Evernote Linux Client `NixNote 2` To Ditch Java For C++ / Qt, Alpha Version Available

NixNote (previously Nevernote) is an unofficial open source Evernote client written in Java, but it seems this will change with the next major release and C++/Qt will be used instead.

For those not familiar with Evernote, this is a popular note-taking service that besides regular notes, supports images, video and audio, handwritten notes and basically all kind of information you could add to a note. There are Evernote applications for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and so on, but not for Linux.

NixNote has almost all the features present in the official Evernote application for Windows, but it's written in Java and many users have complained about its memory usage. But this will change with NixNote 2, an effort to rewrite Nixnote from scratch, having speed and a reduced memory footprint as the main goals. According to its developer, NixNote 2 will be written in C++ using Qt's framework and there might be some Java pieces, but he's hoping to keep them to an absolute minimum.

Nixnote 2 alpha 3

If you want to try the latest NixNote 2 alpha 3, you can download it already, but only for 64bit. Also, remember that this is an alpha version released for testing purposes only, so you may find bugs and also, some features aren't working yet, like uploads to shared / linked notebooks, encrypted text in notes, you can't pin a note or color it, you can't close a notebook and more. For more info about this, visit the NixNote 2 alpha 3 thread.

Try Nixnote2 alpha in Ubuntu

The latest Nixnote 2 alpha 3 is only available for 64bit (no source available yet) and in my test, it has worked in Ubuntu 13.04 and 13.10 (I didn't test it in Ubuntu 12.10). Unfortunately, the binary is built against libpoppler-qt4-4 which isn't available in Ubuntu 12.04, meaning that the current build won't work in Precise.

Before proceeding, install the required dependencies:

sudo apt-get install libpoppler-qt4-4 tidy mimetex

Then, download Nixnote 2 alpha (make sure you read the release notes before using NixNote 2 alpha!), extract the downloaded archive and simply double click "nixnote" from the extracted folder.

Important: since this is alpha quality, uploads are disabled by default. To get Nixnote 2 alpha to sync with the Evernote servers do the following: in the NixNote preferences (Tools > Preferences), on the Debugging tab, uncheck the "Disable uploads to server" box, then click Ok:

And finally, click the "Sync" button on the toolbar, enter your Evernote username and password and your notes should then sync with the Evernote servers.