Ashleigh Garnett

Margin index

An imagined command-line notebook for keeping a trail through things read and learned over time.

Ashleigh Garnett
Ashleigh Garnett1 min read
Ada Lovelace’s diagram for the computation of Bernoulli numbers
Ada Lovelace, Diagram for the computation of Bernoulli numbers (Note G), 1842. Public domain.

This is a fictional software-project concept used to demonstrate the technical article format. No working application, repository or release is being claimed.

The idea

A small local tool could record a title, a source and a sentence about why something was worth keeping. Plain-text files would make the notes easy to inspect and move.

An imagined interface

margin add "A question worth keeping" --tag reading
margin list --tag reading

These commands are illustrative and do not refer to an installed tool.

What would make it useful?

  • A format that remains readable without the tool.
  • Clear separation between private notes and published material.
  • A way to follow a subject across several entries.

The related essay on small systems demonstrates how a project and a longer piece of writing can connect.