Lately, while writing my thesis, I spent countless hours working with a word processor. This made me question its efficiency and as a result I spent more countless hours researching about word processing altogether.
To me writing was always a big deal. I fear this art as I barely understand it. The skill of some writer makes me truly appreciate this medium while it also makes the task of writing more intimidating for me. I require utter concentration to write while I fetishise every aspect of this process including the various mediums, utensils, stationary and programs that I use.
Below is a list of writing software that I found to be most stimulating for me. Some of these are also termed zenware, zen text editors, or destruction free writing software due to their minimalist approach to writing.
WriteRoom [Mac] – Paid
This one is the original and possibly the most popular one. Some credible editors swear by it and its operation is flawless. It is a full, black screen editor with a choice of text colour, font, and font size. It also blocks your email/messenger announcements. You would be surprised how stimulating this distraction free environment can be.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Dark Room [ Windows ] – Free | requres .Net
First is the first WriteRoom clone which is free and designed for Windows. Works well at assimilating WriteRoom however misses some of the slickness. It requires .Net environment which is integral to Windows Vista but needs to be installed on Win XP/Me/2000.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Q10 [Windows] – Free
This one is light and requires nothing but its own installation. In fact it works as a stand alone installation. It is the best clone of WriteRoom I found with the addition of some really cool features. Most striking is the Typewriter sounds that are bound to keys which really bring out the steampunk feel, and help concentrating. Unfortunately, this one stopped developing in 2007. Some say it needs not enhancement.
Rating: 8 out of 10
WriteMonkey [Windows] – Free | requres .Net
Once again, this one requires .Net, which is unfortunate. However, it is comparable in features to Q10 while introdusing more suffisticated ones. There are many downloadable sounds, language dictionaries, and even fonts. Unfortuantly I found the sound to be of a low quality, but the good thing is that you can replace it with your oun. Overall it is a great application despite aside from the .Net issue, plus it is in full development and releasing updates consistantly.
Rating: 8 out of 10
jDarkroom [ Windows | Mac | Linux ] – Free | uses Java
This clone is more light and accesible. It uses java which is integral to Windows/Mac/Linux. However, this one has less functions than WriteRoom/DarkRoom.
Rating: 6 out of 10
PyRoom [ Windows | Mac | Linux ] – Free | requires Python
This one is ultra light but requires Python to compile. Also, I found it a little buggy. Very similar to jDarkRoom.
Rating: 5 out of 10
RubyRoom [ Windows | Mac | Linux ] – GPL2 – Open Source | requires Python
This one is open source, which is good new. However, I haven’t noticed any development for the past year or so. It is very similar to jDarkRoom.
Rating: 4 out of 10
WestEdit [Windows] – Free | requres .Net
This one is extremely basic but works..
Rating: 4 out of 10
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DarkCopy [Onine] –Free
This is a online alternative to the above. Very basic.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Writer [Online] –Free
This is a online alternative with some interesting features. Noteworthy is the fact that you could choose to keep your files on their servers.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Writely | Google Docs [Online] –Free
This is alternative is by Google which means that it is free and reliable. It is a word processor not a text editor, however, it could be adjusted to fit the purpose. Simply press CTRL+SHIFT+F to enter full screen mode, and then press F11 to make the browser full screen as well.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Similar “zen” effect could be also achieved in AbiWord, Microsoft Word 2007 and some other software. However, this means that you will be using a powerful tool to do a simple job, or as my dad once said, “you’ll be using a tank to shoot pigeons”.
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TextRoom [ Windows | Linux ] – Open source ree
After realizing that most of the destruction free software available was not perfect I found this newborn software. I loved the approach so much that I began contributing to its development. It is at version 0.5 at the moment, stable, and has plenty of space to grow.
The key aspect of this software is that it allows to bold, italicize, underline and change font and text size through keyboard shortcuts. It uses XML for saving files which later can be opened in any word processor for further work. Web page content can be copy pasted into this program retaining its font, colour, and structure.
I understand that this software does not carry through the strip-to-the-bone concept of its predecessors. However, I feel that it still offers distraction free environment without limiting the creator.
Minimalism – “where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features” – (wikipedia), not just stripped of features.
Further review with screen captures: ← Distraction-Free Text Editing →
About Zenware: ←The Tao of Screen – Slate Magazine →
CBC Radio Podcast about ‘Zenware’: ←Distraction-Free Text Editing →
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