Review: Ommwriter Text Editor
7:16 am, November 24th, 2009, Giles Turnbull
Ommwriter is different. It’s a text editor, perhaps better described as a “writing environment” because text editor makes it sound like something you could write code in. And I can’t see many people using it for that.
Ommwriter plays ambient music and soundscapes while you work. The splash screen encourages you to stick headphones on while you’re using it; the idea is to put you in that special writing space you need to be in to get your work done.
One very odd thing is that it’s made by an advertising and marketing agency – such companies are not normally well known for their work as OS X developers.
Anyway. I’ve made a little screencast that shows you how it all works:
When I first saw it I was sceptical, but having tried it out I’m a little less so. I shall certainly be trying out Ommwriter when I get round to one or two forthcoming creative writing projects; it will be interesting to see how the experience compares to using WriteRoom.
What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by Giles Turnbull in Reviews, Screencasts, Software, Top stories | Comment on this article
My vote definitely goes to WriteRoom.. Music to people like me is nothing but disturbance while doing stuff. I mean, how can someone think with stuff playing loud in your ears, I can’t.. Maybe that’s just me.
Sayam Aggarwal, on November 24th, 2009 at 7:29 am
If you can change the backdrop to something from Die Hard/Aliens then crank up some death-metal, I’d sign up in a flash!
I tend to find ambient sounds like they way more distracting that simply having the radio on or playing some of you own music.
I can certainly see the appeal, with customisation would probably work wonders for some people. I think I’d spend all day tweaking the settings and never getting and bloody work done!! LOL!
Fuzzypig, on November 24th, 2009 at 7:54 am
The music that I heard from watching the video is rather annoying. No thanks!
Robin, on November 24th, 2009 at 9:35 am
MacVim in fullscreen mode is all i need.
harbatkin, on November 24th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Love this idea — I’ve been using binaural beats (beta, super annoying at first — http://www.jetcityorange.com/meditation/binaural-beats.html) as background music, but once you get used to it, it does help concentrate.
Nicole Martinelli, on November 24th, 2009 at 10:51 am
WriteRoom (no lost-in-the-cold-midwinter graphics) and if you want ambient sounds check out SonicMood (http://www.sonicmood.com/), inexpensive, highly flexible–all I need as curtain between me and external noises.
Ommwriter made me increasingly irritated as I tried to find some control combination that was helpful rather than intrusive. What a relief to quit it and trash it!
Jayce, on November 27th, 2009 at 8:02 pm