· · Daniel A
Why We Built SimplyBoard
The story behind replacing the giant .txt file with an encrypted, searchable knowledge base.
I've been a developer for over a decade, and for most of that time I had a dirty little secret: a massive text file sitting on my desktop called "notes.txt". Sometimes it was "stuff.txt" or "commands.txt" · the name changed, but the problem never did.
That file was a mess. SSH keys mixed with meeting notes. Docker commands sandwiched between random API endpoints. A regex pattern I'd copied from Stack Overflow in 2019 sitting right above my grocery list. And yet, I couldn't stop using it.
The Problem With "Just Use Notion"
Whenever I complained about my text file situation, someone would inevitably suggest Notion, Obsidian, or whatever the note-taking app of the month was. I tried them all. Multiple times.
Here's the thing: they're all fine apps. Some are even great. But they never stuck for me, and after a lot of reflection, I figured out why.
When I need to look up a command or snippet, I need it NOW. Not in 30 seconds after the app loads. Not after I navigate through three folders. Not after I remember which "notebook" I filed it under. I need it instantly, or I lose my train of thought and the context I was holding in my head evaporates.
My text file was ugly, but Cmd+F was instant. That's a hard thing to compete with.
The Security Wake-Up Call
The breaking point came when I realized just how much sensitive stuff had accumulated in that file. API keys. Database connection strings. SSH passphrases I'd copied temporarily and then forgotten about. All of it sitting in plaintext on a file that synced to Dropbox.
I'm not paranoid, but I know better than to store credentials like that. The problem was, every alternative required me to sacrifice the speed I'd gotten used to. Password managers are great for passwords, but they're terrible for quickly grabbing that one-liner bash script you use twice a month.
Building What I Actually Wanted
So I started sketching out what my ideal tool would look like. The requirements were pretty simple:
- Search has to be instant. Not "fast" · instant. Like, I'm typing and results are already there.
- Everything needs to be encrypted. Real encryption, not just HTTPS. The server should never see my data.
- It has to work offline. I'm on planes and in coffee shops with bad wifi. I need my stuff.
- Keyboard navigation throughout. I shouldn't need to touch my mouse for basic operations.
- No folders, no hierarchies. I've already got a folder for everything. I need to search across all of it.
That last point might seem weird, but it's actually core to how SimplyBoard works. Traditional note apps force you to organize first, then find. We flip that: just dump everything in, and let smart search surface what you need. The more you use certain entries, the higher they rank. No filing required.
Why Client-Side Encryption Matters
I want to be clear about something: we can't read your data. That's not a marketing line · it's a technical reality. Your password never leaves your device. We use it locally to derive an encryption key, and everything gets encrypted before it hits our servers.
This means if you forget your password, we genuinely cannot help you · though the self-service recovery kit can: a one-time code only you hold, which restores access without giving us any key. That's still a tradeoff, and I understand it's not for everyone. But for people who store sensitive snippets and credentials, it's the only approach that makes sense.
What's Next
SimplyBoard is still young, and there's a lot we want to build. Better tag support. Smarter relevance ranking. Maybe a CLI for the terminal diehards (I'm definitely one of them).
But the core will always stay the same: fast search, real encryption, and zero bloat. That's the app I wanted to exist, and now it does.
If you've got your own notes.txt problem, give SimplyBoard a shot. It's free, and you might finally be able to delete that file.
· The SimplyBoard Team
