Show HN: Opal Editor, free Obsidian alternative for markdown and site publishing
33 points by rbbydotdev 2 days ago | 6 comments
A fully featured markdown editor and publisher. Free, open-source and browser-first (no backend required). Built with modern technologies like React, TypeScript, Shadcn/UI, and Vite. (thoughtfully crafted, not vibe coded)
  • jannesblobel a day ago |
    I wanted to try it out, but unfortunately I can't open the document/I don't know how to create a new one.
    • rbbydotdev 15 hours ago |
      Yeah, I was a bit worried about this and tried to be more clear. Good to know I successfully failed (haha) - Create a workspace with the circle plus button, in your workspace make sure you have the sidebar open (cmd/ctrl + b) then in the files click the new markdown icon (next to the trash button) - or if its an ellipsis button you can access it there

      This is good feedback, thanks! I should try to make this journey more obvious.

  • skylurk a day ago |
    Does it work on iPad? Cause that would be really handy for me.

    Git integration sounds awesome, Obsidian does not work well with git. For example, updating a Hugo/Jekell/Zola site. Hard to do that from iPad.

    • rbbydotdev 15 hours ago |
      Though I haven't tested it myself. I would say probably not very well. But, this is good to know - Thanks! Some of the of ui/ux currently is very targeted towards desktop, for instance drag and drop. Generally, interactions with a touch device would be pretty darn awkward.

      This limitation is not intentional by design. I would like to support touch devices and mobile, but to do it properly could take some careful thought and consideration. It's open source and I am looking for some help and input from the community. Even if it's just opening issues, so don't be shy ;)

  • billy99k a day ago |
    It's going to be tough competing with a battle tested app, including a large ecosystem of plugins.
    • rbbydotdev 15 hours ago |
      That's a very good point! I think as it stands users probably are better suited with obsidian or even vscode. BUT let us not be to limited by what it is today, and think of what it could be tomorrow ;) - I am looking for other developers and contributors to join me in shaping the vision.

      Plugins is a great idea. The ability to use existing obsidian plugins could be very powerful. Thank you for the idea!