I don’t think that you are following me. And, it could be that we just disagree. TaskPaper is a writing environment, that is, it is an environment where you go to participate in the act of writing. Different meaning perhaps than the literal one I hear you using to define a text editor vs a word processor. But, all of that misses the point that I was making.
TaskPaper is an organizing environment. We may argue about plain text, styled text, or embellishments such as hanging indents you may not feel belong with your particular use of the system. But what it is, is an organizing environment. No more, and no less.
In this regard it has more in kin with Things, OmniFocus, and other popular ways of organization of your tasks and your projects. Should projects not include the writing of a legal document with a huge amount of organization needed, or a term paper, or a book? Would you argue that this was never what Taskpaper was made for as those are all writing environments?
The argument I have been making here, is that TaskPaper is for organizing. It is an organizing environment, plain and simple. That it attracts comments or suggestions from those of us who really like working with text, should not be a surprise. Arguing about whether it should or should not do a thing because only word processors should do this or text editors never do that is like going to the waters edge and getting into an argument about calling that thing over there a boat - or a ship. At the end of the day, why does it matter? And who does it matter too? That thing over there that you can get into with your friends, untie from the dock and go over the water in, call it what you like. The more important question is, do we spend all our time arguing about it’s name, or do we get in it and work to adapt it best to our own individual needs?
My central thesis here, again, is that TaskPaper is about organizing things and is therefore an organizational environment. It is also of course a writing environment as that is what you have to do - write, to use TaskPaper. Or, you could spend a lot of time on the docks arguing about ships and boats, wrenches and hammers, and never go anywhere. As for me, I have to get back to my writing in my taskpaper organizational environment.
I have asked here about the differences with Jesse’s other apps. So far I have gotten little response. So, I use what I have and am most familiar with, my TaskPaper organizing app. If a full fledged text writing system ever made use of these features it would indeed be a wonderful thing. As it is now, I have already taken my first drafts and moved them over to Nisus and now am at a phase where I have to move them back into Taskpaper for more organization, then back to Nisus, until done.
I have had Scrivener for some time now. It is also very nice but it is a bit complex in it’s organization. It cannot do anything close to what TaskPaper can do. TaskPapers simple yet robust organization tools, tags, searches, folding, and focusing, are just what I need.
I don’t know anything about WriteRoom other than it seems to be all about a full screen distraction free writing environment. I just know I have a lot to get organized with my written tasks, thoughts, and projects. So far TaskPaper is the ship that sails best for me. It could be better in some ways. When I come across something that could improve it for me or others here, I post about it. As far as I am concerned, thinking different is the original and the best idea that Apple ever had.