Does this post of mine seem more Zen-like than usual? It should.
I'm composing it on Ommwriter, a minimalist word processor that I came across today via one of the blogs I follow which keep track of what's happening in the oh-so-cool world of Apple.
I was intrigued by the mention of a text editor which starts you off with a utterly blank screen. A few clickable options appear to the right when you stop typing and move your pointer outside of the (resizable) writing box.
You've got a few font options, a few type size options, some choices about what sort of screen to stare at while you write (I'm looking at a solid background which slowly changes colors in a relaxing manner), a variety of choices for both background sound and keyboard-press sound (I've turned off the background sound so I can better hear the chirp that accompanies each character I type, much like the old days of a clickety-clack typewriter), and some options for saving what you write.
This morning I first downloaded a free version of Ommwriter. After playing with it for a while I decided to fork over a few PayPal bucks for the Dana II version, which has some extra options.
The Ommwriter folks want a minimum payment of $4.11, saying that monetary gifts which end in a "1" are auspicious, so they ask that whatever you give them, make it end with "1."
I semi-generously sent them $5.11.
I appreciate what they've created, and the intentions behind Ommwriter. Technology can be complicatedly overwhelming, even when fashioned by Apple. Ommwriter takes me back to my high school and college days when I wrote (a lot) on a typewriter -- a manual at first, then an electric.
Without, of course, the frustration of having to get out Whiteout or correction tape when I made a typing mistake. But with the appealing memory of looking at a plain page that gradually filled with my thoughts, no special formatting required (or, possible).
For a blogger like me, there are pluses and minuses to Ommwriter. Based on this initial writing experience, Ommwriter is more pleasant to use than the TypePad text editor where I usually compose my posts.
I like the ever-changing color of the "paper" I'm writing on, and the intriguing sounds I hear as the rhythm of my typing changes. (When you're in the flow of writing, you can tell by the sound as well as by the sight of characters materializing on the computer screen.
But I'll have to copy this text, paste it into the TypePad text editor, and then add some formatting (links, boldface/italics, maybe a photo).
I usually do this as I go along, but it does interfere somewhat with my train of thought -- which has been known to come to screeching stops. Plus, I always proofread my blog posts before clicking "publish," so this time I'll do my formatting thing at the same time.
If you're a Mac user, check out Ommwriter. It's a good buy at free or $4.11. (Reportedly a Windows version is in the works.)
I Googled around to see how other people liked Ommwriter. Mostly, a lot. You can read their thoughts here, here, here, and here.
And here's a You Tube video that shows Ommwriter in action.
Hi,
If you are looking for a good processor you might want to try Xiosis Scribe. I like it, because it's simple to use and less demanding on my system than some other word processors available. It has the features I actually use but isn't really cluttered with extras. Here's thier address for you check it out:
http://xiosis.com/index.htm
Me
Posted by: Me | November 13, 2010 at 06:40 AM
For those who love Ommwriter soundtrack, now you can find it on iTunes. Do the search by "Typewritten" or "David Ummmo" (the composer's name). Best regards!
Posted by: monicque | November 13, 2010 at 06:02 PM