Nothing panders to the insatiable human appetite for more, more and more than Linux and the broader open source ecosystem.
Apart from the dozens of Linux distributions, there are a gazillion free open source applications ranging from databases to text editors to games and all the categories in between.
Today, I bring you FocusWriter, a free writing application available for different operating systems (Linux, Windows and Mac).
Now when there are already several solid writing applications (including venerable ones like Gedit), do we really need another writing app? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
One of the biggest touted virtues of FocusWriter is its distraction-free capabilities.
Nothing should come between an author and his writing. Or at least so goes the argument.
Well, William Shakespeare, Vladimir Nabokov and Jane Austen never complained about distractions. Maybe, there are more distractions for authors in our era making it hard for them to focus on writing.
Built on the Qt C++ toolkit, FocusWriter is a lightweight program.
Easy Install
Installing FocusWriter is easy as pie.
If you’re running LinuxMint, head over to Synaptic Package Manager or Software Manager to search for and install FocusWriter.
It should take less than a minute for the application to download.
The FocusWriter version on Synaptic Manager is 1.4.5 but the latest version of the application is 1.5.3. The updated version comes with four themes and lets you add custom themes as well.
Alternatively, you can install FocusWriter via the command line.
For Ubuntu/LinuxMint systems, use the below command:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gottcode/gcppa $ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get install focuswriter
On Fedora computers, install FocusWriter by running the below command:
$ sudo yum install focuswriter
Solid Writing App
When you open FocusWriter, you get a blank screen that’s devoid of anything except a blinking cursor.
Start writing on the blank page. Fill it up. Hey, that’s what FocusWriter is built for.
The menu is hidden but comes to life when you move the cursor to the top of the screen or the edges.
Should you want them, there are plenty of bells and whistles in FocusWriter.
Word count, page count, paragraph count, timer, writing sessions, spell-check, formatting (change font, align-left/right/center, bold etc), auto-save, and find/replace, you can get all of them and more on FocusWriter.
Plenty of shortcuts makes your job easier.
The program comes with an optional cute typewriter sound effect for those who yearn for a bygone era.
FocusWriter is a fine writing application and definitely worth taking a look at if you’re the sort to get easily distracted when your fingers are poised on the keyboard.
One of these days, when I embark upon my long-planned novel I’ll put FocusWriter to use.
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