Notes on pmslava

Harper for Joplin

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I use Harper as my spell checker everywhere. Not because it’s fancy - because it’s fast, not bloated, and open-source. It runs on my machine, checks a note in ~40 milliseconds, and doesn’t send my text anywhere.

It worked in my code editor and my browser. It didn’t work in Joplin - where I write most. So I built the plugin.

Harper for Joplin: spelling and grammar checking inside Joplin’s Markdown editor, on desktop and Android. Underlines as you type (squiggly or solid line - your choice), tap one for suggestions and one-tap fixes. Four English dialects.

Ridgeline: an outline without the panel

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Another useful plugin for Joplin - Ridgeline. A whole sidebar for something you glance at a few times an hour always felt like a bad trade, so this one squeezes the outline into a thin stack of bars at the editor’s edge: one bar per heading, longer for higher levels, the current section highlighted. Rest the mouse on it - the full table of contents unfolds. Click a heading - you’re there. Move away - it folds back into a few quiet pixels.

The Evernote Trap

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have a bad memory. Many things simply don’t stick, so I have always kept notes. I am also a systematic person: thinking feels good to me when concepts sit in a coherent structure I understand. Sometimes that is a strength - it keeps me focused, and I know what matters and what doesn’t. Sometimes it is a weakness - I cannot give an expert judgment until I have turned an idea over in my head for a few days, or at least a few hours.