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Monodraw: ASCII art editor for the Mac
- GekkePrutser 5y agoThis looks really cool. Well done! And no electron. Will definitely try it out
- jamil7 5y ago> And no electron. I bought this app years ago - I have a feeling it might even predate electron? It's awesome for embedding simple diagrams.
- sigzero 5y agoSame here. I like it.
- noxa 5y agoI somewhat understand the hate for electron but as a non-Mac user I'd much rather have access to this app - and I suspect the author would rather have me pay them for it. For such niche software it seems silly to build it so platform specific.
- heyoni 5y agoTo get that kind of native feel in an electron app is either impossible or going to take a lot more work than just using native SDK's. There's a reason people hate on electron, because it's a bloated alternative that merely comes close to having a native feel.
- ajford 5y agoI get the hate that Electron gets for it's weight and overhead, but this is a perfect example of why Electron has value. This app has no dependency on native OS for anything beyond writing data. It doesn't need to compile heavy code bases, it doesn't need fast GPU or other access. It could have very well been an electron app, and it would have the benefit of being widely available on many platforms. I'd love to be able to use this app, but as a Linux and Windows user, I'm unable to. So I'll be searching for an alternative that runs on the platforms I have access to. That said, no hate on the author for building the tool to their needs and desires. It's a fantastic looking app, and looks well executed. Wish I could use it.
- echelon 5y agoAnd think about how much more work it was. And how much more work it'll take to maintain and update. It's an interesting choice to do native. That said, very impressive work.
- jamil7 5y ago> And think about how much more work it was. And how much more work it'll take to maintain and update. This isn't really true when supporting a single platform, assuming the author is fluent in AppKit etc.
- kitsunesoba 5y agoAppKit apps also don’t usually break that easily. It’s surprisingly simple to get an abandoned OS X 10.0-10.4 era Cocoa app compiling and running on modern macOS, I’ve done it a couple times just for kicks.
- nih0 5y agoI like seeing devs embrace native frameworks. Electron apps just do UI so differently that its just a pain to use. For example dragging a file tab out of vs code doesnt create a new window like every other editor.
- wayneftw 5y agoJust because it's not implemented yet doesn't mean it can't be implemented. Electron can do anything a native app can because it is a native app itself. Anyway, you can do it without dragging which is actually even better. Just do Ctrl+K, O or on a Mac Cmd+K, O. You can track when this feature is implemented here - https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/8171 https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/8171
- egypturnash 5y ago"you can do this thing in a completely different way than the native OS trains you to expect to do it, actually this is even better!"
- ntrz 5y agoWhat's the purpose of being able to embed an image in the sheet? Is it intended to be an aid to `tracing' an image when creating ASCII art, or does it have some other purpose?
- ezekg 5y agoI’ve used images scattered around the art board for reference. I like to copy brandur’s diagrams a lot, so I’ll usually have a couple of his on my board to reference.
- patorjk 5y agoThis looks pretty cool, though unfortunately I'm not near my Mac so I can't really check it out. I'd be interested to know how its freehand pencil tool compares to JavE's (http://www.jave.de/ http://www.jave.de/). I always thought that was the coolest feature of JavE.
- jshier 5y agoUnfortunately in minimal maintenance mode for the last 3 years. https://blog.helftone.com/monodraw-maintenance-mode/ https://blog.helftone.com/monodraw-maintenance-mode/ Still works well though.
- Corun 5y agoIn reality it is still maintained though I think. They released an update to bring native Apple Silicon support for example: https://blog.helftone.com/monodraw-v1.5-apple-silicon-macos-11-big-sur/ https://blog.helftone.com/monodraw-v1.5-apple-silicon-macos-...
- mortenjorck 5y agoThe post even mentions a Big Sur / Monterey visual refresh currently in development. As "maintenance mode" projects go, this looks like the best of the best.
- dfinninger 5y agoLooks like they’ve released Dark Mode support and Apple Silicon support since that blog post. So maintenance does actually mean maintenance.
- sudobash1 5y agoAn implicit assumption in software seems to be that for it to stay relevant, it must be perpetually evolving. But there is something to be said for deciding a piece of software has reached it's intended potential and simply maintaining it. Granted, it sounds like the author feels like there are more meaningful things to add or change, but that doesn't mean the software is any less relevant than it was 3 years back.
- yakubin 5y agoDo Mac apps stay functional for long without work put into maintenance by their developers, with all the breaking changes introduced by Apple?
- jibbers 5y agoWhat an amazingly polished app! It's refreshing to see a new app feel perfectly at home on macOS. $10 to support these folks is worth it.
- Jubed 5y agoWell done, This is amazing app.
- sureglymop 5y agoLooks absolutely amazing.. I wish there was a Linux version.
- eliseumds 5y agoWhat a relief it is to see a snappy, lightweight native app.
- Foomf 5y agoThis looks really cool, and I'd totally buy this if it had a windows version. I don't a mac, nor do I really want one.
- ynac 5y agoLong-time user here. Laying out newsletters, flow charts, diagrams, and figlets. It has very few issues these days, and only a couple minor points of frustration in the UI. For my purposes, it's the best thing out there. A couple of workflow tips for using Monodraw: * Open a few docs in Monodraw at a time and leave them open for your different needs: text boxes, figlets, diagrams. Each with a few elements already waiting to be filled, cut & pasted, etc. * For larger docs (e.g. newsletters) finish the writing in your text editor and bring it into Monodraw. Think Publisher or InDesign. Yeah, you can edit in here, but it's weird. Best for layout. * Browse the sample file that opens by default when you load Monodraw. Good fodder in there. * Snippets! * Yes, it is just text but there is FILL to give order (front to back) of elements. This is really handy for making slides that expose a list one item at a time. * Cut and Paste chunks in and out of your Monodraw file with your main document or take a clipped screen capture for dropping into a graphic or fancy format document (e.g. Illustrator). No need to export and paste.
- dwaite 5y agoBy the way, Finder will let you get info on just about any document and check 'Locked' or 'Stationary Pad'. Locking should prompt you on any attempt to change the document to unlock or duplicate. Stationary Pad will automatically create a local copy when you open the file, and instead open that copy.
- themodelplumber 5y agoThat's cool that you use it in these ways. Do you have any example newsletters or flowcharts we can look at?
- spacedcowboy 5y agoThis really is excellent. I can see a lot more sequence diagrams and illustrations getting into my code comments in future. Well worth $10.
- rbanffy 5y agoI need this so much... I have to use Lucid Charts in Confluence...
- sharkjacobs 5y agoASCIIFlow is a less full featured web app with similar functionality to Monodraw, for all the windows/linux/chromebook users wishing for an electron version https://asciiflow.com https://asciiflow.com
- georgestephanis 5y agoLiterally just came here to link to asciiflow. It's great!
- alanwreath 5y agoI was looking to see if this had been mentioned yet. As a Monodraw owner who recently has been forced to only use a Windows laptop for work I was pleasantly surprised a couple months ago by another article on hacker news that referenced this great web app. Just so happened in the comments here I also learned about Moebius which I also want to try out.
- RantyDave 5y agoI used asciiflow for a bit then discovered how easy it is to lose your work. (or, at least, it was) Then started using monodraw. Love it.
- rbanffy 5y agoCan it use other Unicode character drawing glyphs? We now have PETSCII, ATASCII, 2x3 mosaics...
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- avinassh 5y agoI learned about Monodraw from Thorsten Ball’s interpreter / compiler books. The book has really beautiful illustrations and ASCII drawings, when I asked the author they directed me to Monodraw Here is a sample chapter from the book (in PDF) - https://compilerbook.com/sample.pdf https://compilerbook.com/sample.pdf
- misternugget 5y agoHa! I was going to comment in here that I used Monodraw for the book and really fell in love with the tool. What I did more recently is to use Monodraw to create diagrams of CFGs and put those next to the test cases (see [0] or [1]) which exercise those graphs - the power of ASCII, you can just copy the graphs into your code. [0]: https://twitter.com/thorstenball/status/1363053307409932288 https://twitter.com/thorstenball/status/1363053307409932288 [1]: https://twitter.com/thorstenball/status/1368802505963016197 https://twitter.com/thorstenball/status/1368802505963016197
- oneweekwonder 5y agoWhile Monodraw seems to have business related features I feel the need to mention "Mœbius ANSI Art Editor"[0] a cross platform open source alternative. Moebius is a new ANSI and ASCII Editor for MacOS, Windows, and Linux. With a neat Moebius Server feature that allows collaboration by multiple users on the same canvas through a server instance. [0]: https://blocktronics.github.io/moebius/ https://blocktronics.github.io/moebius/
- themodelplumber 5y agoThat's pretty neat. I didn't realize 16 Colors uses the server feature. https://16colo.rs/servers/ https://16colo.rs/servers/
- app4soft 5y ago> a cross platform Not a cross-platform, but JavaScript-extension with cross-platform Chromium browser bundled.
- dividedbyzero 5y agoAs far as I can see there are Electron apps for all major desktop OSes, that's pretty much as cross-platform as it gets, for a desktop app.
- app4soft 5y agoElectron app is "JavaScript-app + Chromium browser (or any other browser)" Without browser this "browser extension" (Web-app) could not run on any platform.
- dividedbyzero 5y agoElectron is a runtime environment that evolved out of a browser, not a browser. This app doesn't have any browser functionality I can see, like open arbitrary websites, but it does have its own system menus, icon, it's directly executable by the OS. By that logic no software written in an interpreted language can never be cross-platform, you'll always need a runtime environment.
- dang 5y agoFWIW, this looks like a follow up to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27831789 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27831789 (Svgbob – Create a graphical representation of text diagrams) Some past threads: Show HN: Monodraw, an ASCII Art Editor for Mac - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9545252 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9545252 - May 2015 (53 comments) Monodraw: Powerful ASCII Art Editor for Developers (Mac) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9145945 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9145945 - March 2015 (3 comments) Show HN: Monodraw for Mac, ASCII Art Editor – Beta Available - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9138039 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9138039 - March 2015 (11 comments) ASCII art editor designed for the Mac - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8445087 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8445087 - Oct 2014 (107 comments)
- stevenpetryk 5y agoRemember, when embedding ASCII art in HTML, hide it from screenreaders and provide alt text. Otherwise it's an incomprehensible mess of seemingly random characters.
- dividedbyzero 5y agoGood point, any pointers to how I'd best do that?
- rablackburn 5y agoNot the OP, but I'd just wrap it up like this: <div aria-role="img" aria-label="{your alt-text here}"> <pre>...</pre> </div> A simple approach is best. I don't have a screenreader on my current machine (as far as I know) so I can't verify actual behaviour right now, but according to MDN: > ...most screenreaders will consider the element with role="img" set on it to be to be like a black box, and not access the individual elements inside it. (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Roles/Role_Img https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/A...)
- dividedbyzero 5y agoNeat! I'll make sure to do it this way. That makes me wonder, what else on the websites I (not a web dev) maintain might need special treatment for accessibility. Pity the Chrome dev tools don't seem to help with that.
- webwielder2 5y agoThis is why I love the Mac. Even obscure apps have a beautiful interface and easy to use web site. I know this is incendiary, but I must say it: on Windows, this app's site would have seven giant, fake download buttons, the actual download would play an ad, and the app would look like something from a fever dream.
- z3ncyberpunk 5y agoNo osx apps don't look good, they just look uniform and cookie cutter. Walled gardens aren't great
- themodelplumber 5y agoThere was a windows compatible app posted here and I can't see ads or fakery. I do see the fever dream aspect, but you have to concede that we are talking about ANSI art here. Which is basically fever dream art in a lot of cases.
- hcarvalhoalves 5y agoFYI, Emacs bundles w/ the package `artist-mode` that seems to have equivalent functionality, you can even draw w/ the mouse. Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDbi56U5qRw&ab_channel=gnumarekt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDbi56U5qRw&ab_channel=gnuma...
- kdtop 5y agoToday I learned... one more thing that emacs can do!
- trusz 5y agoI have a small tutorial on how to create kind of responsive elements in Monodraw: https://trusz.github.io/posts/monodraw-tips-anchors/ https://trusz.github.io/posts/monodraw-tips-anchors/
- anthk 5y agoSimilar: git://bitreich.org/gramscii
- hollasch 5y agoIf you're interested in this, I'd encourage you to look at MarkDeep (https://casual-effects.com/markdeep/ https://casual-effects.com/markdeep/). This allows you to write Markdown-style documents, including ASCII-art diagrams, but which render beautifully in any browser with JavaScript. Using Monodraw or ASCIIFlow as the front-end editor, you can drop most results in a Markdeep document. Bonus: good inline math typesetting plus loads of other awesome document features.
- keithnz 5y agoI've always liked ascii flow https://asciiflow.com https://asciiflow.com But actually more often I've needed things like https://github.com/weidagang/text-diagram https://github.com/weidagang/text-diagram as it is much easier to maintain But I actually need more types of diagrams, so slowly, as one of many little side projects, I've been building a little library for all kinds of ascii diagram generation
- rablackburn 5y agoThat sounds great, I don't suppose you have anything of that project that's ready to share (even just to look at, not use)?
- milen 5y agoI’m the author of Monodraw, happy to answer any questions.
- Khaine 5y agoI also wanted to thank you for making such an awesome piece of software.
- themodelplumber 5y agoWhat are some specific things people have done with your software that surprised you, or made you feel proud of what you've created?
- milen 5y agoI get the occasional email from users about how much they love Monodraw which makes me so happy. I've been told it was used for wire-framing and mind-mapping which I never envisioned!
- typon 5y agoMonodraw is always a delight to use. People like you make me think that software engineering still has some hope :)
- ragnot 5y agoI really wanted to thank you for making such a great piece of software. I always use it in my code documentation!
- ____________g 5y agoLooks like a really great app! However, screen shots from older versions of Mac OS on a product page always make me a bit worried about the future of an app. Do you intend to update the UI and such to match Big Sur and the upcoming Monterey?
- milen 5y agoIt's been on my list and we've made some progress but to be completely transparent, I've been extremely overloaded and it's been hard to set aside time for it. So, I'll try to get to it eventually but no promises on timeline.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- pornel 5y agoThis could have been OmniGraffle's April Fools'.
- fouc 5y agoDoes it have layers like in photoshop? Or does the group functionality let you overlay and then move the group away without ruining the underlying drawing?
- andrewmcwatters 5y agoLove the Sketch-style feel.
- lifthrasiir 5y agoAh, good ol' ambiguous-width box drawing characters. They are not ASCII and their width is not prescribed by the Unicode standard and mostly determined by domestic conventions. Stick to ASCII drawing for the maximal portability.
- cormacrelf 5y agoLate reply but I just downloaded it, and it supports that. Change document mode to ASCII and you get X / \ / \ X | |--------+ / \ \ / | / \ \ / +-------->| | V \ / +--------------------+ \ / |lkjhlkjhlkjh lkjh | ---+ V +--------------------+ | +--------------------+ +---> |lkjhlkjhlkjh lkjh | +--------------------+
- seer 5y agoLong time Monodraw user here as well. While I still use it quite often for README.md docs, excalidraw has replaced most of the use cases I had, along with having a much nicer and upbeat feel (something I'm generally after when writing boring technical docs). Anyway Monodraw is just awesome in its own way, and I really like the easy way you can draw stuff in it, ASCII is so restricting it simplifies design decisions for us art plebs quite a bit. I just wish there could be a way to export it as a xkcd / excalidraw style PNG after you've done drawing.