A Plugin Marketplace and Labs Section
I think the most useful addition would be a plugin system, maybe with a Labs section where people can easily browse, install, and enable community-made plugins.
That would let users add features without making the core app feel bloated, while also showing you which ideas people actually want. If plugins are file-based, they should be fairly easy for users to install themselves, and the most popular, well-tested ones could eventually become official features.
Some examples could be layers, grids and measurements, smarter diagrams, reusable objects, presentation mode, better drawing tools, tables, richer export options, widgets, Kanban boards, timelines, and 3D viewers, Scenes / saved canvas views, just to name a few.
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Comments4
AD
Sep 3
I see this as a distraction. There’s a lot of important basic stuff to polish. I would be very careful to not get dragged into featuritis. You already have a forum for dedicated users to explain what they want.
This sort of thing is precisely why some of us dislike Obsidian. It’s a security risk because the plugins won’t get audited. Some important features may get left out of the core app because, well, “there’s a plugin for it” even though the plugin might not be great. And then the core suffers and developers have to invest time in making a plugin ecosystem, defining what a plugin can and can’t do, etc. That’s a lot of time.
If you built an app, it’s because you have an opinion about what you’re trying to build. Do that well and don’t crowdsource your thinking.
mackm
Sep 4
What I have in mind is a small, user-enabled Labs section with restricted permissions, clear boundaries, and preferably curated or reviewed extensions.
It would let users experiment with niche ideas without bloating the core roadmap. At the same time, Labs would show which ideas are actually useful in practice. The developer still decides what fits visualOS, what stays experimental, and what deserves to become native.
On “crowdsourcing your thinking,” I disagree. A strong product vision does not require shutting out user experimentation. The developer defines the product; the community explores the edges. That gives the developer better evidence about what is worth building while keeping full control over the direction of visualOS.
Dorweiler & Reimertz GbR
Sep 3
That’s an incredibly good idea. Thank you. We will try to figure out how to make it happen. If you have any more ideas, please keep them coming. Much appreciated.
mackm
Sep 3
Thanks, really glad you like the idea. I saw you marked it as Planned, which is awesome. No pressure on timing at all, but I’d definitely be interested to hear once you have a rough idea of how you might approach it.