Meet Kosmik, a Visual Canvas With Built-In PDF Reader and Web Browser (techcrunch.com) 10
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: In recent years, tools such as Figma, TLDraw, Apple's Freeform and Arc browser's Easel functionality have tried to sell the idea of using an "infinite canvas" for capturing and sharing ideas. French startup Kosmik is building on that general concept with a knowledge-capturing tool that doesn't require the user to switch between different windows or apps to capture information. Kosmik was founded in 2018 by Paul Rony and Christophe Van Deputte. Prior to that, Rony worked at a video production company as a junior director, and he wanted a single whiteboard-type canvas instead of file and folders where he could put videos, PDFs, websites, notes and drawings. And that's when he started to build Kosmic, Rony told TechCrunch, drawing on a prior background in computing history and philosophy.
"It took us almost three years to make a working product to include baseline features like data encryption, offline-first mode and build a spatial canvas-based UI," Rony explained. "We have built all of this on IPFS, so when two people collaborate everything is peer-to-peer rather than relying on a server-based architecture." Kosmik offers an infinite canvas interface where you can insert text, images, videos, PDFs and links, which can be opened and previewed in a side panel. It also features a built-in browser, saving users from having to switch windows when they need to find a relevant website link. Additionally, the platform sports a PDF reader, which lets the user extract elements such as images and text.
The tool is useful for designers, architects, consultants, and students to build boards of information for different projects. The tool is useful for them as they don't need to open up a bunch of Chrome tabs and put details into a document, which is not a very visual medium for various media types. Some retail investors are using the app to monitor stock prices and consultants are using them for their project boards. Available via the web, Mac, and Windows, Kosmik ships with a basic free tier, though this has a limit of 50MB of files and 5GB of storage with 500 canvas "elements." For more storage and unlimited elements, the company offers a $5.99 monthly subscription, with plans in place to eventually offer a "pay-once" model for those who only want to use the software on a single device.
"It took us almost three years to make a working product to include baseline features like data encryption, offline-first mode and build a spatial canvas-based UI," Rony explained. "We have built all of this on IPFS, so when two people collaborate everything is peer-to-peer rather than relying on a server-based architecture." Kosmik offers an infinite canvas interface where you can insert text, images, videos, PDFs and links, which can be opened and previewed in a side panel. It also features a built-in browser, saving users from having to switch windows when they need to find a relevant website link. Additionally, the platform sports a PDF reader, which lets the user extract elements such as images and text.
The tool is useful for designers, architects, consultants, and students to build boards of information for different projects. The tool is useful for them as they don't need to open up a bunch of Chrome tabs and put details into a document, which is not a very visual medium for various media types. Some retail investors are using the app to monitor stock prices and consultants are using them for their project boards. Available via the web, Mac, and Windows, Kosmik ships with a basic free tier, though this has a limit of 50MB of files and 5GB of storage with 500 canvas "elements." For more storage and unlimited elements, the company offers a $5.99 monthly subscription, with plans in place to eventually offer a "pay-once" model for those who only want to use the software on a single device.
Look here brother (Score:1)
Who you jivin' with that Kosmik Debris?!
Re: (Score:2)
hey, they got the oils of aphrodite and the dust of the grand wazoo!
i'm just playtesting the web version and i'm quite lost ... this thing is unintuitive af.
Great opportunity! (Score:2)
For even more vulnerabilities in one piece of software. Why don't you throw even more stuff in there?
I wanted to like it but... (Score:4, Insightful)
I tried it out for about 10 minutes.
Maybe I'm using it wrong, but...
1. I added a URL to the canvas. A link to a github repo. I was expecting a little preview to appear, or possibly just a link. Instead there is a big mostly empty, useless area that just says "github.com", not even the repo name. and I have the option to "view in a new tab". And this is *after* I explicitly set a title, as the repo name. Oh, and if I click on "View in sidebar", then I get the same mostly empty area with "View in a new tab". wow. a stupendous way to organize and preview links.
2. I imported a text file, with .txt extension. I was expecting, ya know, text to appear on the canvas. Instead, you guessed it, another huge amount of whitespace with "Download" at the top. I guess it's too tricky to figure out how to display... text.
Other things I tried were about equally as (un)intuitive. Gonna give this one a pass I think.
So is it like a browser with a PDF addon (Score:2)
only in reverse?
Nothing says "neatly organized" ... (Score:2)
$5.99/mo or future flat pay opt on 1 device. (Score:2)
What is this..."device" I keep hearing about? Does it have anything to do with "provider"? I reject your limitations and demand freedom.
Just like OneNote (Score:2)
Only crappier and with less Microsoft baked in. That's what my 15 minutes of playing with the free version seems like to me.
Adblockers? (Score:1)
OneNote (Score:3)
This sounds a lot like OneNote. Remember when OneNote was great?
Not that cloning OneNote-when-it-was-great is a bad thing, I'd really love to see a good 2010-ish OneNote that supported all the platforms I use, and let me store data (encrypted, of course) on the target of my choice (the usual suspects, Backblaze B2, pCloud, sync.com, etc.).
I'm currently using Obsidian.md with my notes stored on pCloud, but old OneNote had such a great UI for managing notebooks, folders, and notes. I used Joplin (with encrypted notes stored on some cloud) before that. Everyone seems to be cloning OneNote's current terrible "simplified" UI... I'm happy to type notes in Markdown, but I need better notebook/folder/note management, I guess.