Surprising to see this on HN. Yes, fountain pens are a rabbit hole. No, they are not really useful - it's hard to edit or search through what you wrote on paper - but the feeling while writing is pretty amazing.
Pens aren't useful?
> it's hard to edit or search through what you wrote on paper
As opposed to every other document not written using FPs? I don't even know what your point is here.
Yes, this is my point.
> As opposed to every other document not written using FPs?
As opposed to documents not written on paper. Please, read carefully.
More to the point though:
> it's hard to edit or search through what you wrote on paper
You'd be surprised how fast queries can be done in the type of physical organization systems that existed before computers! People weren't stupid, they came up with many brilliant systems. There's a great art to organization, summary, and consolidation. Maximum flexibility is usually not synonymous with maximum efficiency. And we've never quite mastered the input system for computers.
Editing is generally much better on a computer though, but even that shouldn't be overestimated. As humans we are much more often limited by the speed at which we can think, than by the speed with which we can record that information.
I am not talking of one line per day, I am talking of tens of pages per day.
When you have to write at length (hours per day) there is nothing as "light" as a fountain pen, using ball pen or rollers invariably get your hand more tired.
You shouldn't really handwrite things you need to edit or search through. I would definitely type all "archival" type notes and things.
But I still handwrite plenty of stuff. Daily to-dos, retention type notes, and exploratory idea work are all better suited to paper, in my opinion.