This week, MacSparky is sponsored by The Archive, a plain text editor for interconnected notes that last a lifetime Text files are probably the best way to make sure your words will still be decipherable by a computer in 100 years. (Seriously, if I gave you a MacWrite file right now, would your Mac have any chance at reading it?) Plain text is universal, portable, and permanent.

The Archive gives you the convenience of plain text files along with an app full of beautiful themes and Markdown syntax highlighting. As the name implies, The Archive is a note-taking app with easy storage so you can organize your notes how you want and write in an efficient editor environment that doesn't get in the way. You can transform it into a distraction-free full-screen writing environment, including typewriter scrolling. And best of all, all of your data is, ultimately, plain text and absolutely portable. You can sync your notes across different Macs seamlessly via iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and the like.

In addition to storing notes, The Archive facilitates creative work with your notes through cross-connections, clickable links and hashtags. The term Zettelkasten is getting thrown around a lot these days among folks interested in getting focused. The Archive was designed around the concept with cross linking by making links between notes super easy. You can start feeding The Archive with ideas, and then build a second brain to help with your thinking in the long term. I’ve been playing with it and this stuff works.

The Archive is now two years and is being used for everything from taking college lecture notes to writing books and mapping complex fields of knowledge. The dedicated community produces a ton of custom Keyboard Maestro macros and Alfred workflows to add even more features to the workflow. All thanks to the open nature of The Archive and the plain text storage!

So my congratulations to The Archive for its first two years and my thanks for sponsoring MacSparky this week. Go check out The Archive.