Full-screen writing program

In computing, a full-screen writing program[1] or distraction-free editor[2][3][4] is a text editor that occupies the full display with the purpose of isolating the writer from the operating system (OS) and other applications. In this way one should be able to focus on the writing alone, with no distractions from the OS and a cluttered interface.[2][5][6][7] Often distraction-free editors feature a dark background and a text field, with lighter colored text. However, most distraction-free editors include customisable user interfaces.[8] Some editors support rich text editing.

List of full screen editors

Free and open-source
NameLicenseLinuxOther supported operating systemsp. lang.ToolkitSpell checkerSyntax highlightingWYSIWYGNotable aspects, references
AcmeLPLYesPlan 9, Mac OS, WindowsMouse chording; supports sending selected text through pipelines of programs; extensible & scriptable via any language.
CodeRoomGPLv3YesMac OS, WindowsC++QtNoQSyntaxHighlightersupports syntax highlighting.[9]
GNU EmacsGPLv3YesUnix, Mac OS, WindowsC, Emacs Lispcurses, GTK+YesYesYessupports syntax highlighting, programmable, several distraction-free packages available.[10][11][12][13]
FocusWriterGPLv3YesMac OS, WindowsC++QtEnchantHighly customizable, has basic .odt format support[14]
geditGPLv2YesCross-platformCGTK+EnchantGtkSourceViewUnicodefull-screen with F11; part of GNOME Core Applications
KoalaWriterGPLv3YesMac OS, WindowsC++QtNoNoNoClone of OmmWriter[15]
MaraveGPLv2YesNoPythonQtEnchantGNU source-highlightSimilar to OmmWriter, CreaWriter;[16]
PyRoomGPLv3YesMac OSPythonGTK+NoNoNo[17]
QuiEditGPLv3YesWindowsPythonQtHunspellYesMarkdownbasic text formatting.[18]
RubyRoomGPLv2YesNoRuby[19]GTK+NoNoNoLatest version from 2009
TextRoomGPLv3YesMac OS, WindowsC++Qt (+GLib)HunspellSupports rich text[20]
Vim Vim LicenseYes Cross-platform C YesYes Distraction-free plugins available.[21]

Freeware
NameOperating system supportNotable aspects, references
Calmly WriterChrome OS, Google Chrome browserWYSIWYG, image embedding, OpenDyslexic mode[22]
FORCEdraftWindowsText editor that won't exit until the user's goal is reached.[23]
DarkRoomWindowsClone of WriteRoom for Windows .NET[24]
JDarkRoomLinux, Mac OS, WindowsClone of DarkRoom written in Java[25]
PoeWindows 8 (only)Word count goals, writing timers, auto-correct and resource links.[26]
Q10WindowsPortable, has word count features
WritemonkeyWindowsSupports Markdown Extra, Textile, WikiCreole.[27] Donors can access plugins including corkboard, timer.

Proprietary
NameOperating system supportNotable aspects, references
Bloom EditorWindowsUses 3D rendering for special effects and dynamic visual themes. Has a free limited version[28]
CreaWriterWindowsClone of OmmWriter for Windows; has limited free version[29]
iA WriterMac OSHas iCloud and Dropbox integration, iPad and iPhone version, Focus Mode, and Markdown support
MoopatoMac OS and WindowsMarkdown editor and e-book publishing app[30]
NaNoScriBeWindowsRich text, on-screen word count, goals and timers. Built-in NaNoWriMo stats page [31]
OmmWriterMac OS, WindowsSupports images as backgrounds, and a player for ambient music[32]
Sublime TextLinux, Mac OS, Windowscustomisable, for programmers,[33][34] has free trial version[35]
Write!WindowsMarkdown, spell-checker, cloud storage, sessions and folders scheme, RTL support[36]
Write Onward!WindowsFullscreen writing software disallowing editing, copying or pasting text to let writers focus solely on the writing process.[37]
WriteRoomMac OSSimple[38][39][40]
Xiosis ScribeWindows
ZenWriterWindowsSimple, with background images and ambient music[41]

Features

Rich text support

Some distraction-free editors support rich text editing. These include CreaWriter, TextRoom, and WriteRoom.[20][29][42] In some cases, this feature turned off per default and must be set by a user.[42]

Syntax highlighting

Currently, only a few distraction-free editors support syntax highlighting. CodeRoom is an open source project with the purpose of creating a distraction-free code editor with customisable highlighting schemes.[9] The latest version of Marave supports syntax highlighting.[16] Sublime Text supports a distraction-free full-screen view.[33][34] Packages exist for GNU Emacs that turn off various features and reformat the display to a distraction-free layout while retaining syntax highlighting and other features familiar to Emacs users..

Aids to writing

Word count is a common feature in these editors. Other aids can include spell checkers, auto-corrections and quick text templates.[43]

Other Features

Many of the programs include timers to pace writing. FocusWriter and WriteMonkey, among others, include typewriter sound effects.[44]

See also

References
  1. Full Screen Writing Program (English translation)
  2. "Comparison of distraction-free editors on bweaver.net". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  3. "Blog post on innovations in text editing". Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  4. "Poll on lifehacker.com on best distraction-free editor".
  5. "Tips and Tricks for Distraction-Free Writing".
  6. "ghacks.net on distraction-free on the distraction-free editor ZenEdit".
  7. "List of distraction-free editors". Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  8. "Tech Malaya blog post on some of the popular distraction-free editors". Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  9. "CodeRoom on Google code".
  10. "WriteRoom".
  11. "Emacs as a distraction free environment".
  12. "GNU Emacs".
  13. "tabula-rasa-mode".
  14. "FocusWriter official website".
  15. "KoalaWriter on Google code".
  16. "Marave on Google code".
  17. "PyRoom official website".
  18. "QuiEdit official website". Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  19. "RubyRoom official website". Archived from the original on 1 September 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  20. "TextRoom on Google code".
  21. "junegunn/goyo.vim". GitHub. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  22. "Calmly Writer website".
  23. "FORCEdraft official website".
  24. "DarkRoom official website".
  25. "JDarkRoom official website".
  26. "Developer's website".
  27. "Writemonkey features page".
  28. "Bloom Editor official website". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  29. "CreaWriter official website".
  30. "Moopato eBook Writer website".
  31. "developer's website".
  32. "OmmWriter official website FAQ". Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  33. "Announcement of distraction-free full-screen support on Sublime Text official blog".
  34. "Sublime Text features". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011.
  35. "Sublime Text download section".
  36. "Write! official website".
  37. "Write Onward! official website". Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  38. "WriteRoom official website".
  39. Eisenman, Bonnie (8 July 2010). "Writeroom Review". 148Apps. TrouserMac Industries. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  40. Elliott, Amy-Mae (19 January 2011). "How to: Beat Writer's Block Online". Mashable. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  41. "ZenWriter website".
  42. "Comparison of distraction-free editors for OS-X". Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  43. Q10 is a Full Screen Writing Program
  44. Comparison of Fullscreen text editors Archived 26 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine

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