Exocore

Template:Infobox software

Exocore is an open-source personal hypertext knowledge management system developed by Remilia Corporation (previously, XCELA Group) as a "proof-of-concept for Remilia's New Internet." It combines a directory-based file structure with a suite of Visual Studio Code extensions and publishing tools to create an easily navigable personal wiki that can be optionally published online. Designed as a "digital representation of your brain," Exocore enables users to organize text, images, and thoughts through interlinked documents with features like automatic backlinking, graph visualization, and categorized note types.

Overview

Conceptualized and initially developed by Charlotte Fang, the Exocore functions as a personal knowledge base that emphasizes interconnectivity and easy navigation. It was expanded into a Jamstack workflow extending the open-source Foam knowledge management system with additional features and publishing capabilities. The project embodies Remilia's approach to digital sovereignty and information freedom, enabling individuals to create and maintain their own web presence independent of centralized platforms.

The system is designed to function both as a private note-taking system and as a public website, with users having the option to host their Exocore online through Netlify, a free hosting service. This dual-purpose approach aligns with Remilia's concept of "digital sovereignty" by giving users complete control over their digital presence while maintaining the ability to connect with others through a standardized network.

Features

Note categories

The Exocore organizes content into four distinct note categories, creating an "information pipeline" that facilitates knowledge systematization:

• Daily Notes - Quick-access scratch pads automatically titled by date, designed for research dumps and fleeting notes that inform future work. One is created each day automatically when opening VSCode.
• Wiki Notes - Single atomic data points automatically titled with hexadecimal color codes, which are displayed as colored badges in the published site's index.
• Journal Entries - Designed for personal thoughts and reflections, without automatic titling.
• Articles - Longer-form content for comprehensive write-ups on particular topics.

This structure enables users to capture scattered reference material and develop it into polished final products, allowing ideas to progress through different stages of refinement.

Core functionality

The Exocore incorporates several key features from the Foam Visual Studio Code package, including:

• Backlinks panel - Displays all notes that link to the current note
• Wikilinks aliasing syntax - Enables creating links between notes with custom display text
• Tiling windows - Facilitates viewing multiple notes simultaneously
• Note embedding - Allows inserting the content of one note within another
• Graph visualization - Provides a visual representation of connections between notes
• Sync files on rename - Maintains links when file names change

These features are supplemented with additional Exocore-specific capabilities including:

• Segregated note categories with default templates
• Daily note generation
• Automatic randomly generated titling for Zettelkasten functionality
• Automatic table of contents generation
• Support for footnotes and sidenotes
• Jekyll templates for web publishing

Publishing system

A core aspect of the Exocore is its ability to transform a private knowledge base into a public website. The publishing system uses Netlify to host the Jekyll-rendered static site, making the process accessible to users without technical expertise.

The published Exocore sites can form a decentralized network, with features that connect different users' knowledge bases:

• Automatically updated "latest posts" feeds from other Exocores
• "Related posts" suggestions based on metadata tags
• Potential for webring-style navigation between connected Exocores

These interconnection features demonstrate Remilia's concept of a "new internet" composed of individually owned but interconnected digital spaces rather than centralized platforms.

Philosophy

The Exocore embodies several core philosophical principles from Remilia Corporation's broader framework:

Digital sovereignty

Exocore aligns with Remilia's emphasis on digital sovereignty—the idea that freedom in online spaces depends on self-sufficiency through private ownership. By giving users complete control over their knowledge base and web presence, the project encourages independence from corporate platforms and centralized infrastructure, reflecting Remilia's concept that "If you build your own temple in the woods, you become immortal, networking with an underground network of exiles."

Information freedom

The Exocore is released under the Viral Public License (VPL), a copyleft license created by Charlotte Fang that combines the permissiveness of licenses like MIT/BSD with the viral nature of the GNU General Public License. This licensing approach reflects Remilia's commitment to information freedom while ensuring that derivative works remain open and accessible.

Knowledge externalization

As a digital "exocortex" (external brain), the Exocore represents a practical implementation of knowledge externalization—the process of transferring knowledge from the individual mind to an external, navigable system. This approach treats personal knowledge management not merely as note-taking but as the creation of a digital extension of consciousness that grows and evolves over time.

Development and community

The Exocore is maintained as an open-source project, with its code hosted on GitHub under Remilia Corporation's account. The system has been forked and modified by various users who have adapted it for their own knowledge management needs.

The project is presented with different levels of customization potential based on technical expertise:

• Users with no technical knowledge can implement the basic system and choose from pre-made CSS templates
• Those with HTML and CSS knowledge can edit included stylesheets and templates for complete visual customization
• Users familiar with Jekyll/Liquid can create custom logic functions and metadata-based content generation
• Those with Ruby skills can package their Exocore themes as Ruby Gems for others to use

This tiered approach to customization makes the system accessible to beginners while providing advanced capabilities for more technical users.

Reception and influence

The Exocore has been adopted by members of the Remilia community and individuals interested in decentralized knowledge management systems. As a practical implementation of Remilia's digital sovereignty philosophy, it represents one of the collective's more widely applicable projects beyond the art and NFT spheres.

The system's influence extends beyond its direct user base through its demonstration of alternative approaches to personal knowledge management that emphasize ownership and interconnection over centralized platforms. The Exocore can be seen as part of a broader trend toward self-hosted digital tools and infrastructure, responding to increasing concerns about platform dependence and data ownership.

See also

• Remilia Corporation
• Charlotte Fang
• XCELA Group
• Viral Public License
• Network Spirituality
• Digital sovereignty