Please Bring Back Local Notebooks!

[saxophin 2]

I have now installed the legacy version in order to preserve my encrypted local folders. I can't believe the new version doesn't support note encryption! To me that is a shocking failure. my question is though, does the legacy version still maintain my local folders unsynced. I have no desire for them to be available to the cloud.

[DTLow 5,736]

27 minutes ago, saxophin said:

my question is though, does the legacy version still maintain my local folders unsynced. I have no desire for them to be available to the cloud.

The legacy versions support Local Notebooks; unsync'd to the cloud servers   
Version 10 does not support Local Notebooks; all data is sync'd to the cloud servers

>>...preserve my encrypted local folders.  I can't believe the new version doesn't support note encryption!

Encryption is another subject; no versions support note encryption or encrypted local folders

[saxophin 2]

The previous version 7.14.1 supports password protection of notes. This is what I meant, rather than encryption. Apologies. Version 10 doesn't support password protection as far as I can see, so it's useless to me.  I have moved my local, password protected notes to another app as I'm losing faith in Evernote.

[CyberBaratna 9]

Hey Evernote,

I totally get it - being able to sync your stuff between devices using the cloud is wonderful, and Evernote is very confident in its security... but sometimes there's stuff that the Evernote app handles really well that you just shouldn't put on the cloud: sensitive IT admin stuff, stuff on airgapped malware forensics environments, financial stuff, stuff for freelance projects where your client isn't comfortable with the cloud.  Local notebooks have been great for these things, because they remain in your full control on your devices and don't require Internet access.  And it really kills me that local notebooks are being dropped in the "Legacy" category to be phased-out (https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005107-Convert-local-notebooks).  

I'm a cybersecurity person and have been a paying Evernote customer for years, but unfortunately, this change is enough to make me look for alternative note-taking apps.  As far as I can tell, there aren't any that render screenshots, embedded documents, code, etc as well as Evernote, but if none of Evernote's products (the free version, the paid version, the business version) offer notebooks that won't get sucked up into the cloud as soon as I connect to the Internet, it won't matter - I'll still have to go to the second or third solution when the Legacy Evernote is gone.  Come on Evernote, you folks must have other customers in my situation - just keep the local notebook option please!!! 

 

[Rainer Winkler 10]

I have the same problem. I already cancelled my premium account and will go to an alternative solution where local storage is possible.

Evernote apparently did not understand that there are notes, where it is not allowed to store them in a cloud system at all. Trying to convince users of their security does not help in this cases. Because other people do not allow the storage in the cloud.

As Evernote removed also the offline storage, I fear that they are not able to bring local notes back with reasonable costs.

[tavor 668]

On a security related note, cybersecurity firm FireEye announced today that they were hacked.

If they can be hacked, it is only a matter of time until EN's user data is hacked. And EN just took away users' ability to keep their data out of the cloud.

[tavor 668]

On 10/25/2020 at 7:15 AM, saxophin said:

The previous version 7.14.1 supports password protection of notes. This is what I meant, rather than encryption. Apologies. Version 10 doesn't support password protection as far as I can see, so it's useless to me.  I have moved my local, password protected notes to another app as I'm losing faith in Evernote.

Which app did you move your local/unsync'ed notes to?

[CyberBaratna 9]

Do you guys know if there's any way to continue using the new Evernote application and still have notebooks that don't sync to Evernote's cloud?  I mean, maybe they have Evernote for offline clouds that you can install on a corporate server or something?  At the very least, that would allow a cybersecurity team to collaborate and still keep those notes close-hold.

[DTLow 5,736]

15 minutes ago, CyberBaratna said:

Do you guys know if there's any way to continue using the new Evernote application and still have notebooks that don't sync to Evernote's cloud?

It's quite clear that Local Notebooks will no longer be supported (a database architect thing)   
My intention is to continue to use Evernote, but move sensitive attachments to an external folder/directory
The embedded attachment will be replaced with a file link

[tavor 668]

49 minutes ago, CyberBaratna said:

Do you guys know if there's any way to continue using the new Evernote application and still have notebooks that don't sync to Evernote's cloud?  I mean, maybe they have Evernote for offline clouds that you can install on a corporate server or something?  At the very least, that would allow a cybersecurity team to collaborate and still keep those notes close-hold.

Nope.

If you want to store data in EN and NOT have that in EN's cloud (in unencrypted form), your current options are EN Legacy (which I'm using), do what DTLow suggested (have only links in EN, with the actual data stored elsewhere), or find another app (which I'm starting to explore). Good news is EN Legacy will probably be around for at least a few months, so there is time for those of us for whom data security is a priority to find a new home.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

EN server is not only a storage. It makes OCR, keeps note history, maintains the search index,  puts copies on mirror sites for high availability etc.

No way they let this be installed locally.

If one needs a locally hosted server solution, there is the server edition of DEVONthink. It will cost a one time payment of appr. 500€, and can be accessed by several users.

[CyberBaratna 9]

1 hour ago, PinkElephant said:

EN server is not only a storage. It makes OCR, keeps note history, maintains the search index,  puts copies on mirror sites for high availability etc.

No way they let this be installed locally.

If one needs a locally hosted server solution, there is the server edition of DEVONthink. It will cost a one time payment of appr. 500€, and can be accessed by several users.

I understand that Evernote can offer some pretty cool additional features with a bunch of processors crunching pattern-recognition programs against my notes up in Evernote's cloud: the programming language recognition and color-coding, extracting text from images (like screenshots) for search, etc.  Those features are really cool, but so are the really basic things that you don't need their cloud for like image resizing and indexing basic text for search across your notebooks (try it now on a local notebook in Evernote Legacy disconnected from the Internet - you can search against stuff you just typed).  

I kid you not, finding features like basic image resizing in Evernote competitors has been like pulling teeth... see a recent convo on this below about the Bear tool.  The critics say Bear is "beautiful" and "elegant", but when I stick a screenshot in there, it fills up my whole screen like I'm trying to play PS5 on a TV from the 70s.  To resize, you have to lower the resolution separately - which isn't tough but obviously slows you down.  

And the Evernote alternatives that are more focused on developers?  Try dropping a screenshot - a lot will just say "[Screenshot1.jpg]" or something derpy like that and not actually render the image.

I've been using Evernote's local notebooks for years - and sure it's a trade-off whether we want more security on a notebook or more features on it, but at least we had that freedom to choose.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

On a Mac there is a local solution preinstalled with Apple Notes. Not as feature rich as EN, and when using local instead of iCloud, there are (surprise) less features. To make things more secure, notes can be locked (simply the note itself, not like EN does content inside of it). So one can play between local (on device) and iCloud notes / notebooks, and between locked and open. When local, the backup solution is right there, with Time Machine.

For a full set of functions there is DEVONthink, Mac and iOS only.

For resizing images I use the Mac's Preview app - very simple & fast. With EN there is still the trick to insert a table, and stick the images inside of table cells sized to fit.

For the time being EN based on legacy still fits my use case best. v10 would not, and this is not for the local stuff (which I never used), but for a lot of other missing functions. If EN continues to roll out new releases in the same pace as they did, it will probably be end of 2021 before they catch up with features relevant for me.

[CyberBaratna 9]

On 12/11/2020 at 10:38 AM, PinkElephant said:

EN server is not only a storage. It makes OCR, keeps note history, maintains the search index,  puts copies on mirror sites for high availability etc.

No way they let this be installed locally.

If one needs a locally hosted server solution, there is the server edition of DEVONthink. It will cost a one time payment of appr. 500€, and can be accessed by several users.

Thanks for the DEVONthink suggestion, PinkElephant - will try the 30 day free trial.  Looks like a good option so far for Mac - $99 for Standard version, $199 for Pro, and $499 for the organization-focused "Server" version.  Evernote premium is $8/month, so if you use it for a year, you're already going over the DEVONthink Standard cost.  

While I'd love it if Evernote brings back the local notebooks, if they're just going to stay full-cloud all-the-time, DEVONthink seems to have similar features and they pretty clearly planted their flag on giving users security flexibility with the quote below from their main page: https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/devonthink.

Quote

Use your databases on all your Macs, iPads, and iPhones by synchronizing them between your devices. You decide what data is synced, when, and where. Strong encryption makes sure that your data belongs to you, not to your service provider or us.

 

[tavor 668]

33 minutes ago, CyberBaratna said:

While I'd love it if Evernote brings back the local notebooks, if they're just going to stay full-cloud all-the-time, DEVONthink seems to have similar features and they pretty clearly planted their flag on giving users security flexibility with the quote below from their main page: https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/devonthink.

 

Yeah, EN seems to have a different concept in mind. I don't think local notebooks or encryption works for their idea of what note retrieval should be. As I recall, some years back they shot down the idea of encryption (which is an alternative to local notebooks, arguably even better than local notebooks assuming you trust the encryption implementation because then you have access from any of your devices, you have cloud storage so your data isn't dependent on your hardware not failing or being destroyed, e.g., a fire). If users encrypted all or even most of their notes, the search concept that Ian Small talks about (where EN can bring up the notes you need with minimal input from you) doesn't work. 

I don't think any of the note taking apps that have sprung up in the last few years offer the equivalent of local notebooks, but several of them offer encryption.

[Rainer Winkler 10]

4 hours ago, tavor said:

I don't think any of the note taking apps that have sprung up in the last few years offer the equivalent of local notebooks

This also my impression. So probably a self made solution will be needed. Or it is required to wait for some other project or company to finish. 

I think, it is only fair when Evernote gives us a timeframe, so that we can plan the development properly.

I do not understand, why Evernote does not want to earn money in the new market they created. It would be quite easy, as the a working prototype is already existing (The Evernote Legacy version).

[saxophin 2]

I moved them to Standard Notes and also to Keep It because although they get synched, the are encrypted.

[sleahcim 3]

I finally downloaded the most recent version of Evernote. I didn't know about the move to a 100% cloud-based Evernote until I tried to open one of my notes. WTF is this spinning disk? Why don't I see my note as soon as I click on it.

You see, I'm in the boonies, connected to the internet via satellite. It's not dialup slow, but it's slow. I've resisted most cloud services that require me to have instant access to my data to work. I've been with Evernote since 2008. I was actually looking forward to the update. Now I'm so disappointed, sick to my stomach even.

I understand why it was done. It makes sense. But as most companies have done, they make decisions based on what they see in their bubble, which unfortunately means a high speed connection. Interesting note: a Microsoft study last year found that 162 million Americans lack broadband internet — nearly half the US population.

[tavor 668]

On 12/14/2020 at 2:44 AM, Rainer Winkler said:

I do not understand, why Evernote does not want to earn money in the new market they created. It would be quite easy, as the a working prototype is already existing (The Evernote Legacy version).

Because it's a lot easier to offer better search and collaboration features when the company can see your notes' contents.

And what have we learned from the rise of Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc.? That consumers are usually willing to trade their privacy for free and/or better services.

Not sure what kind of hack it will take for people to start taking privacy more seriously. Imagine if a disgruntled employee at a note app company copied data from hundreds of thousands of users and started selling this data on the dark web. There is already a market for stolen credit cards and such. Imagine the damage someone could do with your entire collection of notes.

[wphall 17]

Ugh... This is a real bummer. I've been a premium subscriber even though I really don't need to be just to support EN. But my company absolutely will not let me use Evernote if data is not local. I'm so so sad BC this means EN is no longer a viable option.

Hope they realize that this is important to users, but I'm guessing this is permanent.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

It is permanent ...

Local options have DEVONthink and Apple Notes. DT is a one time payment, AN is for free, but has less options. Both can be used with iCloud as well, selectively per data base / notebook.

[tavor 668]

1 hour ago, wphall said:

Ugh... This is a real bummer. I've been a premium subscriber even though I really don't need to be just to support EN. But my company absolutely will not let me use Evernote if data is not local. I'm so so sad BC this means EN is no longer a viable option.

Hope they realize that this is important to users, but I'm guessing this is permanent.

I haven't heard/seen EN officially say it's permanent, but I'm pretty sure it is. As per @PinkElephant's post, there are very few options for local-only notebooks. 

The good news is there are note app options with E2E encryption that encrypt your notes and your note app provider/web host does NOT have access to your encryption key (unlike Evernote), meaning you are the only person who can decrypt the notes. So that might be an option that will satisfy your company's security requirements.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047889214-What-s-new-in-Evernote-for-Mac

See „What features are no longer supported ...“

[RussInNV 1]

I've made the switch to Joplin and It's great!. It offers local notes and the ability to sync to a number of public cloud services including Nextcloud, WebDAV, Gdrive, Dropbox, etc. If you're so inclined, you could setup your own WebDAV server, I suppose. And all while maintaining EtoE encryption. Doesn't have all the features of EN, but works for me. The port of notes, notebooks and tags worked perfectly. Bummer, because I really liked EN. When my premium subscription runs out, I'm done.

https://joplinapp.org/

[Rainer Winkler 10]

Dear @EverNote ,

what do you propose to which tool shall I migrate? Joplin is not able to handle multiple windows with notes properly, ...
And I still wait for a commitment how long the Legacy version can be used at least,

Kind regards,
Dr. Rainer Winkler

[s2sailor 2,184]

2 hours ago, Rainer Winkler said:

what do you propose to which tool shall I migrate?

I would be very surprised if Evernote responded and directed you to which competitor you should use.  I am a heavy user of local notebooks and also disappointed about their removal.  We each have to look at the options available and pick what works best for us.  For now, I'm using legacy.  As to the future ... I'm still working that out.  For personal use, password protected PDFs will probably be ok for me.  For work, I'm considering OneNote.

[tavor 668]

2 hours ago, Rainer Winkler said:

Joplin is not able to handle multiple windows with notes properly, ...

You may already be familiar with these options using Joplin, but in case you're not:

1. There is a plugin for tabs, so you can have multiple notes open as tabs in the Joplin app (a feature that EN Windows never had).

2. To open multiple notes in windows separate from the Joplin app window (as you can do in EN), you have to use an external editor, which you can specify in Options. I use Typora for this, but you can point the app to any editor, and when click the toggle external editor button, the note launches in external editor. Repeat for other notes you want in separate windows.

[BummedJim 6]

I'm joining the chorus of longtime paid Evernote users who HATE the sudden disappearance of Local Notebooks. I just now had the Mac App Store push me to the new version (10.3) and am very upset about this. For now, I'm moving over to Evernote Legacy per the link at https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005107-Convert-local-notebooks, so I can keep my access to the essential private information I have on these (bank account numbers, medical records, loan information, tax filings, etc.) while having them integrated on my primary machine with the rest of the very useful Evernote system.

I hate to ditch Evernote either for private notes or altogether -- like many in this thread, I've grown to pretty much live in Evernote over the years and to depend on its easy integrating of cloud-based and local-only information -- but with the loss of ability to continue keeping my most essential information out of the cloud, I'm having to start actively looking for alternatives. This is truly an awful move, certain to cost Evernote a great deal of trust and quite a few paid subscriptions. 

Please, Evernote, either add local notebooks back into the main app for the many of us who NEED this capability, and/or commit to ongoing support for what you're now calling the "Legacy" version and making clear you do not intend to support (as here: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314: "no future updates", "only temporarily available", "for a limited time"). Can you really not know what you're killing off?

[tavor 668]

1 hour ago, BummedJim said:

Please, Evernote, either add local notebooks back into the main app for the many of us who NEED this capability, and/or commit to ongoing support for what you're now calling the "Legacy" version and making clear you do not intend to support (as here: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314: "no future updates", "only temporarily available", "for a limited time"). Can you really not know what you're killing off?

I'd say the odds of EN incorporating Local Notebooks into v10 are zero. For the past few years, they have deemphasized Local Notebooks (I'd bet many users who started using EN within the last few years don't even know the feature exists - when they hear "local notebooks", they're thinking offline notes), so this has been a long time coming.

The odds of maintaining v6 in perpetuity are also zero. You don't switch to a new platform to unify the codebase only to maintain an older codebase that differs dramatically for each OS. 

If you need to keep certain notes/notebooks confidential, you should start planning out what you will do when v6 is abandoned. You don't need to actually do anything with your notes yet, as v6 should be around for at least a few months (my guess is closer to 6 mo, but that's just one user's speculation), but you should have a plan.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

Options on a Mac to replace local notebooks:

• Apple Notes (has a local option, can encrypt notes, preinstalled)
• Many password managers have a „confidential notes“ feature
• For a full EN replacement: DEVONthink