I run a Cryptpad instance and it is okay. Cryptpad fails a little bit because you must live within Cryptpad (you have import/export documents with no automation about it). What I ended up realizing I needed had the following features:
- Encrypted syncing between machines
- I want to write using Sublime Text or LibreOffice Writer, I don't want to load up a browser as I often need to focus
- Collaboration features
The first one is made possible by setting up Syncthing on my machines. The next two are already provided by LibreOffice. The missing piece is if I want to share the document with someone. Well this is covered by email OR I have been building a small service to sit infront of my remote syncthing to allow me to set specific documents/directories as viewable. This is basically an Nginx proxy with some fancy configs.
If Cryptpad was more interoperable with retrieving documents I would use it more as a remote interface. However it's too concerned with it's own idea to ever grow in that direction. I really like the Forms you can build with it however. I often use that feature for creating invites to parties I'm hosting. In the future though my sharing program may have a form build feature and Cryptpad will be non-useful to me.
I didn't know anyone ever closed their browser anymore. Honestly trying to imagine a workflow that doesn't include regularly using a browser seems very alien at this point.
If it’s alien that means you’re not trying to have a focused experience. You just prefer living in services with lock-in. Perfectly fine to do that.
For me a dedicated desktop app means I’m isolated to the tasks associated with it. I can always open a browser when I need it. There are plenty of equivalent apps in the browser that have eaten that workflow now but there are many more restrictions too (vpn compatibility, auth flows, ads distracting, user hostile flows) where a dedicated app shines is that I’m not stuck on the net. 90% of the time I just need text syncd in some manner. I shouldn’t have to load a web service for that.
Your meaning of Focused is as in capitalism though. There’s no real benefit to having Google host your calendars and to do list other than “synergy” and “one login”. Maybe provides some buttons that will copy-paste some things for you.
Yeah like I said if you like using a browser and risking performance issues, networking issues, user hostility issues of a browser than living in that world is fine. I’m not too lazy to spend a Saturday setting up a self-hosted service as I enjoy working with software and hacking on it. Since most of my stuff isn’t a complex web app trying to keep me locked in, issues are easy to solve, not locked behind unattended customer support like Google services. If you want to be in all the hip social circles though lock-in is the way to go.
Nothing beats shutting off the ad engine though and just having only my blank Fade In window to stare at though. Never a risk of distractions.
- Encrypted syncing between machines
- I want to write using Sublime Text or LibreOffice Writer, I don't want to load up a browser as I often need to focus
- Collaboration features
The first one is made possible by setting up Syncthing on my machines. The next two are already provided by LibreOffice. The missing piece is if I want to share the document with someone. Well this is covered by email OR I have been building a small service to sit infront of my remote syncthing to allow me to set specific documents/directories as viewable. This is basically an Nginx proxy with some fancy configs.
If Cryptpad was more interoperable with retrieving documents I would use it more as a remote interface. However it's too concerned with it's own idea to ever grow in that direction. I really like the Forms you can build with it however. I often use that feature for creating invites to parties I'm hosting. In the future though my sharing program may have a form build feature and Cryptpad will be non-useful to me.
In any case YMMV.