5 ms·

PyRoom — distraction free writing

18 points by chanux 17y ago

chanux 17y ago
OMMWriter for Mac - http://www.ommwriter.com http://www.ommwriter.com
zephyrfalcon 17y ago
I'm still waiting for the app that makes other household members shut up... now that would be distraction-free writing. :-)
- oscardelben 17y ago
  It's not an app, and it doesn't work for others, but for you: use noise-canceling headphones.
  - pasbesoin 17y ago
    If you know of noise canceling headphones that are effective against the irregular waveforms of human speech, I'd be most interested.
    - jrockway 17y ago
      In that case, you want something that actually blocks the sound, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Portable-Earphones-Black/dp/B000XPG2QI/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267383351&sr=1-11 http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Portable-Earphones-B... 35db of isolation. You basically can't hear anything, which is nice when you need to work somewhere noisy, or want to listen to music on an airplane. It's infinitely better than noise cancellation.
      - pasbesoin 17y ago
        Thank you. I recently spent $80 on another brand that uses foam tips. It had the highest rating I could find amongst the choices at a specialty shop, at IIRC 31 dB attenuation. I haven't been in a suitable work environment since then, to try them out. I'll probably give those a go, first, but if they do not suffice, these look worth trying, and at about $120 are within my price range (as opposed th the $300 plus that I've seen for some other items). As you say, though, these work via passive blocking and not active cancellation. Some time ago, I came across an explanation by an audio engineer claiming that cancellation will never work fully with headphones. Even if the processing is fast enough, he argued, the distances involved between the speaker and eardrum just won't permit it. Perhaps this was in combination with the inertia and therefore delay in the speaker elements; I no longer recall fully. When people state "wear canceling headphones", I've never yet seen the statement backed up with a real / real world use case. EDIT: I guess/imagine it might be more a matter of the location of the microphone that drives the noise cancellation, than that of the speakers. Although I do seem to recall also something about the limitations imposed by pressure waves operating in such a small, confined space.
    - rms 17y ago
      Being ineffective for speech is actually a "feature" of Bose headphones. I second the recommendation for Etymotic earphones.
      - pasbesoin 17y ago
        Thanks, I appreciate the second. With so many products and opinions out there, it nice to have some concurrence in an endorsement. I know I'm not the only one facing this problem of environmental noise as distraction, although I may be towards the extreme end. If and when I find a solution like this that really works for me, it will be for me one of if not the most effective workspace "hacks" in my toolkit.
  - Estragon 17y ago
    I'm still waiting for the app which makes the voices in my head shut up. :-)
betageek 17y ago
Seems to be a open source clone of WriteRoom (http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom) - pretty much identical
- Khroma 17y ago
  The sad thing is that people are willing to pay for WriteRoom.
  - dirkstoop 17y ago
    Yes, don't you just hate it when people make a living creating software? </sarcasm>
  - hyperbovine 17y ago
    I paid for it! Strangely enough, I felt happy afterwards. Must have been me.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    Mac users would pay for air if it had rounded corners.
jrockway 17y ago
C-x 1.
pgbovine 17y ago
what about using vim with your terminal set to full-screen mode? Edit: or in-terminal emacs ;) iTerm for Mac OS X has a nice full-screen mode
- onewland 17y ago
  Honestly, I'd like to do this but have a margin on the sides but haven't figured out how. I would forever be your e-servant if you know how to do that. I'm sure I could figure out some hack, but it's just something I'd rather not work on.
  - pgbovine 17y ago
    hmmm sorry don't know how to do that. one semi-gross hack is to simply open up 3 vertical buffers in vim/emacs and have two of them be empty :)
  - ams6110 17y ago
    Aquamacs: SHIFT-ALT-ENTER full-screens a frame. For side margins you can look at "fringe" settings.
  - visitor4rmindia 17y ago
    Here you go: (defun fullscreen () (interactive) (let (f w l r cb b) (setq cb (current-buffer)) (setq b (switch-to-buffer "*NOSUCHBUFFER*")) ;Temp buffer otherwise (setq f (make-frame '((fullscreen . fullboth)))) ;settings don't take effect (select-frame-set-input-focus f) (setq w (frame-width f)) (setq l (/ (- w 80) 2)) (setq r (- w (+ l 80))) (seq-default left-margin-width l right-margin-width r) (delete-other-frames f) ;Only one main window (kill-buffer b) ;Kill temp buffer - now original buffer will get new margins (switch-to-buffer cb))) (defun fullscreen-off () (interactive) (let (f cb b p) (setq cb (current-buffer)) (setq b (switch-to-buffer "*NOSUCHBUFFER*")) ;Temp buffer (setq-default left-margin-width nil right-margin-width nil) (kill-buffer b) (delete-other-frames (make-frame)) (switch-to-buffer cb)))
  - 17y ago
Keyframe 17y ago
I've been doing this with emacs for years now. I usually have emacs running fullscreen on 4:3 monitor alongside my main monitor, or when I'm on laptop I run it fullscreen also. Makes me, for some reason, more focused. clean darkroom http://imgur.com/LloOY.png http://imgur.com/LloOY.png and with menu http://imgur.com/yTeUz.png http://imgur.com/yTeUz.png
- starbuck_ 17y ago
  Would you mind posting your config? I'm a bit of an emacs noob but I would love to be able to do this.
  - Keyframe 17y ago
    well my .emacs is a lot of collected/revised cruft over the years. It's a mess really, and I'm always putting away refactoring for some other time - since it works for me. You'd also need all of the included dependencies and stuff (it's windows specific, but could be made to work on other OS' also). So I might zip up my .emacs with all of the dependencies files if you want me to.
    - starbuck_ 17y ago
      I'd appreciate it if you did. I primarily use emacs on Windows, so that aspect is not a problem, and I weeding through all of your cruft might be fun :)
      - Keyframe 17y ago
        http://www.vga.hr/temp/home.zip http://www.vga.hr/temp/home.zip - here is my home folder, just be sure to set HOME var as an environment variable to that folder. There are also minor install files in darkroom folder inside (you'll see). F12 toggles title bar, F11 toggles fullscreen (a bit buggy, so sometimes you need to press it a few times due to external program that sets it), F7 and F8 cycle back and forward between emacs buffer and F6 toggles line numbers.
steadicat 17y ago
Looks like it's targeted squarely at programmers, given the name ("Py*") and the screenshot (green monospaced font on black). Why? It's not a programming editor. And, judging by the other comments, programmers don't want this, as they can get pretty much the same layout in Emacs. Change the name and start using a better font for prose and you've got yourself a much larger and more suitable audience.
- kidko 17y ago
  I used it quite successfully for Nanowrimo. The "Py" is probably because it's written in Python.
dkarl 17y ago
AwesomeWM + emacs + turn off the other monitor. Awesome helps because sometimes you really do need to switch to another application (a terminal or browser) while writing. With Awesome you can switch between applications without seeing anything else. Be sure to turn off the Awesome status bar and the emacs menu bar for maximum immersion. Also, it's nice to use a web browser like Conky that makes random browsing less convenient.
jimmi 17y ago
i use this one http://focused.googlecode.com/ http://focused.googlecode.com/
chadaustin 17y ago
I use DarkRoom ( http://they.misled.us/dark-room http://they.misled.us/dark-room ) on Windows, which is going to be open source if enough people can harass the author. He simply hasn't gotten around to releasing it yet: http://github.com/jjafuller/DarkRoomW http://github.com/jjafuller/DarkRoomW
- jimmi 17y ago
  love it!

18 points by chanux 17y ago

OMMWriter for Mac - http://www.ommwriter.com http://www.ommwriter.com

I'm still waiting for the app that makes other household members shut up... now that would be distraction-free writing. :-)

oscardelben 17y ago
It's not an app, and it doesn't work for others, but for you: use noise-canceling headphones.
- pasbesoin 17y ago
  If you know of noise canceling headphones that are effective against the irregular waveforms of human speech, I'd be most interested.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    In that case, you want something that actually blocks the sound, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Portable-Earphones-Black/dp/B000XPG2QI/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267383351&sr=1-11 http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Portable-Earphones-B... 35db of isolation. You basically can't hear anything, which is nice when you need to work somewhere noisy, or want to listen to music on an airplane. It's infinitely better than noise cancellation.
    - pasbesoin 17y ago
      Thank you. I recently spent $80 on another brand that uses foam tips. It had the highest rating I could find amongst the choices at a specialty shop, at IIRC 31 dB attenuation. I haven't been in a suitable work environment since then, to try them out. I'll probably give those a go, first, but if they do not suffice, these look worth trying, and at about $120 are within my price range (as opposed th the $300 plus that I've seen for some other items). As you say, though, these work via passive blocking and not active cancellation. Some time ago, I came across an explanation by an audio engineer claiming that cancellation will never work fully with headphones. Even if the processing is fast enough, he argued, the distances involved between the speaker and eardrum just won't permit it. Perhaps this was in combination with the inertia and therefore delay in the speaker elements; I no longer recall fully. When people state "wear canceling headphones", I've never yet seen the statement backed up with a real / real world use case. EDIT: I guess/imagine it might be more a matter of the location of the microphone that drives the noise cancellation, than that of the speakers. Although I do seem to recall also something about the limitations imposed by pressure waves operating in such a small, confined space.
  - rms 17y ago
    Being ineffective for speech is actually a "feature" of Bose headphones. I second the recommendation for Etymotic earphones.
    - pasbesoin 17y ago
      Thanks, I appreciate the second. With so many products and opinions out there, it nice to have some concurrence in an endorsement. I know I'm not the only one facing this problem of environmental noise as distraction, although I may be towards the extreme end. If and when I find a solution like this that really works for me, it will be for me one of if not the most effective workspace "hacks" in my toolkit.
- Estragon 17y ago
  I'm still waiting for the app which makes the voices in my head shut up. :-)

betageek 17y ago

Seems to be a open source clone of WriteRoom (http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom) - pretty much identical

Khroma 17y ago
The sad thing is that people are willing to pay for WriteRoom.
- dirkstoop 17y ago
  Yes, don't you just hate it when people make a living creating software? </sarcasm>
- hyperbovine 17y ago
  I paid for it! Strangely enough, I felt happy afterwards. Must have been me.
- jrockway 17y ago
  Mac users would pay for air if it had rounded corners.

jrockway 17y ago

C-x 1.

pgbovine 17y ago

what about using vim with your terminal set to full-screen mode? Edit: or in-terminal emacs ;) iTerm for Mac OS X has a nice full-screen mode

onewland 17y ago
Honestly, I'd like to do this but have a margin on the sides but haven't figured out how. I would forever be your e-servant if you know how to do that. I'm sure I could figure out some hack, but it's just something I'd rather not work on.
- pgbovine 17y ago
  hmmm sorry don't know how to do that. one semi-gross hack is to simply open up 3 vertical buffers in vim/emacs and have two of them be empty :)
- ams6110 17y ago
  Aquamacs: SHIFT-ALT-ENTER full-screens a frame. For side margins you can look at "fringe" settings.
- visitor4rmindia 17y ago
  Here you go: (defun fullscreen () (interactive) (let (f w l r cb b) (setq cb (current-buffer)) (setq b (switch-to-buffer "*NOSUCHBUFFER*")) ;Temp buffer otherwise (setq f (make-frame '((fullscreen . fullboth)))) ;settings don't take effect (select-frame-set-input-focus f) (setq w (frame-width f)) (setq l (/ (- w 80) 2)) (setq r (- w (+ l 80))) (seq-default left-margin-width l right-margin-width r) (delete-other-frames f) ;Only one main window (kill-buffer b) ;Kill temp buffer - now original buffer will get new margins (switch-to-buffer cb))) (defun fullscreen-off () (interactive) (let (f cb b p) (setq cb (current-buffer)) (setq b (switch-to-buffer "*NOSUCHBUFFER*")) ;Temp buffer (setq-default left-margin-width nil right-margin-width nil) (kill-buffer b) (delete-other-frames (make-frame)) (switch-to-buffer cb)))
- 17y ago

Keyframe 17y ago

I've been doing this with emacs for years now. I usually have emacs running fullscreen on 4:3 monitor alongside my main monitor, or when I'm on laptop I run it fullscreen also. Makes me, for some reason, more focused. clean darkroom http://imgur.com/LloOY.png http://imgur.com/LloOY.png and with menu http://imgur.com/yTeUz.png http://imgur.com/yTeUz.png

starbuck_ 17y ago
Would you mind posting your config? I'm a bit of an emacs noob but I would love to be able to do this.
- Keyframe 17y ago
  well my .emacs is a lot of collected/revised cruft over the years. It's a mess really, and I'm always putting away refactoring for some other time - since it works for me. You'd also need all of the included dependencies and stuff (it's windows specific, but could be made to work on other OS' also). So I might zip up my .emacs with all of the dependencies files if you want me to.
  - starbuck_ 17y ago
    I'd appreciate it if you did. I primarily use emacs on Windows, so that aspect is not a problem, and I weeding through all of your cruft might be fun :)
    - Keyframe 17y ago
      http://www.vga.hr/temp/home.zip http://www.vga.hr/temp/home.zip - here is my home folder, just be sure to set HOME var as an environment variable to that folder. There are also minor install files in darkroom folder inside (you'll see). F12 toggles title bar, F11 toggles fullscreen (a bit buggy, so sometimes you need to press it a few times due to external program that sets it), F7 and F8 cycle back and forward between emacs buffer and F6 toggles line numbers.

steadicat 17y ago

Looks like it's targeted squarely at programmers, given the name ("Py*") and the screenshot (green monospaced font on black). Why? It's not a programming editor. And, judging by the other comments, programmers don't want this, as they can get pretty much the same layout in Emacs. Change the name and start using a better font for prose and you've got yourself a much larger and more suitable audience.

kidko 17y ago
I used it quite successfully for Nanowrimo. The "Py" is probably because it's written in Python.

dkarl 17y ago

AwesomeWM + emacs + turn off the other monitor. Awesome helps because sometimes you really do need to switch to another application (a terminal or browser) while writing. With Awesome you can switch between applications without seeing anything else. Be sure to turn off the Awesome status bar and the emacs menu bar for maximum immersion. Also, it's nice to use a web browser like Conky that makes random browsing less convenient.

jimmi 17y ago

i use this one http://focused.googlecode.com/ http://focused.googlecode.com/

chadaustin 17y ago

I use DarkRoom ( http://they.misled.us/dark-room http://they.misled.us/dark-room ) on Windows, which is going to be open source if enough people can harass the author. He simply hasn't gotten around to releasing it yet: http://github.com/jjafuller/DarkRoomW http://github.com/jjafuller/DarkRoomW

jimmi 17y ago
love it!