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I created this small app for you, if you like to write (solitarydesigns.net)
43 points by 19_ploT on Dec 23, 2012 | hide | past | favorite | 51 comments


Really like it. Love the detail of saving in localstorage.

Thinks that, from my point of view, can create an even better experience.

* 1.5 space between paragraphs.

* Backspace sound.

* New line sound.

* Space sound.

* 80 character wide.

* Slightly different sound per key (or row of keys).

* Easy to remember domain.

Then things that I am not so sure, but as long as don't change the interface, could be cool.

* Ctrl-C copy all the text without the need of selecting text. (Probably require flash).

* Ctrl-Shift-C the same but copy the result of markdown the current text (so html is actually copied).

* Selecting text automatically copy the selection to the clipboard.

Things that I will like to play with but don't sure if they are usefull.

* Page simulation. 80 char + margin in white, with proper paper texture, and back background.

* Go for fullscreen on load (if possible), and fallback to show a small, only onmousemove fullscreen icon.

On any case. Really. I really like it. Love to be able to have a webdav (basic auth) interface and could install on my own server. So i can add files just by changing the url, and access that files later through ssh.


Love your ideas!


Someone please make me understand why this end up on first page on HN. I saw similar apps many times earlier here. What's the big deal? Why not regular editor in some 'guru' distraction free mode? For instance Sublime Text can do that (including autosave and quick startup).


It's a weekend, and different things get to the front page on weekends.

I like to think that most "Show HN" posts make it to the front page, but I realise that's probably not true.


Everyone's big deal is different.

"I made this" is always welcome here.


I personally found this interesting because the app looks fun, it makes sounds, and it demonstrates some aspects of modern JavaScript that I have got out of date on. I could put the app up on a projector in class and students would find it amusing.

Yes, I shall continue to use Gedit for writing Web page text, which I can then run through markdown.


The sound is lagging behind my typing by at least a second. As a result, I hear nothing and then bursts of several instances of the sound playing at once, which sounds awful. As others have pointed out, the lag might be because you're invoking local storage after every keyup event. I see the merit in that idea, but as AskHugo suggested, it runs a lot smoother if you save every 2 seconds. I don't think anyone would complain about losing a maximum of the past 2 seconds of their work.

Sound effects are always going to be a polarizing feature (some like it, some hate it), and the comments on this post prove that. You should provide an easy way to turn sound effects off.

That aside, great job with this. I am a big fan of beauty through simplicity.


Gnome Ubuntu Remix with Firefox, and no sound anyway. Same with Opera. Epiphany browser (the 'official' Gnome web browser) does play the sound. This is probably a Linux thing, not your app.

Where are you going with this? Just plain and simple for actual 'stream of consciousness' writing or the full skeuomorphic invocation of the manual typewriter, like

http://www.masswerk.at/google60/

did for the card punch? Either is fine by me!


Superb for writing, but what do I do once I'm done? Really like the sound as I type though my mechanical keyboard makes them for me already! :)


You can close it and go to bed. If you come back in the morning, your poem/story will be loaded for you.


Truly nice. Simple and beautiful. can i use it on my website?


Why not?

    <iframe src="http://solitarydesigns.net/write/"></iframe>​​​​​​​
Difficult to read the data with that solution though, if it had one JS API, it would become more useful...


Do I need to use the same browser or does it ID my computer some other way?


Same browser for now.


LocalStorage FTW


Other than display what I type, I couldn't reckon anything else this can do.

Reading the comments I see I missed some things but that's a pretty clear failure of UI design.

So I went back. Still can't see any features other than display what I type.

So I try again, this time on Chrome. Now I hear very annoying audio as I type, and no hint of any other features.

How the hell does this POC make it to the front page of Hacker News?


It doesn't go Ka Ching when I hit enter...


http://freesound.org/people/keithpeter/sounds/123344/

Some end of line bell sounds here.

I liked the application - totally minimal! I'm out of date on Javascript, local storage data I assume ends up in the browser cache?


It's HTML5's "localStorage", a local database that is all key/value.

localStorage.setItem("theKeyToSaveItAs", "theValue");

OP is saving via localStorage every 2 seconds:

setInterval(function() {

    localStorage.setItem("text", textarea.value);
}, 2000);


Thanks for the code example. I've tracked down where Firefox puts this, and I've realised that the original piece of work will carry on working when saved locally. Quite interesting...


Now it does.


Just to echo some of the ideas mentioned here...

Enjoyed the keypress noise.

Expected word wrap and "ka-ching" sound.

Love the minimal interface.

Markdown support would be really cool.


Word wrap done. Finding a cool ka-ching sound now.


https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8403291/cr.mp3

A real carriage return

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8403291/ring.mp3

The little bell is harder because you tend to type a couple of characters during its decay

Freesound has plenty of typewriter samples.


This [for newline] keeps up with the app aurea and it's short enough to solve decay problems: http://www.freesound.org/people/orginaljun/sounds/153063/


Yes, bit lower and less 'ringy' than the manual typewriters I used for years but fits in with the clicks used for the characters. Nice find


I don't know if I'm just imagining it, but typing feels a little laggy.

Could it be because it's saving to local storage after every keyup?

I made it save every 2 seconds with setInterval() and it feels a little smoother.


Thanks for the suggestion, it works good now.


Awesome. Two requests:

1. No sound. It's distracting. 2. Support of markdown?


I actually had fun with this. Any chance of adding word wrapping? It lost its charm once I had to scroll to see my longer sentences.


Nice! It would be cool if you could login/send it to your gmail inbox or something. Than later use it.

I would love to write emails in such editor!


Nice.

Would be cool to be able to store things in a more secure feeling way than local storage.

Also, the already made comments about ka-ching and word wrap.


The sound is so satisfying that I spend 5 minutes writing a bunch of senseless stuff just to hear it.


Quite awesome

I would like to be able to Write different notes tho. Apart from that, pretty neat concept.

And the design is beautiful.


The carriage return sound isn't preloaded. You misspelled the preload attribute as preloaf.


Beautiful! Thanks for sharing: Wordwrap would be a nice addition, as others have noted.


Please add support for Tab key.


Beautiful. Will you release the source? Would love to have this locally on my mac.


This is all client-side. You can just save the page if you want it locally.


Sweet, thanks!


ctrl+s


A word & character count somewhere in the margins would be great.

Absolutely love it.


If the original author is going down that road, how about 'hiding' the counts and then a mouse hover brings them up? Minimal working area but accoutrements a mouse gesture away.


Intuitive. Simple. fast. Would like to have such a native text editor.


Two things, besides the limited usefulness of it:

sound on keypress, really?

save on keypress, really?


I'm impressed by the simplicity of the Javascript. Well done. :)


it's really fun :) hey, here's an idea, make a sublime plugin that makes the clickety-click sounds!


please ignore the folks asking for a mute button. they can mute if they want to.


...not if you prefer to listen to music on the same device. Is there a mute per tab browser plugin somewhere?



All it does is make sounds if you type. If you need a mute button just use any other text editor that doesn't make sounds.




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