Take and Sync Notes with nvPY
Productivity Sauce
Notational Velocity is arguably one of the best open source note-taking applications. Sadly, it's available only on Mac OS X. But despair not: nvPY provides a viable alternative to Notational Velocity for Linux users. nvPY is not the prettiest application out there, but its interface is functional and it offers several useful creature comforts. The application sports a global search feature which lets you quickly find notes containing a specific search string. nvPY can handle Markdown and RST formatting, and you can convert formatted notes to the HTML format. Most users will also appreciate the built-in word count feature. nvPY also allows you to create internal links to other notes using the [[note]] format. More importantly, nvPY supports syncing via the Simplenote service.
Installing nvPY on Debian and Ubuntu (as well as their derivatives) can be done by running two commands as root:
apt-get install python python-tk python-pip python-markdown pip install nvpy
The first command installs the required dependencies, while the second command installs nvPY. Before you launch nvPY, you should create a file called .nvpy.cfg in your home directory containing your Simplenote credentials:
[nvpy] sn_username = simplenote_username sn_password = simplenote_password
Once you've done that, launch nvPY, perform sync using the File | Sync full command, and you are good to go.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
A small correction concerning nvPY syncing
I just wanted to make a small correction concerning nvPY's syncing strategy:
1. When you start it up, it automatically does a full sync, so you don't have to trigger a full sync directly after startup.
2. nvPY automatically saves and syncs continuously, in two background threads, as you work. You usually never have to trigger a full sync or a note sync by yourself. Even if you edit the same note from a different location, it tries to merge the changes coming from both sides during your next edit of that note.
3. nvPY does NOT yet automatically pick up on new notes that have been added through a different client, for example the web-app. If you think that new notes have been added, then you can trigger a full sync.
4. Eventually, even the full sync will happen automatically in the background while you work. I'm working on this, but it's a little more tricky than the other sync functionality I've already implemented.
5. I'll add this explanation to the nvPY documentation.
If there are any more questions, don't hesitate to make use of the nvPY discussion group: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nvpy
Thanks again,
Charl Botha