Request to support animated gifs or video for theme backgrounds. Gifs would be awesome…
WriteRoom remains my favorite distraction-free writing program.
While I’m super late to this party, I wanted to voice how much I like it as it is, aside from performance issues.
I use it for all first drafts, then just copy and paste into Final Draft or Pages depending on what’s next. But I find it absolutely priceless as a place to think and create.
I use the “Terminal” theme exclusively, with green modified to amber so it looks like my old 1980s Brother word processor that boasted a short, wide CRT screen. So please, whatever you add, don’t forget to retain this theme. And of course a screen full of nothing but blackness and my text.
I think I’ve been around since v1.0, but for sure since 2006. Thank you so much, Jesse, for all the years of this program! It means a lot to me.
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Hi. I am too fan of this program. I used it to write my PhD. My theme is darkblueish back with slight orange letters, with typewriter sound. So, I would love to have an option to visualize and use the program as simple as it is now.
But well, if things shall be added, I would like to have the possibilities of folding text inside of this one. Maybe a timer, to use pomodoro? And well, I don’t use markdown, but I use WriteRoom as the raw texter for LaTeX. I usually copy the written texto to TexPad to give it the final LaTeX tweaks.
Hi, I was wondering whether WR4 was still being developed? I’ve been using WR to write stories for publication every single day since 2006 and would happily pay a monthly / annual sub to keep it going. I’m on WR3 and love it, although changes in Mac have altered its aesthetic capacity, which was also important for my workflow.
If you’re still developing the app, please do indicate and let us know how we can continue to support. I’ve tried literally everything under the sun when it comes to pure writing experience, and nothing even comes close to WR.
Thank you, and please keep working - whether it’s on WR or not.
Not really, sorry I left this thread hanging…
Good lesson to not believe anything that I say until it’s released!
The story of this thread’s WriteRoom 4 code is this was what I was working on before I started Bike. This codebase was really interesting and fun, but in the end just too much, combined with not being all that different in user visible features than many other text editors.
Upon realizing this I changed courses and decided to build Bike Outliner.
I STILL have dreams that one day I’ll manage to release a WriteRoom 4, but for now my focus is Bike 2.
Have you tried Paper? I think that might be up your alley.
I wrote a pretty detailed review on it here. It’s the only app I know that comes close to Jesse’s polish! It’s a minimalistic Markdown editor, with a fantastic writing experience.
(It’s very expensive, though – but if you don’t need customisation, it’s free.)
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hej!
the beauty of write room (i am a user since version 1.0) is its simplicity.
For me 3.2 is allready a feature overload ; )
just make it as it is but working with appl silicon. i guess a.i. could give u a hand there?
thank you for this awesome piece of software.
Thanks for feedback.
Here’s where I “think” things are going.
Base version is free and has no features beyond basic plain text editing.
Licensed version add option for markdown + themes + other features over time.
There are two ways to read/reach the distraction free goal and I think they are in some conflict.
One is minimal feature set. The other is minimal overlap with “normal” computer use (fullscreen mode to block everything out, distinct style to remind me that I’m in the writing place). They both help minimize distractions.
I find WriteRoom most useful in this second case. Take me away from my computer to a place where I can only write. In this second use case tools, such as markdown formatting, to support writing are useful to me.
Do you have an idea how you would support markdown? Hiding syntax or showing it?
I’ve never tried Writeroom (not sure if it even works on Tahoe) but I am curious about the update.
The original WriteRoom was like TextEdit, but with a fullscreen mode and color options. The default look was terminal like, back background and green text. This was before fullscreen mode was a standard thing. The goal was block out everything else and just write.
I think most people used WriteRoom in plain text mode, but it also supported TextEdit style rich text. I don’t want to add rich text mode to WriteRoom 4. Instead I will implement markdown syntax highlighting instead of rich text.
The markdown hiding will be a preference. I haven’t decided which options I’ll make available. I want the feel to be text editor, not word processor. So for example I don’t think I will allow rendering headings as different sizes. But I do think I will allow rendering links, so you only see the link text until you more caret into that region. Not sure about bold and italic, but probable make inline formatting renderable (ie syntax hiding) and keep block level formatting visible.