linote

A full-featured note app for linux (and other platforms) that uses the Microsoft OneNote service as a backend.

Disclaimer

Linote is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft and OneNote are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

LINOTE IS STILL IN EARLY (BETA) DEVELOPMENT. While we strive to provide a stable and reliable application, there may be bugs and incomplete features. Please report any issues you encounter on our GitHub Issues.

LINOTE IS NOT YET SUITABLE FOR PRODUCTION USE. BUSINESS USERS BEWARE.

Our Philosophy

We believe in simplicity and efficiency. Linote is designed to help you use the Microsoft OneNote service without having to resort to the website or a bloated application. Our goal is to provide a lightweight, fast, and user-friendly experience for taking and managing notes.

Features

• Cross-Platform: Linote is built using Electron, making it compatible with MacOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Markdown Support: Write and format your notes using Markdown syntax, automatically converted to the formt used by OneNote.
• Offline Access: Access and edit your notes even when you're not connected to the internet.
• Synchronization: Seamlessly sync your notes with your OneNote account. (And other services coming soon)
• Demicrosoftification: Linote also provides an option to store your notes locally, giving you full control over your data without relying on Microsoft's services.
• No Spyware: We only tell Microsoft what it needs to hear, like your login credentials and the notes you create. The only data we collect is a tick telling us a new user has downloaded the app, which helps us brag on GitHub (and pitch to package indexes i guess).

Installation

We provide pre-built binaries for various platforms. Curretly, Linote is officially supported as a:

• Linux AppImage
• Windows Installer (.exe)
• Linux Deb Package (.deb)
• Linux RPM Package (.rpm)
• Windows Portable Executable (.exe)

If you have a MacOS device and would like to volunteer to help with building and testing, please reach out to us in the GitHub discussions.

You can download the latest release from our Releases.

Configuration

Linote comes pre-configured with Microsoft OneNote integration. For most users, no additional configuration is needed.

Custom Azure App Registration (Optional)

If you want to use your own Azure app registration (useful for organizations or custom configurations):

1. Follow the setup guide in docs/MICROSOFT_SETUP.md
2. Create a .env file in the application directory with:

   ONENOTE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id-here
   

This will override the default client ID.

Building from Source

Linote is built using Electron and Node.js. To build Linote from source, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/envopen/linote.git
   cd linote

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build the application:

   npm run build

4. Package the application:

   npm run package-<type>

   Replace <type> with appimage, deb, rpm, win-installer, win-portable, osx, or osx-portable depending on yourr target platform. all builds windows and linux packages. (Due to no native macOS support, macOS builds must be done on macOS)
5. Install (if necessary) and run the application. NOTE: On Linux please install .deb or .rpm packages using your system package manager to manage them easily, dpkg or rpm directly can get messy for basic users., e.g.: sudo apt install ./linote-<version>.deb. On Windows just run the installer or portable executable.

Linote Organizations

Linote Organizations is a special setting designed for organizations with two main levels of control:

1. Sharepoint: Organizations can configure Linote to use their own Microsoft Sharepoint urls while keeping Linote completely out of the box. This option has users register their Linote accounts with the official Linote app, but uses organization-specific Sharepoint urls for storage and sync. (such as https://myorg.sharepoint.com)
2. Custom App Registration: Organizations can register their own application in the Microsoft Azure portal and provide their own Client ID and Redirect URI to Linote users. This allows organizations to have full control over the app registration, permissions, and consent process. Users will authenticate using the organization's app registration instead of the default Linote app registration. This is useful for organizations that want to manage their own app registrations for better administration and control over permissions, or for organizations that have specific compliance requirements that may prevent Linote from handling authentication on their behalf.

To enable Linote Organizations, please refer to documentation/org.md for detailed setup instructions.

Why No MacOS Support Yet?

Currently, we do not have the resources to build and test Linote on MacOS, as we do not have access to Mac hardware, and running in a VM is not only difficult, but violates so many of Apple's licensing terms that it's not even worth the risk.

If you are a MacOS user and would like to volunteer to help with building and testing, please reach out to us in the GitHub discussions. Or via an email to code@envopen.org

_{code@envopen.org is an alias, actual emails may come from individual developers personal emails, such as argonickerson@proton.me we have an official staff email list in the org readme}

Legal, Copyright, Licensing, and Privacy

Linote (we, us, the Software) is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft and OneNote are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Linote is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) v3.0. By using Linote, you agree to comply with the terms of this license, which can be found in the LICENSE file or at https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html.

Linote respects your privacy. We do not collect personal data beyond what is necessary for authentication with Microsoft services. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.