Logseq in 2023 - What's in store?

TLDR: Had a chat with Tienson about Logseq in 2023. Lots to look forward to including:

• Improvements to Logseq Sync
• Database version of Logseq
• Real-Time Collaboration
• Publish
• Whiteboard functionality
• Performance and reliability improvements
• New logseq.com landing page and onboarding
• Few other surprises.

Yesterday evening (6 January 2023) I had a chat with Tienson to catch up on Logseq and try and get him to spill some beans about what is in store for us in 2023.

After a bit of arm-twisting, I am pleased to be able to share with you that the following (in no particular order) features and improvements are some of the many items in store for us this year.

• Improvements to Logseq Sync

Logseq Sync is proving to be more popular than envisaged, which is great. The current testing of Logseq Sync is going well with users sharing their experiences and pain points and the devs working hard to fix the bugs and improve the user experience.

There are still some issues that need to be resolved but the Logseq devs are on it. They have identified a few problem areas which are causing headaches and are looking to fix these in the upcoming releases.

With Logseq Sync becoming more and more stable, resources are being allocated to improve and work on other areas of Logseq.

• Database Version of Logseq

Whilst the current set-up of Logseq (markdown file based) works very well, there are some limitations to it. The inability to automatically add properties to already created pages, block id limitations, speed on long pages, copy and paste issues, reindexing, limited views and query difficulties mean that the devs will be working on a database version of Logseq.

The database version will resolve the above limitations but also provide the team with the ability to work on features to give us so much more flexibility on our notes.

I understand that:

• The user will be able to choose whether to use the markdown version or the database version.
• There will be an easy flow for those that want to migrate to the database version (export notes and import).
• There will be capabilities of exporting your notes from the database version to plain text files.
• The features currently available in the markdown version will be available in the database version (maybe not immediately, but certainly soon after release).
• No matter which version you will use, your notes will be stored locally and yours forever.

Personally, I cannot wait to jump into the database version.

• Real-Time Collaboration

Real-time collaboration (being able to work on the same note / graph between multiple users) is in the pipeline and the devs are looking at the best way of implementing this.

There will be more updates coming soon.

• Publish

Being able to store your notes locally is certainly a wonderful feature of Logseq. The issue is that sometimes you want to share some content with the wider world or friends and colleagues.

The devs have a fantastic vision of Logseq Publish, where with a few clicks of a button, you will be able to publish not only pages but also individual blocks. You will also be able to easily copy text from a shared page / block to your own graph (ssshhh not sure I should share this).  

No more copying and pasting text so it can be shared, everything will be possible from within Logseq.

• Leveling up Whiteboard Functionality

The initial version of Logseq Whiteboards has been released and received high praise all round. You can insert pages, blocks, images, drawings, text etc. to use it as your drawing canvas / visual board.

The features and ease of use will be improved in the coming releases to ensure that the Logseq Whiteboards are the best in show.

Having said the above, I have encountered some grumblings of people complaining that resources should not be diverted from core Logseq to work on the Whiteboards feature. To confirm, the Whiteboards feature is mainly being done by Peng and Konstantinos with Sawhney helping out on some features. Peng and Sawhney are not part of the core Logseq dev team, so rest assured that the core Logseq product is not being impacted by Whiteboards.  

Also, be sure to actually try the Whiteboards, you might be pleasantly surprised and want more resources to work on it.

• Performance and Reliability Improvements

Performance and reliability have been at the forefront of Logseq since day 1, and there is no intention to stop this in 2023. The devs are working flawlessly to ensure that Logseq can be used reliably and quickly to enable you to easily capture your notes, but also to retrieve them just as quickly.  

Load times of the app and pages, as well as input efficiency, are being worked on.

• New webpage and Onboarding

A new and improved homepage is in the works and will soon be published. In the meantime, you can check it out here.

The new user onboarding has also received some much-needed love and will soon be implemented in the app.

Great work by Jakob, Charlie and the rest of the team, the new landing page and the snippets I have seen of the new onboarding are fantastic.

• Few Other Surprises

Although Tienson swore me to secrecy, the above is not all. The team has a good few surprises in store for us this year. When I heard of them I nearly fell off my chair.  

Of course, I will say this to pique your interest, but let's just say that retrieving information from your notes in a manner that everyone is talking about may soon become a reality.

As and when possible, I will provide you with an update on the upcoming features.

Closing

There is certainly lots to look forward to in 2023 in the world of Logseq! I hope you will stay around to experience the evolution of Logseq.  

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the devs for their incessant hard work and dedication to making Logseq what it is and their desire to make it even better.