> As a non-emacs, non-lisp users, is this really worth trying to learn?

I've been using org for about 2 years to take notes... I've taken several hundred pages worth of notes using it by now. I've been using it for about a month as my task / appointment manager, and I'm impressed by its flexibility.

I was in the same spot when I started because there's a lot of things that Org is capable of. I used the following resources when I was learning Org. You might find them helpful:

1. Carsten Dominick (lead dev of Org-Mode) talks about Org at Google: http://orgmode.org/talks/index.html#sec-1

2. "Power users describe their setup" section on the worg tutorial list: http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/index.html

By this point, you'll have atleast some idea about how org can be used. If you decide to delve in further:

3. Sacha Chua's blog posts on Org-Mode: http://sachachua.com/blog/

4. Org compact guide: http://orgmode.org/guide/index.html

Emacs could be a stumbling block, but you don't need to learn lisp to use org mode. I initially ran into the same problem of getting to the point where I could follow a tutorial, so here's a 2 minute quick start. The next paragraph guides you through making your first org outline, and should leave you with the tip of the iceberg and a snorkel.

Once you have org installed, hit "Control-x f" to open/create a file, and name one "orgtest.org". Type "* first header" -- if it doesn't turn blue, type "alt-x org-mode" to turn on org-mode. Now type "alt-enter", then hit tab a few times -- it should change the number of stars (level of indentation). Leave it with two stars. Type "take dog to park" on that line, now hit "control-c control-t" several times. It should cycle through a todo/done tag. Hit a regular enter this time, and type "remember your frisbee". Type "control-c control-s"; a calender should pop up, click on tomorrow's date. Now type shift-tab a few times and watch the outline fold/unfold.

Note that the date line and TODO tag are plain text, as is the entire .org file. It could be helpful to think of org-mode as a code editor and interpreter for org markup.

I believe the above should take you to the point where you can follow org-mode tutorials and reference material, although if you decide to really dive in you should probably take some time to learn emacs as well.

Try this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4940680/i-want-to-try-org...

If you happen to be a Vim user, and in the mood to try a bleeding-edge project, you might find this nascent Org-mode clone interesting:

https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=3342

Or you could use the Viper and Vimpulse packages to enable Vi style emulation in Emacs.

Would I notice any differences? Does it still feel like vim?

I tried this for a while and there were little things that drove me crazy. I can't remember the exact issues I had, but I'm sure other long time Vimmers would have some problems. I just found myself having to look up "why is this command xyz not doing what I expect in Viper mode" all the time. YMMV

It's funny. I've been using Emacs as my sole editor for about 8 months now, but I still haven't been able to reach enlightenment with org-mode. I have it installed, and I occasionally use it for todo lists, but I guess I'm just not good enough with it to see its value.

I think the main stumbling block is the documentation (as with most things Emacs). There needs to be some use cases or something. Even the enthusiastic bloggers never seen to give concrete examples. The best advertisement for org-mode I've seen is this long Google Tech Talk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJTwQvgfgMM&hd=1

I've been using Emacs as my editor for 8 years, and I don't get org-mode.

M-x org-mode and just start typing. Hyperlinks are clickable. Add a check lists.

- [ ] Read Hacker News; C-c C-c when complete

- [ ] Write blog

* More readable links

[[http://news.ycombinator.com][Hacker News]]

* Level I

* * Level II -- There are two asterisks with no space.

- [x] Write lesson one.

What I don't get is why it uses multiple asterisks for levels (and an ugly font-lock hack to hide all but the last):

    *    header
    **   second level
    ***  third level
    **** fourth level
    etc.

when it's feasible to set outline-regexp to

    " *[*+.-]"    ; broken out due to HN's formatting

and then just use spaces and asterisks (and dots, pluses, minuses, etc.) directly:

    *    header
     *   second
      *  third
       * fourth

org-mode is really powerful, but does so much that it's hard to learn upfront. I've used Emacs heavily for several years, but never quite gotten into it. I have my own variant (a thin extension to outline-mode), which uses the 10% of org-mode's functionality that I actually care about.

Lines with multiple asterisks mean something different from outlines marked with spaces and asterisks (or hyphens, or numbers). You can only put a TODO, a priority, or a tag on a line with multiple asterisks. The spaces-plus-whatever lines are not meant for top-level tasks, but for little sublists.

I'm inclined to agree that it's a bit unsightly, but the font-lock hack works well enough for me, and I use the distinction in my outlines all the time.

I think that is a legacy of outline mode.

But not an inescapable one!

Haha, I get that part. I guess I don't understand the upside of keeping notes and todo lists on the computer.

I have flat lists of things in text files that I manage with Emacs, but it's stuff I only look at occasionally. I tried using org-mode, but I didn't see the big advantage over text files.

All the right now in-the-moment ideas and todos I write on paper, partly because I like to draw arrows between things.