Comments on: Further Thoughts on Writing the Alphasmart Way http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/ Thinking beyond productivity Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:54:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Kevin Mills http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-2646 Kevin Mills Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:01:32 +0000 http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-2646 Great review! I finally hunkered down & grabbed a used Dana Wireless on eBay for under $100 (there's still some left, FYI, if you do a search. Here's the seller's link: http://tinyurl.com/5gkta5) I can't wait to enjoy the freedom of composition without distractions (or a burning hot MacBook on my thighs). :) Kevin Great review! I finally hunkered down & grabbed a used Dana Wireless on eBay for under $100 (there’s still some left, FYI, if you do a search. Here’s the seller’s link: http://tinyurl.com/5gkta5)

I can’t wait to enjoy the freedom of composition without distractions (or a burning hot MacBook on my thighs). :)

Kevin

]]> By: Andre http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-274 Andre Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:26:46 +0000 http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-274 The USB port seems like a no-brainer. The Neo is essentially a keyboard with a text buffer, so you're not really moving a saved file from a mountable directory to the PC's hard drive. Its text files get dumped into an empty document. The output streams across the screen one character at a time, though rapidly. With Q10's typewriter sound effects, transferring text is rather like those science fiction films of the Seventies. I think the real issue for Alphasmart is the company's target market: elementary schools. I suspect the typical use case in a classroom setting is distributing the keyboards before a group assignment or test (additional rubrics and quiz applets are the selling point of the Neo 2), then collecting them afterward; so there's no need for the majority of users to transfer files to a PC via memory card. The USB port seems like a no-brainer. The Neo is essentially a keyboard with a text buffer, so you’re not really moving a saved file from a mountable directory to the PC’s hard drive. Its text files get dumped into an empty document. The output streams across the screen one character at a time, though rapidly. With Q10′s typewriter sound effects, transferring text is rather like those science fiction films of the Seventies.

I think the real issue for Alphasmart is the company’s target market: elementary schools. I suspect the typical use case in a classroom setting is distributing the keyboards before a group assignment or test (additional rubrics and quiz applets are the selling point of the Neo 2), then collecting them afterward; so there’s no need for the majority of users to transfer files to a PC via memory card.

]]> By: Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-273 Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:56:25 +0000 http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-273 You've peaked my curiosity on this one, Andre. I doubt I'll be a word processor, but I love the insights. Let me explain: I can no longer write in Word. There are far too many distractions and it just doesn't do it for me. I switched to Mellel, and I liked it better than Word, but it wasn't the rough tool I was looking for. I still use it for polishing my papers, but the rough writing award goes to... Textmate. I love that there are no toolbars, sidebars, or any other widgets to mess with. Just a screen and simple key commands. I've tried Writeroom, which is much like Q10, but I still did too much fidgeting. For my workflow, nothing beats Textmate. The ability to keep my hands on the keys (via key commands), focus on the writing (no toolbars, sidebars, wordcounts, etc.), and such in many ways give me the simplicity of the word processors you mention. And I write on a Macbook - so my screen is small enough that I can't have fifteen applications open at once. I shut Mail.app off - it doesn't autocheck anyway, but having it there makes me wonder - turn on my trusty, no-fiddle background playlist, and get rockin'. The battery lasts as long as my ability to focus on one piece, anyway, so there's no need to worry there either. It works really well for me, but I've mustered <em>some</em> self-discipline and don't have to consciously fight off the distractions. Great review - not being able to sneakernet data would be a showstopper for me on any word processor. Is it too much to ask for a USB port to thumbdrive on the wordprocessor itself? You’ve peaked my curiosity on this one, Andre. I doubt I’ll be a word processor, but I love the insights. Let me explain:

I can no longer write in Word. There are far too many distractions and it just doesn’t do it for me.

I switched to Mellel, and I liked it better than Word, but it wasn’t the rough tool I was looking for. I still use it for polishing my papers, but the rough writing award goes to…

Textmate. I love that there are no toolbars, sidebars, or any other widgets to mess with. Just a screen and simple key commands.

I’ve tried Writeroom, which is much like Q10, but I still did too much fidgeting. For my workflow, nothing beats Textmate.

The ability to keep my hands on the keys (via key commands), focus on the writing (no toolbars, sidebars, wordcounts, etc.), and such in many ways give me the simplicity of the word processors you mention.

And I write on a Macbook – so my screen is small enough that I can’t have fifteen applications open at once. I shut Mail.app off – it doesn’t autocheck anyway, but having it there makes me wonder – turn on my trusty, no-fiddle background playlist, and get rockin’. The battery lasts as long as my ability to focus on one piece, anyway, so there’s no need to worry there either.

It works really well for me, but I’ve mustered some self-discipline and don’t have to consciously fight off the distractions.

Great review – not being able to sneakernet data would be a showstopper for me on any word processor. Is it too much to ask for a USB port to thumbdrive on the wordprocessor itself?

]]> By: Greg Clinton http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-242 Greg Clinton Tue, 27 May 2008 21:36:22 +0000 http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/05/27/further-thoughts-on-writing-the-alphasmart-way/#comment-242 Brings back fond memories of the manual typewriter I used in college. Brings back fond memories of the manual typewriter I used in college.

]]>