First of all, thank you for the outstanding work on DEVONthink. It has become a central tool in my workflow, and I really appreciate the level of support provided here on the forum.
I have a question regarding the long-term development of DEVONthink. From a user’s perspective, it sometimes seems like the team behind the product is quite small (for example, I often see Jim handling most of the support work; thanks, Jim!).
Since I’m investing a lot of knowledge and effort into building my database in DEVONthink, it’s crucial for me to know that the app will continue to be actively developed and supported for the long term. Could you please share how the company is approaching the sustainability of the app and the team? For example, are there plans to bring in new developers or expand the support team in the future?
Thank you very much for your time and for all the work you put into this product!
Thank you for your kind words about DEVONthink and your thoughtful question about our team.
You’re correct that we’re a small, focused development team — which we consider one of our strengths. This allows us to maintain high standards while benefiting from both experienced developers and younger team members who bring fresh ideas and new approaches to our work.
While we appreciate your interest in our business plans and future direction, we don’t publicly share details about our internal operations, roadmaps, or commercial matters. What I can tell you is that we have no plans to close shop and remain fully committed to DEVONthink’s continued development.
Of course, predictions are always difficult to make with certainty, especially when they concern the future What we can promise is our ongoing dedication to the product and our user community.
This is exactly what I wanted to hear — that the team is committed to developing and maintaining DEVONthink for the long term and is mindful of the knowledge transfer needed to make that possible.
Of course, I didn’t expect any details about internal hiring or operational plans. A short statement of acknowledgement, like the one you provided, is all I was hoping for.
Thanks again for taking the time to clarify this — it means a lot as someone investing so much into the app.
DEVONtechnologies have been in business for over 20 years. I’ve been a user for over 10 years – and the products only continue to improve. Personally, I don’t have any concerns about the longevity of the company.
I’ve been a customer for 17 years. DEVONthink Pro Office 1.x
Nothing but joy.
The most amazing products sometimes go away. Witness Script Debugger. When they do, we celebrate all the good they’ve done us, and move on. We had a great run. I don’t expect DT to go away anytime soon, but I would completely understand and respect the team’s decision if they did, after decades of glorious work. Everyone deserves rest. And if it continues under new leadership one day, I can only hope it is as amazing as the current one. I’ve also seen many amazing forum contributors rest in peace along the years. They are also celebrated.
What would you do if DT (theoretically) suddenly decided to shut down the app? I honestly don’t know of any other tool that comes even close to DT’s functionality (and I say this as someone who’s been through Evernote, Apple Notes, and dozens of other note-taking apps).
p.s. I’m still burned from when Google shut down Google Reader, haha
In the least, nothing would go away suddenly, there would be months, years. Then, the files are not locked in proprietary boxes, they are still Finder files, which was a HUGE decision for me back in 2008.
Apple Notes - which I use, btw, just because it’s easy to share (e.g, travel information) is definitely not a good choice as main information gathering/analyzing place. Evernotes, I used for years, then got tired of its quirks and restrictions. I used also many other information managers apps, both Mac and PC, nothing ever came close to DEVONthink. I do sometimes use Tinderbox, which is awesome, but it is for me a very different use case.
I worked for Oracle once, and other large corporations, and I can tell you that it is easier to get screwed by a large corporation pulling support for a product (e.g., Kodak Shoebox, Reader and many others, many Adobe Products, Macromedia, and so on) than a smaller team like DT.
The other thing, I love DT’s support for Applescript and javascript via the great team members and forum contributors (hey, you know who you are!).
I would certainly be supremely disappointed if Devontech were to disappear.
That said - we would be in a better position than with many other applications. Indeed a better position than is the case with software from many “big” companies which can clearly leave you stranded.
1 - Devontech cannot “shut down” the app - There is nothing in DT4 that requires a Devontech server to operate.
2 - Worst case you could keep running DT4 as long as you do not upgrade MacOS on the computer where it is installed.
3 - DT4 has the best export options of any software I can imagine. Not only can you simply export your data as Folders/File, but also given DT4’s scripting capability you could infinitely customize your export method.
Yep, in fact, it should not be rocket science to export the entire structure, and tags, labels, smart groups, what not, if it were ever needed. I think DT was smart and prescient from the get go.
There are many things about DEVONthink I’ve often thought, “I know @cgrunenberg is a wizard of some sort but did he really foresee the future repercussions of these choices?!?”
Pff. We’ll all be gambolling with rainbow unicorns in the sunlit uplands of AI utopia and will simply vibe-code a reverse-engineered, eternity-proofed replacement. How hard can it be?
I think everyone here is supportive and committed to Devonthink. I won’t speculate on its future as my crystal ball is always cloudy. But I will point out the very in-depth way they’ve assessed AI/LLM, considered their customers workflows and pocketbooks, and integrated it into their product in an expandable, innovative manner – and done so quickly – has impressed me. That reassures me most as to their commitment and longterm viability than any reply you’ll get. Experience has taught me that actions truly do speak louder than words.
What we can promise is our ongoing dedication to the product and our user community.
