This is one reason I can't stop using Goodnotes with an Apple Pencil: I like to handwrite. It's particularly helpful when I'm taking notes in multiple languages; switching keyboards every time I want to write a word in another language is a pain.
I think the Excalidraw plugin solves a different problem. It’s great for creating diagrams, especially with a keyboard+mouse. What I’m looking for, though, is something like Apple Notes on iPad, where you can seamlessly write in your notes with your Apple Pencil. The Excalidraw plugin adds a lot of friction and complexity if all you want to do is write.
This is what keeps me coming back to apps like OneNote or Apples Notes.
Obsidian and their ilk, for me, just encourage endless bike shedding and metrics that get in the way of the job to be done — taking and finding notes.
FWIW I only use Obsidian for note-taking, not metrics or graph views or bike-shedding. Markdown with two-way links and the occasional image, code snippet, or Mermaid diagram. Doesn't need to be more complicated than that!
Adding my voice to the cacophony. I don't use Obsidian but I do use Foam in VS Code. Daily notes and wikilinks is all I need. I've toyed with adding more metadata but it's just not worth the maintenance cost
