It isn't your machine. Adding RAM and more CPU only masks the problem. My Macbook with a pathetic 1.2GHz processor never has this problem. It is the WIndows EN database file and the way EN is constanatly trying to update it. When this locks go to your database folder and you'll see a journal file that is created while EN does its housekeeping. 99% of the time, this housekeeping will lock up the UI until it is done. I've witnessed this with an HDD, SDD, and hybrid drive. EN is really useless to me for typing and editing large notes. I'd rather use my iPad or Macbook which let me work uninterrupted for as long as I want than WIndows.
I wish the team would take this seriously. I think what needs to be done is the EN database for Windows needs to be eliminated and do it like the OS X version, which is essentially one note per file vs one monolithic file for every note, or move to a different technology for the database for WIndows.
I've worked with the team for specific troubleshooting on this for 3 years and while it has gotten better, it has really moved from "sucks" to "sucks less" and is still insanely frustrating to use.
By the way, I am here on this board typing this right now while I am waiting for the UI in Evernote to come back to me so I can continue filing notes.
I see. If I can give my idea, I think maybe it would be better to:
- use a file storage strategy where a number of fixed-sized files contains the DB. Otherwise, if one note is 10 Gb, this one note will be unmanageable (just a guess). But this means notes would be split over different files. Maybe there's a better plan.
- perform the "housekeeping" on notes on which the user is not working/when the computer is inactive (If I'm not wrong I think Windows does this as a defragmentation strategy).
Just wild guesses.
I think many of us EN users are pretty skilled in programming /software architecture. It would be awesome if someone from EN would set up a poll to ask us what could work best.
M
Honestly I think the programmers at EN are eminently qualified. The problem is the Windows database goes back to version 3, and has roots in an app written in 2004, before Evernote acknowledges it existed. It would be a massive undertaking to rewrite, and a second massive undertaking to handle the migration on the user's end. For me, I'd just as soon blow away my database and let it redownload in a new structure, but that is a lot of bandwidth for some people (some well over 50GB!). Doing a straight copy will temporarily double your EN disk usage, and that might not be feasible for some people that are nearing their HD size, so the third option is to migrate some, then compact the current database, then migrate some, then compact, etc. That is MASSIVE disk churning and I could see it taking an hour per GB or two to migrate, so defintely an overnight or weekend process.
In any event, all I know for sure is the current database sucks on Windows. iOS and OS X have it right.
Hello,
I am currently using EverNote 5.9.6 and apparently the problem has been mitigated. I will continue to give feedbacks on the usage.
As a clarification: suggesting the poll I was misunderstood. I did not imply that EN programmers are not qualified, nor they need users advice to create a good piece of software.
I think EN is a great and useful program, and I'm pretty sure programmers working on it are doing great.
