Thanks Simon! You've given me a lot to think about concerning file formats and using multiple apps to store data. I thought DEVONthink might be a good solution for me (and still might be). But I never considered a Foxtrot Search type approach. I need to explore this option more.

Simon wrote:

I think there is also an element that people have always wanted to be
able to see which notes they have made that relate to other notes they
have made. The Zettelkasten idea is extremely powerful. What these new
applications add is the behind the scenes connections. I keep making
notes and the software connects the ideas. When I click on one note I
can immediately see all other notes that link to this topic. Many used
to do this with wikis but they became cumbersome to maintain. Even the
venerable Tinderbox requires too much coding to make this happen for the
average punter.

I do think there is a definite information overload. Do I really need to
track every breakfast I've had? Or for that matter every thought I've
had?

The big issue for me is that if you're long enough in the tooth you may
have amassed quite a mound of information and it's having it all in one
place in something that allows ease of creation plus ease of finding
what you need when you need it. I CRIMP less these days as I'm tired of
transferring information (it's easy to lose creation dates, tags, labels
and contexts) and worse I hate it if I have to look in 5 different apps
for that note I made.

My best discovery this past year is Foxtrot Pro search. I moved all my
data out of DEVONthink and it now sits in folders and Foxtrot serves up
what I need in second. I'm slowly building my own repository in my own
folders, which also means it's easy to migrate should the need arise
(and at Apple's continuing extortionate prices, this may be a reality).
I have way too many proprietary documents that need conversion to a more
open format, but with a solid file naming convention and a good search,
I'm fairly happy. Apps like Obsidian are more for shorter notes than
meeting minutes, or perhaps apps for developing ideas and processing
through data.