Just took a look at this:
https://obsidian.md/roadmap/
Obsidian's update roadmap. They plan to introduce:
I already wrote about the risks of the current file naming system:
https://io.bikegremlin.com/35681/obsidian-installation-and-configuration/#2
The introduction of "Multiplayer" brings this to a whole new level of risk, at least in my opinion (based on my knowledge, education, and experience). Why?
Because if they don’t fix filename sanitisation, the multiplayer feature might bite us all - both users and devs - in the rear.
As I tried to explain the problem in "plain English" to a friend:
Sure, I'm excited too about the Multiplayer. It should make Obsidian cover the main advantage of its main competitor, Notion - Notion doesn't let you keep your data in a portable and safe way. But the lack of filename sanitisation is an elephant in the room that no one talks abut.
Right now, Obsidian allows characters in filenames that aren't supported on all platforms (e.g, Windows vs macOS vs Linux). That hasn't been a huge deal when you're working solo and careful (but even then it is a problem), but once multiplayer editing is involved… that's a whole new ball game!
Imagine two people editing the same note, but one of them is on Windows and the other is on a platform that allows characters Windows won't tolerate. If filename conflicts, sync errors, or even silent overwrites start creeping in, it's going to be painful - not just for users but also for devs having to troubleshoot support nightmares.
"But it works fine for me!?"
If you think this or anything along that line, let me start with an analogy:
For all my childhood, our family car did not have any seatbelts at the rear. That doesn't mean it was a safe car or that you should not fasten your seatbelt even in the back seat.
Like a seatbelt, you can use any kind of filename when all is working well. However, it is normal for things to get messy and break down - computers, storage, software, you name it. When that happens, when things are "less-than-ideal", having simple file structure (no spaces, special chars, all lower caps etc.) can make a difference and make it easier to save or restore your data.
So, with all that in mind, I really hope the team makes filename sanitisation a priority before multiplayer goes mainstream. It feels like a small detail, but it’s one of those things that could snowball into serious problems once real-world usage ramps up.
Obsidian is awesome, I like it, and want it to do well - and further improve, not be bothered with bugs.
Relja
P.S.
My post about this on the Obsidian's forum:
https://forum.obsidian.md/t/handle-filename-casing-illegal-characters-consistently-across-os-es/22543/15
https://obsidian.md/roadmap/
Obsidian's update roadmap. They plan to introduce:
I already wrote about the risks of the current file naming system:
https://io.bikegremlin.com/35681/obsidian-installation-and-configuration/#2
The introduction of "Multiplayer" brings this to a whole new level of risk, at least in my opinion (based on my knowledge, education, and experience). Why?
Because if they don’t fix filename sanitisation, the multiplayer feature might bite us all - both users and devs - in the rear.
As I tried to explain the problem in "plain English" to a friend:
Sure, I'm excited too about the Multiplayer. It should make Obsidian cover the main advantage of its main competitor, Notion - Notion doesn't let you keep your data in a portable and safe way. But the lack of filename sanitisation is an elephant in the room that no one talks abut.
Right now, Obsidian allows characters in filenames that aren't supported on all platforms (e.g, Windows vs macOS vs Linux). That hasn't been a huge deal when you're working solo and careful (but even then it is a problem), but once multiplayer editing is involved… that's a whole new ball game!
Imagine two people editing the same note, but one of them is on Windows and the other is on a platform that allows characters Windows won't tolerate. If filename conflicts, sync errors, or even silent overwrites start creeping in, it's going to be painful - not just for users but also for devs having to troubleshoot support nightmares.
"But it works fine for me!?"
If you think this or anything along that line, let me start with an analogy:
For all my childhood, our family car did not have any seatbelts at the rear. That doesn't mean it was a safe car or that you should not fasten your seatbelt even in the back seat.
Like a seatbelt, you can use any kind of filename when all is working well. However, it is normal for things to get messy and break down - computers, storage, software, you name it. When that happens, when things are "less-than-ideal", having simple file structure (no spaces, special chars, all lower caps etc.) can make a difference and make it easier to save or restore your data.
So, with all that in mind, I really hope the team makes filename sanitisation a priority before multiplayer goes mainstream. It feels like a small detail, but it’s one of those things that could snowball into serious problems once real-world usage ramps up.
Obsidian is awesome, I like it, and want it to do well - and further improve, not be bothered with bugs.
Relja
P.S.
My post about this on the Obsidian's forum:
https://forum.obsidian.md/t/handle-filename-casing-illegal-characters-consistently-across-os-es/22543/15
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