A look back at the GOAT Evernote Features from the past.

• Project Management: You could sort notes buy due date and easily see incomplete tasks. (The trick was to have one note per task - this could be synchronised to Google Calendar)
• Color coding notebooks was a thing. 
• You could use Evernote as a picture album, there was even a zoom button to scale the images as required.

20 hours ago, allendick said:

This morning, I got a nag message to install the latest version, as shown below.

---

Evernote for Windows Release Notes

Hello!

You are working on an old version of Evernote that we stopped actively improving a while ago. We strongly encourage users to move to the new Evernote clients - clients that we are actively building and improving. We have interesting features like collaborative editing being rolled out in the new clients soon! We are also working on some AI powered features which will be supported only on the new clients. Your data will be safely transferred to the new clients upon set up!

To download the new client, click on the ‘Download’ button below.

See you there!

---

I am very happy with the legacy version. I tried the new version many months ago and did not like it at all, and have stuck with the legacy version since.   My needs are basic and I don't need fancy features or a constantly changing software. I don't share in Evernote and just need reliable, unchanging note software.

In my experience, the more that apps are 'improved', the more unpredictable they get and the harder they are to use. The Android app I use only occasionally, but it seems that nothing is ever where I expect it to be. At one time it was simple and just worked. I worry the current Windows version is similarly problematic.

Legacy suits me just fine, but this message alarmed me. Has legacy reached its sunset?   If want to try the current version again, can I do that alongside without losing the ability to revert to Legacy?  Does the web version resemble the Windows version and provide a simulation?  I have not explored it.

Are folks still talking about alternates to Evernote?

 

Hmm, I've also noticed that the link to the legacy version of Evernote is missing - maybe the sun has already set. As far as alternatives, Obsidian comes so very close, and the user forum is full of people who actually considered product criticism as a development path, but image OCR is not there yet. Same for Joplin. OneNote is not truly offline (like the new version Evernote ...  if your Database is big) The new Mac OS Spotlight also searches pdf, word, image text (ocr) and scanned PDFs .. all for "free" but it does not replicate across all devices and it is limited to Mac devices. But I am not longer concerned about my preferred application coming to an end.

With the AI explosion of AI, OCR recognition is going to become a standard feature. Evernote's two best features (best web clipper - ever) and using a special xml code to recognise not only the text inside an image, but the location of the text inside that image are what keeps many users sticking around and paying. Nothing, and I mean nothing, searches data as deeply, thoroughly as Evernote. I've test all sorts of things over many years. They could've had it all and could still ...  But the personal information management is going to explode in the next 24 months. Hold onto you nuts with the one hand and your data with the other hand ...  these debates and complaints of users are going to seem trivial and funny. When your software automatically drafts a 5 year budget plan to help you pay off you mortgage (that you didn't ask for), when it fights endlessly, tirelessly via emails with the electricity company to get back the money they overcharged you, when it summarises your email notes with someone and describes the best approach based on their personality profile - well then this will seem like a distant memory.  Legacy is gone it seems, but something better is over the horizon - trust me. (The question is, will come from Bending Spoons ... I'm curious)

12 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

This thread holds many small parts of information spread out. To wrap it up:

There is a full download on desktop, always, unless you opt out of it in the app settings. This works for all users, independent from the Plan. On a Mac, the location of the downloaded data differs between the app installed from the website and the app from the AppStore. The locations of the folders are invisible by default and need to be made visible using a terminal command.

On mobile to get an offline download, one needs to be on a current subscription. It is opt in, on the level of single notes, notebooks or „all“.  For both options your device needs enough free storage space. For desktop on the main (system drive), for mobile in the devices flash memory.

For the offline data to be downloaded the app needs an extended period of downloading (for larger accounts several days). The app needs to be active during the download. To get access while offline, you need to be logged in before you go offline. You can quit the app, you can shut down the device - the only thing you must avoid is to log out of the client before (or while) going offline.

Both downloads work, and it is simply false to state otherwise. I have downloads that I can access offline on my devices, on mobile based on my selected options only on a part of them.

If you encounter a problem, contact support.

<Joke> Yes, I am wrong. The other who have mentioned this are also wrong. The system is perfect. The system works. There is only this Evernote. These notes have all downloaded correctly. It is my mind that is at fault. I must be sent for re-education in room 101 It is always 1984. </Joke>

1 hour ago, PinkElephant said:

This posting is very old, and it was wrong back then as well. The download takes a while, and when one is looking right after starting the app for the first time, only an initial set of data will be there. The rest downloads while the app is running.

Users with a lot of notes who always quit the app (stopping the background process) may have to wait pretty long.

In addition users posting in this thread jump between the mobile app, and the desktop client. Mobile download back then was a real PITA, it just got improved a few months ago.

I think Chris (after extensive testing - you may recall) came the same conclusion as I have. He said as well as anyone could have...

This raises an uncomfortable question, something that I don't like to dwell on, but if paying customers are promised offline access and they are not getting offline access in the true sense of the definition ...is that a legal breach of the agreement? I suspect that the definition of "offline" would be very loosely defined LOL.

Compliants about incomplete offline database are not uncommon I see ...

3 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

This makes me wonder if a) everything is loaded already or b) there is a data corruption, which causes the downloader to stall.

How is CPU usage ? In case of a loop it should be elevated.

Total load is minimal. This is not the first install that has done this, which is why I kept Evernote Legacy. 

19 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

I am using Macs, my only Windows install is inside of a VM. If I need EN there, I use the web client. My Macs have sufficient SSD sizes to host everything.

When I say I countered a (likely) database corruption, it means I purged the existing install. Nothing of it was left when I restarted the Mac. It was not the first install on that computer, but it was a completely fresh one.

There are differences between Mac and Windows clients, but compared to legacy they are minor. Both clients are based on the Electron framework. This is basically a Chrome(ium) browser backend, the app taking the role of the front end.

That‘s maybe the reason why many aspects resemble a browser. To check on the download I used the Macs ActivityMonitor to see the network traffic to/from the EN app. It took 4 days, and this means the EN app was running (mostly in the background) and downloading all of the time.

After that, the traffic nearly stopped, and when I went offline to check, everything was available. Sizes of legacy, v10 on the Mac and the app data size on the iPad (where I run a full offline download ad well) are in a similar range, give and take a few GB.

Well as you can see ...my Evernote has managed to exchange about 45 kb of data over a few minutes .... so at that rate my Database should be fully downloaded just a few years after the singularity, and then it won't really matter.... I wonder how common this occurrence is? 

37 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

I had a reason to dump the v10 database last summer, when it showed signs of corruption.

If I recall it correctly, the download of appr. 38GB of data took 4 days. This of course may vary, depending on network conditions and device.

I regularly use EN v10 offline when on the train, and never had a problem to open a note, including its attachments, no matter how old or out of use it may have been. The syncing of offline changes back to the database always went smooth when back online.

May I ask if it is a windows laptop? 

You say it took about 4 days .... so I assume it was a fresh install of Evernote, not an existing Evernote that was upgraded?

The new Evernote stores local files in a folder called "resource-cache" - the word "cache" worries me - it denotes something that is temporary. 

Currently the new Evernote seems to resemble the Google Docs approach where you can keep *some* of your docs offline via your chrome browser.

Each time I browse the new Evernote ... the "resource-cache" directory gets a little larger, but never seems to be steadily downloading the whole database.

I might get a Windows PC and do a comparison ... who know, maybe the Mac Version doesn't download the whole database, while the windows one does - It makes sense if you're using a MacBook Air with it's pitiful storage capacity.

2 minutes ago, AlbertR said:

One thought around database size: EN-Legacy offers a command CTRL-Help -> Optimize Database. Maybe it became huge over the time and can be optimized by using this command. If this does not shrink your database (or if your EN-Legacy database is built up from scratch and covers 50 GB), your notes really occupy 50 GB and EN10 should need similar space.

Regarding URLs of type "evernote:///view/...": Both versions accept this as (internal) links to theirself in my case. This means: If I try to follow such a link, the destination note is opened in the currently active version.

<Please note: I'm working on Windows, and the following might not be true on a MAC>

If you try to follow these links from outside any EN-version (double-click on it with Word or so), this programs asks Windows how to open the URL. Here you can find a difference between the versions:

• EN-Legacy sets registry key HKCR\evernote\shell\open\command to open EN-Legacy (normally installed as "C:\Program Files (x86)\Evernote\Evernote Legacy\Evernote.exe"). This definition is done at installation time.
• EN10 sets this key to point to EN10 at every program startup.

Effect: Everytime after you have started EN10, URLs of form evernote:///view will lead to EN10! This is a nice trick of EN10 to conquer Legacy installations 😉

To overcome this behavior (or to enable EN-Legacy to do the same), you may use a simple VBScript to start EN-Legacy. It resets this key to EN-Legacy's path and executes it:

'.. Register EN as handler for evernote:-URLs - then start EN-Legacy itself

    Dim image: image   = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Evernote\Evernote Legacy\Evernote.exe"
    Dim key:   key     = "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\evernote\shell\open\command\"
    Dim value: value   = """" & image & """ ""%1"""

    Dim sh:        Set sh = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    
    sh.RegWrite key, value, "REG_SZ"
    sh.Exec image
    
    Set sh = Nothing

I don't mind the size of the Database, I do mind the New Evernote not providing me with the complete offline database within 24 hours like the Legacy Version does..... but the information you kindly provided about the links issue - I'm going to do a deep dive and report back. Thank you - getting hardcore technical information like this is what makes the forums worthwhile.

23 minutes ago, agsteele said:

I'm sorry that your experience isn't what you want or would expect.  I have a different experience. Disconnected from the Internet I can still access all my notes regardless of age. It is a requirement that Evernote is open before disconnecting from the world outside.  With that proviso I find my experience differs to yours.

Legacy features will not be migrated.  In fact my view is that whatever features that might have come from Legacy have now arrived.  The focus is firmly on the development of v10.  I was in a meeting recently when the new owners indicated that they have no plans to withdraw Legacy but nothing will change and if your operating system stops supporting the older software then it will be gone.

Similarly if the sync processes become incompatible then I presume that Legacy will be on its way (I don't know this - just guessing).

If you cannot embrace Evernote v10 for whatever reasons then you are wise to be considering your options. No rush or panic required but a calm plan for the future seems wise.

I agree with you .. I suspect that Evernote may become more cloud centric and built around task management.. Features such as (Expanded Card View) which was very useful for photographers and artists simply will not return. Thanks for the information ... worth consideration.

6 minutes ago, agsteele said:

I've been using v10 since it was released - so years having upgraded from the previous version of the software. But I would say that I've had the experience described since the beginning.

Ah, yes - in that case, I think your database would certainly be fully downloaded as was already there. In this situation, both were installed as new installations. Evernote Legacy completed the database download in 24 hours. The New Evernote is currently at 7GB of the total 50GB ... I'm going to keep an eye on it and see if it reaches full capacity and measure how many weeks it will take. I'll keep the new Evernote open during this time. My definition of "failure" is (New Evernote full Database Download Time) > (Legacy Evernote full Database Download Time)

4 minutes ago, gazumped said:

Actually the mechanism is fine and differences between database are pretty academic - what causes the problem is that Windows wants you to make up your mind:  is it going to open Evernote links with Legacy,   v10 or web?

I was surprised initially when I clipped an email on my desktop (using the Outlook clipper) and Legacy popped up unexpectedly in the middle of a v10 session.  Changing the Windows settings should make a difference...

Yes, I am using internal links as an example. 

3 minutes ago, agsteele said:

I'm sorry that your experience isn't what you want or would expect.  I have a different experience. Disconnected from the Internet I can still access all my notes regardless of age. It is a requirement that Evernote is open before disconnecting from the world outside.  With that proviso I find my experience differs to yours.

Interesting .... would you say that you've had the system installed for a very long time (months)?  I have three working theories (1) it takes a very long time for the database to populate or (2) the database does not populate on Mac Systems in the same way as Windows ..it may even be by design, as MACs are not known for their large storage capacities. (3) For some unknown reason, the database does not fully download on some systems....working on it.

16 hours ago, gazumped said:

Erm..  these are essentially different products. I have both installed on my Dell desktop,  and I have not noticed that links in one do not work on the other,  but I would suggest you need to choose which version you will use as the default and -mainly- stick with that unless the other version is the only one that will give you the response that you require.  But be aware that Legacy is unsupported and v10 is now king.  (Living in the UK that's unexpectedly relevant...)

Thanks for confirming that links do not work the same across both systems ... that save me time checking if it was a problem with my installation.

There seems to be a change in the link structures 

<a href="evernote:///view/blah-blah" rev="en_rl_none">The Note</a>.     (New Evernote)

<a href="evernote:///view/blah-blah/">The Note</a> (Legacy Evernote)

I'm pretty sure that Legacy Features will not be migrated across to the new systems - just looking for the official development path, so that I can decide what to do in the future. 

18 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

This is a false information - on desktop a full download is stored on the local system drive.

It may only be that the download takes some time, if it was removed earlier. It is quite simple to check on download activity - open the app, don’t use it actively, then check in the Task / Activity monitor, network if there is ongoing download traffic. If yes, the download is ongoing.

When the local database was removed, the first notes with a full download will be those recently opened.

I have proof. 6GB database size on "new" event vs 50GB Database on "old" Evernote. Easy way to test, on the "new" Evernote ... disconnect from the internet, scroll to older notes, try to open. Repeat the "old" Evernote. Evidence is irrefutable. "New" Evernote has been installed for weeks. (If the time to complete full database download takes longer than a few weeks...it is de facto malfunctioning. // Users may decide for themselves, as it is not the point of the original message.

Create a link between any two notes in the Evernote versions 10.55.2-mac-ddl-public (4019)Editor: v167.2.20810

i.e. Note (A) create some text with a EITHER a local link (evernote:///) or an external link (https://) to Note (B)

Exit Evernote, launch Evernote Legacy (on the same computer) , click in the link - Nothing happens, exit Evernote Legacy.

Launch Evernote 10.55.2-mac-ddl-public (4019)Editor: v167.2.20810* - click link, hyperlink opens the target note correctly.

Problem:

Some users will prefer to keep the Legacy Version as it allows a complete local (offline copy) of all notes on the local hard drive.

The official version of Evernote does not (despite popular misconception) store all notes offline - it only stores previously opened notes 

This is true even if a user selects the "[x] Keep a copy of my notes on this device at sign-out" option.

Unless the new version incorporates the features of Evernote Legacy edition, the two will over time become increasingly divergent, making the the dual system impractical.

At this point, the users should be given a clear declaration (if) or (when) all functionality of the Legacy edition of Evernote will be integrated into the new Evernote, to prevent the widening gap between the two systems, which as Evernote conceded, was a temporary solution.

2 hours ago, jefito said:

Shouldn't a proper "business strategy forecast" also break down the percentage of people in the "rant and complain" plus "don't complain" vs those who don't care at all because they have adequate storage for all of their notes on their desktop devices? Besides that, at least the Windows client has been modified to address the storage issue with on-demand sync. BTW, I'm not saying that there's no valid case for notebook-based selective sync -- I'm familiar with this from my Android device; but what I'm guessing is that a lot of desktop client users just don't have this problem.

You're quite right, it just depends over which time-frame we're talking about. there are two factors. (1) Disk Space, as you rightly pointed out, is not really and issue for most desktop devices, however, one does run into limiting factors when it comes to database *volume*  (2) - the more information a user acquires, the more slugging the device comes. Customers will (unfairly) expect the local search results to be at least as fast as a google search result. But a local desktop units could never match the power of google virtual server arrays. So there is a case for local indexing with file content on the backend makes sense. Also the market seems to be moving towards cheap / low end devices that are orientated more towards connectivity rather than raw power. (sadly so)

Google has the advantage that PDF files "stream" quickly via the web, whilst Evernote downloads the whole file first ... so the option of using EN web version is not practical ... one can't even merge two files on the web version (although we could back in the day)

I still love a good solid desktop machine (I'm old school) but the reality is that I need my information available wherever and whenever I am at a moment's notice. 

The role of my desktop is increasingly is just to make sure I have a local copy of my EN Database (which I backup to an external drive, which I store in my safe).

My job (like most people's these days) is based on the quality of information I can provide in my profession. It's our bread and butter as they say - so it's more serious than pictures of fluffy kittens and instagram photos of food. 

I think this makes up a large part of the *paying* EN users, like you and me, I would gather

Selective sync has been a major request for at least 5 years. Particularly by MacBook users with limited disk space.

Like many other request, this has been ignored by Evernote ... so let me explain how this will play out.

Step 1: After a lot of frustration, a premium customer is going to start putting their files onto Google drive and then linking it into an Evernote.

Step 2: To conserve disk space on Google Drive, they will start converting these files to Google Doc files (which does not count against the 15 GB quota)

Step 3: These users will begin to realise that they can just as easily search for files in Google Drive as they can with Evernote ... except for free

Step 4: After doing this for a year, the client spends more and more time in Google Drive, using GDocs and Keep

Step 5: By the time the client is due to pay their next premium subscription, they start wondering if they still need Evernote, if they're doing most of their stuff in Google Drive anyway.

The ones that rant and complain on the forums ... they're not going anywhere ... they're emotionally invested in the product ... that's why they complain.

It's the other 90% who *don't* complain ... these are the people who will simply add 2+2 and move on, because it makes sense.

This is not a feature request, it's a business strategy forecast.

If you have MS Office installed, this will give to the best results.

In Evernote, share the note as an email - send it to yourself, specifically to your MS Outlook Client.

Then open this email (in Outlook) and save it as an MHT file.

Open the MHT format file with MS Word.

This way you'll keep font and images. However, the images will be too large in the word document, so you'll have to resize them.

If you export to MHT directly from Evernote, the images do not always appear when opening with MS Word.

Summary

Evernote >> email >> Outlook >> MHT >> Word

Quote

Taking anyone or any organization to task for some function failure tends to be a long and difficult road. 

Very true words, indeed. 

"It is the nature of immature men to want to fight and die for their cause, while it is the nature of mature men who wish proceed quietly for the theirs"

@gazumped I'm laughing out loud as I type this, in response to 

"none of us have any idea whether or not this feature used to available"

I suspect you're having a bit of fun with me you rascal .. but I'll take the bait ...

• It was a feature, I know, I used it for almost 2 years, daily (as did many others )
• I know, because I  specifically purchased the OfficeSuite app in order to do it.
• I did it because Evernote told me I could ( Here's the link: https://appcenter.evernote.com/app/office-suite-pro/android )

 To be clear - I'm not crying over spilt milk here - I'm speaking about the future // Ours and Evernote specifically

• When was the "public announcement" made to all the customers that this feature would no longer be available .. or were we left to find out for ourselves without prior warning?
• Is this standard practice for Evernote, would a similar approach be taken in the future if other features no longer function? (Evernote Policy & Procedure)
• When exactly did this function break .. which date/software version of android (unanswered question)
• Why did it break (unanswered question)
• What of the people who purchased OfficeSuite Pro expressly for this purpose and now cannot use it?
• What is the future direction/intent to rectify this (if any) | CAPA - Corrective And Preventative Action

@Job135 Yes, I fully agree - he did say that .. to you, when you asked (as I did), presumably after a lot of strife and fiddling with your device.

What I mean is:

• When was the "public announcement" made to all the customers that this feature would no longer be available .. or were we left to find out for ourselves without prior warning?
• Is this standard practice for Evernote, would a similar approach be taken in the future if other features no longer function? (Evernote Policy & Procedure)
• When exactly did this function break .. which date / software version of android (unanswered question)
• Why did it break (unanswered question)
• What of the people who purchased OfficeSuite Pro expressly for this purpose and now cannot use it?
• What is the future direction / intent to rectify this (if any) | CAPA - Corrective And Preventative Action

* 

@Gazumped

Firstly, I need to rest a bit, being somewhat exhausted in trying to convince the people at Evernote that there is actually a problem (When they know perfectly well that there is one, but are deliberately evasive / obtuse - either that or they have very short memories .. feature was put in place 4 years ago .. that's like yesterday on my time scale)

Next Step: Raise Awareness, get collective voices to raise tickets and steadily push this up the priority tree.

I'm doing this because I believe it is necessary for Evernote's long term survival.

Seven years ago,despite a nagging voice in my head, I decided to back Evernote **for the long term** to form part of my Exocortex (which up until then was based on plain-text notes)

All long term, paying customers are stake-holders, not customers, our fates are inter-twined with Evernote's.

Evernote wants to increase their fees - that's fine with me, if it means they'll still be around for the next 25 years.

If they're making fundamentally bad moves that will make them go the way of the doe-doe bird, then we, the stake-holders need to step in.

Just because we "love" the system and use it daily does not mean we should take an apologist's stance with regard to the shortcomings.

People are moving away from laptops, and moving towards tablets. If Evernote was going to "get into bed" with another company for document attachments, then it should've been Microsoft (provided the documents would be searchable from within Evernote) as then people could still have a seamless workflow for their daily work and keep Evernote as the central work-flow base. (This coupled with Evernote chat - makes sense in the work environment)

So finally my original (Conspiracy theory 1) has been validated: Where I said:

Quote

 

Is this perhaps why Evernote decided to make linking to Google Docs a new feature?

This is not a suitable substitute as one cannot search these file contents from within Evernote

 

Proof

Quote

 

My name is Matt and I will be assisting you with this saving issue you are experiencing after editing your documents. This is something that the team is currently looking into right now.

In the meantime, the easiest workaround would be to upload the documents to Google Drive and to put them into your notes. Any change done with these documents will automatically be synced back to the Google servers.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Regards,
Matt W.

 

CONCLUSION

It *was* always possible to edit / annotate / update EXISTING MS Word / Excel / Power Point attachments in the ANDROID version of Evernote - particularly if you purchased (which I did) the Evernote ENDORSED Office Suite Pro app.

Then Evernote made changes which BROKE / REMOVED this function

Evernote is been found guilty of

(1) Not being forthcoming with it's customers of this reduced functionality (For years I though it was *my phone* that was faulty and wasted countless hours trying to fix it)

(2) led customers to purchase apps that no longer serve their intended function

(3) Trying to slip-in Google Drive as an alternative solution, hoping everyone will forget that there was a better solution to begin with.

Verdict: EVERNOTE, Guilty as charged.

Returning to my Conspiracy Theory #1

Statement extract from Tech Support

Apr 4, 10:14 PDT

Compare with Evernote Webpage below.

https://goo.gl/NT4Klq

They are deliberately avoiding to point.

A critical feature of Evernote has stopped working. I've paid for Evernote and for OfficeSuite because I was promised the ability to edit attachments and it no longer works.

Well @gazumped , you are quite right that I need to backup my statements with facts - and rightly so.

I've raised a ticket and I'll share the response with the forum in case anyone else needs it.

To be concise then:

It was, in the past possible to edit attachments in android.

This is not longer possible - there are two possible explanations

• (1) The is a technical issue with *my* device(s)
• (2) This function is no longer possible in Evernote for android.

I think a frustration for me is that Evernote does not *explicitly* say :

This function no longer works in Evernote ,,, sorry, you'll have to find another solution"

-or-

This function most certainly does work, there must be a technical issue with your phone.

This is the first step to fault finding, that I can't get past.

References:

• Evernote for Android now comes with the ability to edit Office documents.
• Our favorite notemaking system, Evernote, now has the ability to edit Office documents within their Android version.
• Yes – we very much prefer Evernote over Office Onenote. Evernote runs very well, syncs seamlessly and completely across all popular platforms and devices.
• Evernote has teamed up with OfficeSuite to provide the ability to edit doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx and other Office documents (when attached to Evernote).
• Assuming you already have Evernote for Android, install OfficeSuite Pro 7 Trial version.

Source:  https://office-watch.com/2013/editing-office-documents-with-evernote/