I've become increasingly convinced that the best format for note taking for me is plain Markdown, with a metadata header. Then I can bring my own editor that matches my needs in the moment.
For example, if I want to do some long-form writing, I can open my directory of notes in iA Writer. If I want to grep the files, I can jump to the command line.
Any note app that enforces more of a structure (requiring lists in Markdown, or with its own idiosyncratic naming scheme) is just lock-in, and within a year or two I'll be on to another app.
Full disclosure, I'm developing a very minimal iOS/Mac/commandline app with this philosophy.
For example, if I want to do some long-form writing, I can open my directory of notes in iA Writer. If I want to grep the files, I can jump to the command line.
Any note app that enforces more of a structure (requiring lists in Markdown, or with its own idiosyncratic naming scheme) is just lock-in, and within a year or two I'll be on to another app.
Full disclosure, I'm developing a very minimal iOS/Mac/commandline app with this philosophy.