Turtl
Productivity
encrypted note-taking
SHOW HN2016
236points
96comments
#109of 2,264 in 2016
Top 5%of 2016 by points
How HN took it
RoastedHalf or more of the comments are critical
11 positive, 6 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 29 critical, out of 51 comments about the project. Thread score -0.29.
Privacy: 2 for, 8 againstExecution: 1 for, 8 againstDesign: 0 for, 7 againstPerformance: 0 for, 4 againstIdea: 3 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Open source with encryption and self-hosting option.
From 3 comments
I was going to rail against another app I could be interested in which forces an Android installation through Google's Play Store. Then I noticed the link to sources on GitHub…
phillc73 on HNDoes it run on my own server, encrypting data with keys the server never sees?
natch on HNI saw the "pricing" link at the top and was about to shit all over this for a privacy oriented app being closed source, until I scrolled to the very bottom and saw the innocuous…
colordrops on HN
Markdown support is a welcome feature.
From 1 comment
I'm sorry but I don't think you should call this an Evernote alternative. - No iOS client (Although the site does say coming soon) - No Firefox webclipper - No Web interface -…
smcleod on HN
Good to see an Evernote alternative that addresses privacy.
From 2 comments
I've been looking for alternatives to Evernote for a long time now, but haven't found a viable one. Thanks for making this, I'll definitely check it out!
magicmu on HNI'm glad of an alternative, mostly because Evernote being the last bad option to date, has terrible UX. And the search is substandard. I use it because I can use it on mobile and…
triplesec on HN
Objections
Performance is heavy: web-frame app uses lots of CPU and power.
From 3 comments
I'm sorry but I don't think you should call this an Evernote alternative. - No iOS client (Although the site does say coming soon) - No Firefox webclipper - No Web interface -…
smcleod on HNI'm seeing about 80% less power on a mid-2012 Macbook Air with a 2GHz Core i7 for Evernote vs. Turtl. I'm guessing more parallelization is even more beneficial on lower speed…
s_q_b on HN> Neither of these is unfixable over time JS on desktop is never going to perform well.
biokoda on HN
Crypto choices criticised: PBKDF2-SHA1 and MAC timing issues.
From 2 comments
https://github.com/turtl/js/blob/2ca59900d71284795e278e75585787ca767e9766/library/tcrypt.js#L192-L195 Nothing says secure like PBKDF2-SHA1 with 50 rounds.…
sarciszewski on HN> Nothing says secure like PBKDF2-SHA1 with 50 rounds. This code is deriving an encryption key and an HMAC key from a master key. The master key is already a random value, so…
orthecreedence on HN
UI is confusing and sidebar is too narrow.
From 2 comments
I feel the UI (of the desktop version) is a bit lacking. Within one minute from installing it, the following happened. I added a note: a text note, fine. So a side bar opens...…
V-2 on HNI tried it. I like this app, especially this tile interface. And it won't scramble all of things into notes like evernote. bookmarks, files, notes are separated. seems nice.…
hirokiky on HN
Lacks mobile iOS client and Firefox clipper.
From 1 comment
I'm sorry but I don't think you should call this an Evernote alternative. - No iOS client (Although the site does say coming soon) - No Firefox webclipper - No Web interface -…
smcleod on HN
Requests
Import from Evernote or other formats.
From 2 comments
Nice app. Please please add any sort of import capability (You can look at simplenote export/import csv/json format)
yazriel on HNThere is still some manual work you have to do to organize them but you can use this tool to import all your notes from Evernote into OneNote:…
TheWiseOne on HN
Docker image for server setup.
From 2 comments
Is it possible, or maybe I should offer, to encapsulate this in docker using docker-compose? I find it easier and cleaner to try new things out running docker-compose up.
formichunter on HNThanks! Lots of people are requesting docker images, so this sounds like the way to go. I'll look into it.
orthecreedence on HN
Web version of the app.
From 2 comments
This is pretty sweet but the UI does leave some to be desired. It would be awesome to have a UI similarish to onenote or a few others where on the left side you have a list of…
kusuriya on HNI'm sorry but I don't think you should call this an Evernote alternative. - No iOS client (Although the site does say coming soon) - No Firefox webclipper - No Web interface -…
smcleod on HN
Questions
Does it run on your own server with keys the server never sees?
From 1 comment
Does it run on my own server, encrypting data with keys the server never sees?
natch on HN
Is TrueCrypt use a security issue?
From 1 comment
Are you using truecrypt? Isn't that a dead project with security issues?
dutchbrit on HN
Alternatives named
OneNote
From 1 comment
Onenote is superior to Evernote. The problem is I have so many notes in Evernote I am too lazy to switch
eibrahim on HN
Apple Notes
From 1 comment
Apple notes (in iOS 9 and El Capitan) is also a secure, encrypted Evernote alternative: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303
jaybuff on HN
Centrallo
From 1 comment
Have you tried Centrallo? Centrallo 2.0 Global Productivity App Adds Evernote Import Wizard to Its List-Making Features and Adds Former Evernote Executive Heather Wilde to Its…
ipixny1004 on HN
Simplenote
From 1 comment
Nice app. Please please add any sort of import capability (You can look at simplenote export/import csv/json format)
yazriel on HN