Engineering a modern-day typewriter in which less is more | Hacker News Reader

Engineering a modern-day typewriter in which less is more

alum.mit.edu

I regularly use Alphasmart Neo for long-form writing, so let me share my perspective.

Having a small screen does not feel limiting. It is enough both for writing continuously, the focus of Freewrite, and for editing the last few sentences. I wish it had better contrast and adjustable tilt, though.

Syncing via emulating a keyboard ensures that I can pair it with nearly any device. This gives more peace of mind than using a proprietary service Postbox or wondering if it will stop working with the next standard of WiFi. Also, wireless connectivity comes at a cost of autonomous time.

There is a community https://www.flickr.com/groups/alphasmart that has many discussions of Alphasmart and other writing devices. It goes back more than fifteen years.

I have an Alphasmart Neo, though I do not regularly use it. And I don't use it much because I find the small screen limiting. I am so used to looking back at what I wrote a paragraph above, or pages and pages above, and doing that is a struggle (for me) on the Neo. I think part of the issue is that I don't have a good workflow, and I don't really have a "drafting" mode where I churn out a lot of content. I tend to write fairly slowly, and then revise and revise and revise a single chapter before moving on.

I am in the process of reworking my workflow, since the above is NOT getting me to the finish line. Now I am trying to first create an outline (I rarely do that!), and then whip out a quick first draft from there. If I can pull that off, then I think the Neo would be cool.

That said! Lately the Neo has been my toddler's "computer". She loves it. And I'm not sure why, but it has a tendency to say "something went wrong" and then all of the files get deleted. It does this like once a day. So I've lost faith in this particular device, and I wouldn't use it for my own work.

Also, syncing via keyboard emulation did not work the last time I tried it in linux.

I definitely desire something like the Freewrite, because I'm sure that once I have the right device then I'll finally be more productive (lol). However, I've told myself that if I can first finish a novel or two on my own, then I'll have EARNED the Freewrite.

It took me some time to get used to this workflow, but now I see the urge to do large edits as a distraction.

Have you tried replacing the internal battery? It may have low charge or a shaky contact (that's more rare). Happy for your toddler. When mine grows up, I want to give her disconnected devices that are simpler and more tactile. Certainly not a phone.

The keyboard emulation is dead simple and reliable, so this seems to be a hardware problem. If you got an old device that was abused by a school student, there may even be some rust in the ports. Actually, I myself do not sync with the keyboard emulation anymore - I wrote a python package neotools that works faster.

Thanks - yeah I looked it up last night and realized I should probably replace the battery. I'll do that once I get the correct size Torq!

I think the keyboard emulation was related to a specific kernel version (I haven't tried in a couple years). I downgraded and it worked on an earlier one. I'll try on my current kernel soon.

My toddler's first computer was a scientific calculator, then she upgraded to the Alphasmart (mine's actually a Neo2). She gets very very minimal phone time (always with us: check the weather once a day; look at a pic/vid that relatives sent). But one interesting thing is that the "suggested words" in iMessage on an iphone are a neat little tool for helping her learn to read. They only suggest so many words, and at 3.5 YO she's able to read many of them. So I let her send texts to the grandparents by selecting words and we practice reading them as she goes.

Really, this sounds a lot more like something that accomplishes the supposed goals of that eternally-flogged, janky $500 piece of equipment than it does.

I'm all for simple distraction-free tools. Heck, I've occasionally pondered about buying actual typewriter to write on.

But Freewrites look pretty bad. Display that looks almost the size of this HN comment box does not really evoke long-form writing in my head. The specs say the display is about as tall as iPhone on landscape, but of course much narrower. Not having hinges really simplifies the mechanical design, but ergonomics-wise having display at desk-level on a shallow angle sounds like a recipe for neck pain. The Traveler version fixes that with a more traditional clamshell design allowing you to angle the display but then you inexplicably lose maybe the most important aspect of all, good keyboard. Sibling comment mentions lag, this is the sort of device I'd expect minimal input latency to sustain that immediate immersive feel.

60-80 column display, good mechanical keyboard, comfortably angled display. That what would make me a happy camper.

hmm I'm guessing this form factor would be an even harder sell? https://www.lupin.ski/images/portfolio-full-9.jpg

i can touch-type fine, but for some reason my eyes drift back down to the keyboard anyway.... so I stuck the display there :P

I do give you points for ingenuity there!

One piece of advice that I've run into is to turn off the monitor while writing. The argument was that anything can serve as a distraction while writing, even the writing process. Editing served as an example. It is best done after the writing is done since some writers are hindered by perfectionism while most writers would benefit from having a concrete version of their work before fine tuning it.

In other words, the screen is not very important while writing the initial draft. (Granted, a screen is useful to ensure that the words are being recorded as intended.)

> I'm all for simple distraction-free tools. Heck, I've occasionally pondered about buying actual typewriter to write on.

I'm more old-school than you. I actually do a lot of writing on actual paper, with a pen. As-you-write edits are easier even than on a computer (I just move the pen to the spot that I want, rather than having to move the cursor[1]), and I can write anywhere - wherever I think best, not wherever I have power.

But I don't want to write on a typewriter. Edits are incredibly painful there.

[1] Yes, I know, it feels like the cursor just goes where you look. It doesn't, even on an editor that you've used for 30 years.

I think it would be interesting to see a modern purely mechanical typewriter. CAD would make a big difference in the process of design, I think, and the result might have some interesting properties and aesthetics.

I assumed (and hoped) this was mechanical from the title. I was a little disappointed to find out it was electronic.

Another angle would be electro-mechanical. A la the IBM Selectric series. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter

As a bonus, you have a piece of work that's born both analogue and digital. And the ability to back it up easily.

I have never tried out one of these, though I have seen the adverts before and thought they looked quite cool. I wonder how useful for the Art of Writing, however, going "backwards" really is. I am all for distraction-free writing, and think that ignoring some (if not all) of the attention economy is a wonderful life decision. However, wouldn't the lineage of writers look fondly upon certain aspects of technology? To put it another way, I would love a device like this (or even just an updated Alphasmart from back in the day) that could also include something like gemini network connectivity, allowing the fruits of my distraction-free writing to be incorporated into my life here in 2021.

Will certainly be on the lookout for such 'revolutionary' devices.

The freewrite is hugely expensive, and the software janky. I have had it get stuck in a reboot cycle multiple times. Beware the 90 day warrantee which won't help if the update throws you into endless reboots after 90 days.

The e-ink display updates a little slow, which is fine, if you're writing at draft quality. If you're editing, you really can't jump around the page at all, and backspacing to correct words is cumbersome.

The build quality feels like it is a generic e-ink display, hard plastic case, mediocre keyboard and a raspberry pi (or equivalent) stitched together. While it is hard, it doesn't feel rugged at all.

When it works it does it's job well for throwing a first draft of writing onto the page -- which is what I've used it for. The long battery life from e-ink display is nice as well. Having a real keyboard compared to the flat-key chromebooks or small laptops is nice as well.

I really want to like it, and it is nice when it's working and I'm just throwing text -- and by this I mean prose, nothing like markdown -- out there to see what sticks for editing later. For being a single task item, it failed to be hassle free and that just kills it for me.

ShortCircuit reviewed and revealed many flaws of the Astrohaus, including the laggy response and the high price tag. It also bets the question on who is it really for? Was the product a solution to an existing problem or was it innovation for the sake of innovation?

FWIW, given how so many writing programs provide "distraction-free" writing environments, there's definitely a niche market for it.

This - a digital typewriter - is simply a natural extension of that. It's kinda like a kindle for writing - hyper optimized for one particular activity.

That said, lag would be aggravating. Manageable (lag is one of the original drivers behind the VIM interaction method), but aggravating.

Apropos of nothing, if anyone has a child who is just starting to read, consider getting them a literal typewriter if you can. What I found is that my son could type entire stories and messages years before he had the motor skills to write anything by hand.

This is somewhat tangential. My brother had brain surgery at a young age, and it severely effected his communication negatively. He had ten years of speech therapy, and through all of that he was writing things in word processors (maybe 2 hours every few days). If it was directed at you he would print it out and post it somewhere you would see it. He even wrote "Rules for Chipmunks", and posted it at chipmunk eye level; when we started to have chipmunks coming into the house one year.

I understand the value of distraction-free writing. But I think it must be much easier to acccomplish using a regular laptop and special software. Something you boot into and only allows creative writing. No distractions, just options to edit, save or power off. A special writer's OS. Is there not anything like that?

I think it exists, but it doesn't work for everyone. I have some writer friends who use the Freewrite and really appreciate it. Also the greyscale screen with no backlight is a different experience.

George RR Martin still writes his books with the DOS program WordStar. Given the pace he releases books at, this might more be out of preference than desire to focus though...

I still occasionally use Freedos and a wordstar compatible editor I wrote in 1991, I dont even go to the DOS prompt I just boot strait in to it. The biggest problem is still getting my work off this machine to a networked one so I can back it up or publish it, used to use a floppy when those were an item but now using a serial file transfer program.. all pretty clunky.

Which computer are you using? If it's a desktop, have you considered using a USB-to-floppy drive?

[1] https://www.plrelectronics.com/floppy-to-usb/

DOS + USB.. I'd rather stick with serial

The adapter presents a USB storage device as a floppy disk. DOS won't know the difference.

I'm pretty sure you can have an ad-hoc setup with a serial to network adapter. It might require more custom software on both ends, but if you control both ends anyway, it might give you a smoother experience anyway.

Get an old chromebook that can boot linux, install a minimal distribution without much more than a text editor, dictionaries, and thesauruses. Disable the wireless internet.

Cheaper than one of these things.

It has certainly been done before, though perhaps not to the extent your suggesting. In the early days of Ubuntu, I ran across a modified live CD that included OpenOffice and little else. It was advertised as being a distraction free environment for people who needed to do writing, though it was probably better geared towards those writing papers for school than professional writers.

You'd probably be better off buying a secondhand AlphaSmart 3000 or Neo if all you want is a battery-powered keyboard with an itty-bitty LCD screen that stores what you type and then feeds it into an editor buffer on your main computer via USB.

Or, if distractions are that big an issue for you, stop dicking around with a computer, get a good fountain pen, and start writing in notebooks.

A Pilot Metropolitan will cost you about $20-30.

A Platinum Procyon will cost $60-80.

Both take proprietary cartridges, but you can also install piston converters that let you refill your pen using bottled ink.

Goulet Pens has a good series of "Fountain Pen 101" posts and videos, but the friend who persuaded me to get into using a pen has been getting his stuff from JetPens.

https://www.gouletpens.com/pages/fountain-pen-101

get a good fountain pen

Or just a handful of plain old cheap pens.

"Sharp Fontwriter" could be a second hand alternative. Not cloud connected certainly, but plenty of options on Ebay....

A pedantic point: this is not a modern typewriter. This is a modern word processor.

I understand the TRS-80 Model 100[1] is (still) a hot seller in this market.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100

Looks nice, could be even nicer and more modern if it used ortholinear keyboard <3

Vim with a lock-out mode would be enough.

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