I saw this I thought "information overload", if he is trying to sell @obsdmd, he isn't helping." I was wrong again! As I say, always learning from community. I love the sidebar.

https://twitter.com/RoamStack/status/1298957988397494273?s=20

but always felt it would be useful to have more freedom.

3/ I wrote some code that "detached" sidebar window panes so I could move them and dock them into other places. It looked great and I could see value in it. However, this was a real hack and destabilized Roam. Not Roam's fault, I was "surgically repositioning their right arm".

4/ Well I am testing out Obsidian these days and this week doing my normal work. Obsidian has this ability to have multiple docs open side-by-side, but also stacked on top of each other (as Rob shows). Here is another example:

https://twitter.com/cloudenlight/status/1382445270928134144

5/ I have to tell you, if you "live" in your "tool for thoughts" as I do (notes, research, project & task management), you need these advanced window management features. It actually helps you manage the chaos.

There is a time to focus, there is a time to see the big picture.

6/ I am very happy to see this in obsidian. It shows me my unstable hack of giving windows in the sidebar freedoms has actual value in tools for thought.

7/ Obsidian has a concept of "workspaces" built in, allowing multiple complex window layout configurations. I have been exploring this with Roam42 smartBlocks and workBench. But of course, with limited window management in Roam, its not a fare comparison.

8/ So here is what I realized today. This is very very useful. I was doing my morning prep:
+ Prepare agenda
+ Priority task list
+ Reviewing notes for upcoming meetings
I was able to lay all these things out into window panes all viewable one next to the other.

9/ Net result is impressive. It lets me see big picture of my day. As I meditate on objectives, ideas come and since those topics are open, I add to them. When a meeting or topic finishes, close the pane & focus on the rest.

(though I miss workBench Move & Pull commands)

10/ having said that, there are times for focus mode. One document, one view. I mean, if I really want just that, I can open Notepad which is free on Windows. Talk about writer's tranquility (sarcasm).

What obsidian proves is the value of window management in a tool for thought.

11/ I am not saying obsidian is better. What I am saying is that this is a clear productivity enhancement and would be probably be even more valuable in a graph db note based system like Roam.

12/ I know Roam has prototyped these concepts. But lets nudge them on this feature set:
+ Sidebar with detachable window panes
+ Window panes that can be docked anywhere

However, Obsidian does feel very boxy to me. As I stated "Obsidian is as if VS Code & Apple Notes had babies"

13/ I think Roam could go a step further. This would not be for every user, but users advance. I don't agree they need simple tools. They need simple tools in the beginning. Longer-term they need very advanced tools.

14/ Imagine giving an artist just one paint brush and 4 colors. No!!! Give the artist many brushes and give them hundreds of colors.

Babies crawl, then walk, then run & so on. Do we limit them and say: they only need to crawl to get around, why bother with learning to walk? NO

15/ Good software is like a parent, helping us crawl in the beginning, giving us the confidence to walk & then ability to run, ride a bike, do gymnastics and so on.

It is a good question I ask myself: Am I looking for a tool that is going to help me crawl? or to eventually run?

16/ What kind of tool do you want? Simple or advanced?

would you use advanced window management and workspace configuration management?