All you need is links
The author makes the case that links can be used to implement all the nice things we have in PKM today, from the simple folder to the elusive triplets of the semantic web.
The argument for using links instead of dedicated functionality is to keep the system simple.
Simple systems that come together to create complex behaviour are generally more resilient than complex systems that create complex behaviour.
This plays out a lot in technology. RISC vs BASIC, C++ vs Go, etc.
Sometimes though, complexity is needed (eg. type-checking is now being universally adopted, even in programming languages that did not have it).
There's always a balance to be struck but when in doubt, I like simple systems that can create complex functionality through composition.
One metaphor that we push on in Dendron is that "everything is a note". Tags are notes, mentions are notes, the database is a collection of notes. Dendron layers functionality on top of notes (backlinks, refactoring, lookup, etc) which means adding a new feature to notes automatically augments all functionality that uses notes (aka everything).
How far can we push this? We are just scratching the surface of note-fying all the things. What else can be a note?
Backlinks