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A simple low energy computer that does one task like word processing or act as a terminal client with an ink display would be a useful for focusing on one task

A simple low energy computer that does one task like word processing or act as a terminal client with an ink display would be a useful for focusing on one task without distraction. I personally would love to have a low energy terminal device that I could work in for hours however my pessimism tells me there is not enough demand to scale this.

thejosh 4y ago
Would the refresh rate not be an issue for this?
maguay 4y ago
The closest, today, feels like eInk tablet devices like the Remarkable—though it's built more for sketching and handwriting notes than typing.
prvc 4y ago
The Freewrite has been around for a while.
- lproven 4y ago
  See my reply above.
prmoustache 4y ago
Those things already exist: https://shop.boox.com/collections/eink-tablet https://shop.boox.com/collections/eink-tablet Associated with the keyboard of your choice. But also very easy to DIY by plugging an old laptop or a raspberry pi to an e-ink display/monitor and set it up to automatically start a text editor at boot time. Even a raspberry pi zero would handle that task superbly. I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want.
- nottorp 4y ago
  > I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want. The problem with a general use machine is you can always alt tab out and procrastinate. If you're the one who set it up, you're the one who can un set it up.
  - prmoustache 4y ago
    I am pretty sure that as long as you have a phone/laptop at home you are as much ready to put the focused machine aside for what you think will be a few seconds in order to procrastinate.
    - nottorp 4y ago
      It does make it a bit harder. Also... NEW TOY.
- roywiggins 4y ago
  The problem with DIYing things with a Pi, I find, is that you inevitably end up with a fragile nest of wires and not a device you can rely on not to have been cannibalized (probably by oneself) or unplugged or disassembled to make room for other stuff. Not conducive to something like a bombproof note taking device that's always on standby- and good luck if you want it to be portable or even luggable.
mattl 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart had some cool devices and they’re still usable today.
- voltaireodactyl 4y ago
  I still use one plenty. The batteries just lasting forever is such an incredible feature. Plus the Mac layout keyboard.
  - mattl 4y ago
    Yeah I love mine.
detritus 4y ago
Such as this? https://getfreewrite.com/ https://getfreewrite.com/
- lproven 4y ago
  Not really. You can't edit. I don't write on paper because, as someone who's been reading and writing for half a century now, I learned to write for a living on devices where I could edit the text as I go. And it's so much better than pen and paper, where every mistake is permanent. I don't want to hand write on my computer. Draw, yes, but not scribble. I want a keyboard and editing: cursor keys, delete in 2 directions, copy and paste. Freewrite does not do that. It's a typewriter, but digital.
  - detritus 4y ago
    Well blow me, I had no idea it was thusly limited. What a weird decision!
    - lproven 4y ago
      I only found out myself in the owners' group on Facebook. No cursor keys should have been a giveaway. Later hardware revisions can run a later ROM which adds cursor control using alpha keys, in a way that by the sound of it reminds me of WordStar or Vi in the 1970s.
mattkevan 4y ago
I use my Newton eMate as a distraction-free writing device. The keyboard is great, NewtonWorks is a surprisingly powerful office suite and it syncs nicely with the Mac through a serial-to-usb adapter.
mft_ 4y ago
For many years, my father used an NEC 8201a [0] for just this purpose - sitting comfortably writing without distraction. He’d later feed the text into his PC for layout. It also had BASIC, which I used to play with – and at one later point, I even wrote a little program in Visual Basic to simplify the process of transferring text from the NEC to his PC, including getting rid of the many erroneous carriage returns that the process otherwise inserted. [0] https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=334 https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=334
the-printer 4y ago
I am interested in starting a Guild based on this practice.
Vrondi 4y ago
Have a look at the old Tandy m100. AA batteries, and you can type for days without distractions on a mechanical keyboard. Or, pick up any Android based e-ink ereader and plug in a keyboard.

thejosh 4y ago

Would the refresh rate not be an issue for this?

maguay 4y ago

The closest, today, feels like eInk tablet devices like the Remarkable—though it's built more for sketching and handwriting notes than typing.

prvc 4y ago

The Freewrite has been around for a while.

lproven 4y ago
See my reply above.

prmoustache 4y ago

Those things already exist: https://shop.boox.com/collections/eink-tablet https://shop.boox.com/collections/eink-tablet Associated with the keyboard of your choice. But also very easy to DIY by plugging an old laptop or a raspberry pi to an e-ink display/monitor and set it up to automatically start a text editor at boot time. Even a raspberry pi zero would handle that task superbly. I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want.

nottorp 4y ago
> I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want. The problem with a general use machine is you can always alt tab out and procrastinate. If you're the one who set it up, you're the one who can un set it up.
- prmoustache 4y ago
  I am pretty sure that as long as you have a phone/laptop at home you are as much ready to put the focused machine aside for what you think will be a few seconds in order to procrastinate.
  - nottorp 4y ago
    It does make it a bit harder. Also... NEW TOY.
roywiggins 4y ago
The problem with DIYing things with a Pi, I find, is that you inevitably end up with a fragile nest of wires and not a device you can rely on not to have been cannibalized (probably by oneself) or unplugged or disassembled to make room for other stuff. Not conducive to something like a bombproof note taking device that's always on standby- and good luck if you want it to be portable or even luggable.

mattl 4y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart had some cool devices and they’re still usable today.

voltaireodactyl 4y ago
I still use one plenty. The batteries just lasting forever is such an incredible feature. Plus the Mac layout keyboard.
- mattl 4y ago
  Yeah I love mine.

detritus 4y ago

Such as this? https://getfreewrite.com/ https://getfreewrite.com/

lproven 4y ago
Not really. You can't edit. I don't write on paper because, as someone who's been reading and writing for half a century now, I learned to write for a living on devices where I could edit the text as I go. And it's so much better than pen and paper, where every mistake is permanent. I don't want to hand write on my computer. Draw, yes, but not scribble. I want a keyboard and editing: cursor keys, delete in 2 directions, copy and paste. Freewrite does not do that. It's a typewriter, but digital.
- detritus 4y ago
  Well blow me, I had no idea it was thusly limited. What a weird decision!
  - lproven 4y ago
    I only found out myself in the owners' group on Facebook. No cursor keys should have been a giveaway. Later hardware revisions can run a later ROM which adds cursor control using alpha keys, in a way that by the sound of it reminds me of WordStar or Vi in the 1970s.

mattkevan 4y ago

I use my Newton eMate as a distraction-free writing device. The keyboard is great, NewtonWorks is a surprisingly powerful office suite and it syncs nicely with the Mac through a serial-to-usb adapter.

mft_ 4y ago

For many years, my father used an NEC 8201a [0] for just this purpose - sitting comfortably writing without distraction. He’d later feed the text into his PC for layout. It also had BASIC, which I used to play with – and at one later point, I even wrote a little program in Visual Basic to simplify the process of transferring text from the NEC to his PC, including getting rid of the many erroneous carriage returns that the process otherwise inserted. [0] https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=334 https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=334

the-printer 4y ago

I am interested in starting a Guild based on this practice.

Vrondi 4y ago

Have a look at the old Tandy m100. AA batteries, and you can type for days without distractions on a mechanical keyboard. Or, pick up any Android based e-ink ereader and plug in a keyboard.