Not marketing slogans. Convictions we return to when making hard decisions.
Files Endure, Interfaces Change — The filesystem is how humans organize information. Location is recall. Structure is memory. Your notes should survive us. Char is file-based and local-first — it can sit alongside your existing vault, read from your knowledge base, and write back into it. Not another walled garden. Read more: The Filesystem Is the Cortex.
Ownership Over Convenience — A note-taking system is a memory prosthetic. Memory needs to feel owned. Files on your disk, not opaque blobs behind an API.
Compatibility Over Dominance — We don't want to be the only tool you use. Best at meeting notes, speaks the same language as everything else. Plain text makes this possible.
Durability Over Trendiness — Technologies that last decades, not ones popular this quarter. Local-first, Git-backed. Fast for humans, safe for decades.
Transparency Creates Trust — Open source isn't marketing. It's being inspectable. See how it works, trust it. Modify it, own it.