Goodbye Cruel Word

theodp writes "The problem with Microsoft Word, writes the NYT's Virginia Heffernan, is that 'I always feel as if I'm taking an essay test.' Seeking to break free of the tyranny of Microsoft Word, Heffernan takes a look at Scrivener and the oh-so-retro WriteRoom, which she and others feel jibe better with the way writers think. 'The new writing programs encourage a writerly restart. You may even relearn the green-lighted alphabet, adjust your preference for long or short sentences, opt afresh for action over description. Renewal becomes heady: in WriteRoom's gloom is man's power to create something from nothing, to wrest form from formlessness. Let's just say it: It's biblical. And come on, ye writers, do you want to be a little Word drip writing 603 words in Palatino with regulation margins? Or do you want to be a Creator?'"

Comments

More modest expectations

[Empiric]

Be a Creator?

Hey, I'd be satisfied with just a passel of rib-DNA-generated gender-flipped quasi-clones.

Not sure if that'd make them my wives or daughters, but I think I can deal with the metaphysical ambiguity.

Re:But it's MAC OSX only!

[CdBee]

Probably because freelance writers are far too busy producing content to bother with an operating system that requires many hours work just to get running ;-)

Re:oh right...

[CdBee]

Windows has 2 instant out-of-the-box wordprocessors - Wordpad which is a bit naff, and Google Docs (OK, dependent on internet connectivity) which has full revision control and ability to do joint authoring

I'm not a troll, I'm right and I'm saying something you don't want to hear

Only allowed on Mac? Tosh!

[letchhausen]

I guess screw Scrivener with it's fascistic Mac OSX only approach. They recommend page 4 for Windows users. It's that kind of elitism that makes me want to insert a Smith Corona up someone's......well see Goatsx for the general idea. They don't even mention those people who may use unix of some sort. I guess it's back to vi for me......

Re:oh right...

[CdBee]

Whereas you buy your PC / Mac (in my case) and bring it home and 'just use it' - no need to download and burn an ISO then install (like any 'regular user' is ever going to do that.. ludicrous..). Also you seem to have forgotten that OO.O has always been available for Windows and as of late is available for Mac too

Still true, still not trolling.

Re:FUCKING micro$oft games!!!...

[Goldberg's Pants]

Thanks for that, saves me saying it. Installing a WHOLE NEW OS just to write (and I'm saying this as a professional writer myself) is absurd.

Re:The best tools stay out of the way... (shill)

[ozmanjusri]

And considering the vast majority of the Slashdot crowd is in the must-kill-MS crowd, a few voices actually supporting Microsoft hardly constitute a force.

It's long time since Slashdot has been anti-MS.

And MS has a long history of astroturf, whether it'd done internally, farmed out to consultants like DSG or DCI, or by encouraging MVPs and partner companies to "contribute" to Wikipedia and tech discussion sites.

As to whether it's happening here, I'd be surprised if it's not. There's plenty of evidence - Slashdot posters who almost always recite the exact same "talking points", the catchy phrases that come from a template supplied by Bill Hilf's crew, manipulation of the moderation system, red herrings and trolls to sabotage threads that might go counter to MS goals, etc, etc.

I'm interested though - what sort of evidence would it take to convince you that MS was hacking Slashdot? HR documents showing MS is hiring "Blog Readers" and "Commenters"? MVPs admitting they'd been paid to make posts? Contract documents to this year's equivalent to DCI?

The way things are going, you might even get your smoking gun before Halloween this year...